Do you burn carbohydrates or fats right now? Lumen, a tiny breathalyser with Bluetooth that can sync with an Apple Watch or smartphone app, will tell you. What is it important to know? It is vital that your body understands how metabolism works. It is essential for weight loss and energy supply to cells and organisms. However, fitness monitors, smartwatches and heart rate monitor will show you exactly what you did and track your progress, but they won’t tell how effective your body is at burning calories or what to eat.
Lumen can help you attain’metabolic flexibility. This is when you start your day by burning fat, then switch to carbs depending upon what activity you are doing. Cue better energy levels overall, more efficient weight loss, and being able to see the effect on your body of a workout/run/swim/hike.
Does science back it? Lumen claims that its device has been approved as a metabolic measuring device by a study (opens in new window) by San Francisco State University.
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Lumen is a small device that weighs less than a pair wireless earbuds. It comes with a battery case. Lumen is based on the same pocket-sized devices that analyze your breath for alcohol levels.
It’s as simple to use. The app is easy to use. You simply need to open it, and then follow the instructions to inhale. Next, you can exhale for 10 seconds. Finally, wait for the results. These will show you what percentage of your metabolism is burning fats, carbs, and everything in between. The app monitors the level of CO2 in your breath. High CO2 = carbs, and low CO2 = fat.
It doesn’t do anything fast. It required constant retakes of the breath test during our long-term testing, which meant that the measurements took longer than expected. It can become quite overwhelming when you are asked to do it multiple time per day. Lumen is a needy.
Lumen is a very useful tool for health tracking. However, it provides specific information, actions, and nutrition advice. It is all about the user’s commitment. Lumen is a truly new way to track your health, fitness, and diet. You will either love it or forget about it.
Lumen metabolism tracker price and release date
- Prices starting at $199 / PS199/AU$275
- Prices $19 / PS19, AU$26 per Month thereafter
Lumen, a high-end biotechnology gadget, was launched in May 2020 as the first portable, handheld device to track and measure metabolism. It comes with a small case, a charging dock, and a USB-C cable. Prices vary depending on how you intend to use it. You can get a three-month ‘Metabolism Booster’ deal for $199 / PS199 / AU$275; an ‘Advanced Fat Burner’ deal for $249 /PS249 / AU$345, or an ‘Optimal health’ deal for $299 / PlayStation299 / AU$415. All of these deals include the device. They all renew automatically after the period for $19 / PlayStation19 / AU$26 each month.
Lumen is a costly device. However, you have a 30-day trial during which you can cancel it and return it for a full refund.
Lumen metabolism tracker: Design
- Weighs 74.9g
- Soft touch material
- Charging Cradle uses USB-C
Design Score: 4/5
The breathalyzer, which comes with a CO2 sensor as well as a flow meter inside, is an expensive piece of kit. The mouthpiece is made of metal and has a soft-touch matte finish. The front has a circle of LEDs that light up to indicate different modes: green for charged and purple for connected.
Lumen can be used on its USB-C-powered charging base. However, its battery lasts approximately 14 days. This means that you don’t have to transport the charging base with it on your trip. The Lumen and the app were always connected during our testing. There were no dropouts, lags, or connectivity issues. The app can detect if your heart rate has increased and will ask you to sit down before taking any measurements.
However, it is a very slick product in many ways. There will be a buildup of saliva over time and it will tend to come out of the bottom when it is blown through. It’s important to keep your Lumen clean.
Lumen metabolism tracker: Performance
- Sometimes, two samples of breath are required
- Quite demanding
- It takes two weeks to become serious
Performance score 3/5
It’s advertised as being quick and easy to use but it can take up to 10 minutes. It is recommended to be used within 30 minutes of waking up, before eating, after eating, and before going to bed. The last one is the most difficult to remember. Lumen requires two samples of your breath to complete this routine, which makes it more difficult. Lumen also requires that users wait 15 seconds between samples.
Lumen’s problem is that instead of the honeymoon period with new gadgets, Lumen gives you the exact opposite. It makes it difficult to get insights and an annoying daily routine. This is a problem as you will only get a weekly summary and a Lumen Flex Score (an indicator of your metabolism’s flexibility) after two weeks.
Lumen works better for you the more you use it. It tailors your advice based on your results if you provide a sample before exercising. Lumen was informed that we wanted to do a “before exercise” test. After choosing from a variety of activities and durations, it calculated our metabolism and reported that we were burning most fat. The program then informed us that we need fuel to get the energy we require for exercise (fat-burning does not give our muscles the energy they need for running). It then went on to recommend that we consume high-glycemic carbs like fruit, bread, or cornflakes 15-60 minutes before our run.
We returned to the lab and measured again. It told us that we were now burning carbohydrates. This was not surprising considering that we had just eaten bread. However, Lumen’s accuracy is unshakeable. The program advised us to eat small amounts of low-medium glucose carbs within the next 30 minutes or two hours. This could include yogurt, milk, muesli, and all-bran. The nutrition plan also contains very specific advice. For example, it advises that you should eat 45g protein.
Lumen is a serious and professional device. However, it can seem confusing at first. The company provides a one-to-1 onboarding video call as well as useful follow-up emails with supportive and helpful language. It’s not difficult to commit, but it will be hard for many users to do so.
Lumen metabolism tracker: Companion app
- Lumen app available for free
- Simple to use and high quality
- The first two weeks of can be frustrating due to a lack of information
Companion app score: 4/5
The Lumen app is free and never crashed during our extensive review. It is also incredibly good at holding the user’s hands. Because who among us knows how to use a breathalyzer or why?
It teaches you how to inhale, and exhale into it. The device then displays a countdown of each stage. Inhale now and the screen will turn green. Hold your breath for 1, 2, 3,… and exhale until it disappears. You will need to start over if you are not following the correct timing. Although it is easy to master, it can take some time.
The app displays a semi-circle pie chart split into five colours. Blue is for burning most fat, while orange is for burning more carbs.
The first two weeks are a rough time. It’s frustrating because it makes you feel like you wasted your time trying to find useless data. Lumen will only start to tell you what foods you should eat, how often you should exercise and how much sleep you should have.
Lumen now has an Apple Watch app that retrieves data from the breathalyser and lets you log carbohydrate intake. It can also set your daily carbs budget if you think you have low carb days.
First review September 2021
It is available for purchase if
Unsustainable diets are a problem.
Lumen provides unique insight into your body, as well as helpful tips for diet (including what you should eat), which can help you burn more fat than carbs. This means weight loss.
You need advance notice of what you will eat and when.
Have you ever wondered why your speed is different from the other? You probably eat what you ate. Lumen will help you to use it correctly and tell you what foods to eat to ensure your body is prepared for the next activity.
If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
There are problems with your commitment
It’s not worth it if you don’t use Lumen at least once a day. Follow its instructions and enter all data manually. Lumen depends entirely on your motivation.
Want a quick solution to weight loss?
This device is about increasing your “metabolic flexibility” so you can always start your day by burning fat, then switch to carbs to fuel some activities. Although it can help you lose weight faster, it is not guaranteed.
