The Glucose Never Lies®
The Glucose Never Lies® Podcast is brought to you by John Pemberton, together with Chad, his innovation partner who helps turn ideas into production. Behind the scenes, the creative team brings research, stories, and lived experiences of type 1 diabetes into an accessible format — combining science, storytelling, and strategy to help people live better with diabetes.
About Me
I’m John Pemberton — dad, husband, diabetes dietitian, researcher, and someone who’s lived with type 1 diabetes since 2008.
This podcast is my way of giving back. When my son Jude tested positive for type 1 diabetes antibodies, everything changed. I knew I had to act quickly and create a resource that was both comprehensive and easy to understand, so that anyone who might one day help manage his diabetes would feel supported. That’s how The Glucose Never Lies started — as an education platform to support my son’s future care.
Fortunately, his confirmatory test came back negative — but this doesn’t rule him, or my daughter, out. And since I was diagnosed at 27, I know just how real that risk can be.
The last two years have been the hardest of my life — battling depression, a functional motor disorder, and finally receiving an ADHD diagnosis. My journey back to health was made possible by the incredible support of my family, friends, and the wider diabetes community.
That experience taught me the power of giving. Written guides don’t work for everyone, but podcasts bring information to life in a real and relatable way. So that’s why I started this podcast — to make diabetes management engaging, practical, and fun.
I’ve been fortunate to work alongside some of the world’s leading researchers and thought leaders in type 1 diabetes, and I bring them onto the show to share their research, their stories, and their innovations.
You’ll also hear from people living with type 1 diabetes who are doing amazing things, and from advocates and clinicians shaping the future of diabetes care.
Here you’ll find guides, reflections, and conversations on everything from partying with T1D, continuous glucose monitoring and automated insulin delivery, to nutrition, exercise, insulin resistance, and childhood diabetes care.
Just to be clear — this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It’s not medical advice. Always consult your healthcare team before making any changes to your management.
I’m glad you’re here. Let’s get started.
The Glucose Never Lies®
6 - Ten Tips to Optimise Time in Range with AID Systems
Welcome to The Glucose Neverlies Podcast.
In this episode, we’re diving into practical strategies to optimise time in range (TIR) when using Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) systems for type 1 diabetes. Managing blood glucose levels can be unpredictable, but AID systems have transformed diabetes care by automating insulin delivery in smarter, more responsive ways. However, achieving the best possible outcomes still requires understanding key strategies, fine-tuning your approach, and making small adjustments that have a big impact.
In this episode, we’ll explore ten essential tips that can help improve your time in range, covering everything from pre-bolus strategies and exercise adjustments to high-fat meal management, CGM optimisation, and insulin site rotation. Whether you’re new to AID or looking to refine your approach, these evidence-based tips will help you navigate everyday challenges and make the most of your system’s capabilities.
We’ll break down the importance of balanced meals combined with post-meal activity, how to adjust insulin for high-fat and protein meals, and ways to prevent post-meal spikes by fine-tuning the timing and location of insulin administration. We’ll also cover exercise adjustments using the 50/50/20 and T25/T25 methods, ensuring you can keep glucose stable before, during, and after physical activity. Plus, we’ll discuss site management for insulin absorption, CGM accuracy tricks, and how to handle alcohol safely with an AID system.
As always, every person’s diabetes management is unique, so these strategies should be discussed with your healthcare team before making any changes. If you’re ready to take your AID experience to the next level, let’s get started.
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