How I lost 38 pounds and have kept the weight off for over 1 year

When I reflect on my childhood and the messaging around food in my early days it is no surprise I was 35 - 40 pounds overweight. I was born in a time where food was becoming more and more convenient (not necessarily more healthy). We were grabbing breakfast on the go with pop-tarts, sugar filled breakfast bars, skim milk and more. Lunch and dinner were no different. But it was all under the guise that if it was non-fat, low-fat, or low calorie we were eating healthy.

A year ago I found Virta Health. I started working for them to help send the message that diabetes is reversible. I joined Virta because my Dad had diabetes. I still remember the day I saw the note on his desk in his home office. He was being prescribed Metformin and told he needed to eat less and exercise more. What the heck did this mean? No guidance, no direction, no support, nothing. Just the doctor telling a 50 year old man he needed to change his diet and exercise. Well, sadly, metformin progressed to daily insulin injections and then onto more injections and additional drugs. Sadly, other areas of my Dad's health started to deteriorate. Eventually, my Dad passed away from a variety of health issues which included diabetes and weight issues.

When I heard diabetes is reversible I knew this to be true but not how it was done. I poured myself into Virta Health's data, science, clinical trials, and nutritional therapy. I decided since likely someday I will be diagnosed with diabetes I would do something now to improve my health. I signed up for Virta, met with my Virta health coach, told her where I needed guidance and support and started on my way. Within a few weeks I lost almost 10 pounds (see my personal weight loss graph from the Virta app posted at the end of this article).

This leads me to what I was eating daily. Many think that they have to count calories or starve themselves to be successful in weight loss. I am here to tell you I eat more today than I did a year ago. I was eating the wrong things a year ago which caused me to store more fat. Now I burn fat and use protein for energy. My body was designed to work this way but I lost my way due to food mfr. messaging and the media.

I eat eggs, bacon, sausage, almost every kind of cheese, plain yogurt, almost every kind of fish/seafood, chicken, turkey, beef, burgers (lettuce wrapped), avocado, onions, peppers, cauliflower, mushrooms, spinach, lettuce, arugula, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus, cucumber, squash, zucchini, olives, almonds, pistachios, almost every kind of nut/seed, every kind of herb/seasoning, dark chocolate, coffee, tea, mayo, real butter, olive oil, full fat salad dressings, heavy cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, and then some items in moderation like low carb tortillas, low carb crackers, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and peanut butter and celery. And my guilty pleasure is one Coke Zero a day.

You might have noticed on the list above there are no high carb foods or high sugar foods listed. I had a lot of issues with carbs and sugars causing inflammation, gained weight, digestion issues, and feeling sluggish. Removing high carb foods and sugars from my diet has given me much needed energy to work in the garden, hike trails and work on my home.

If you want to learn more please go to virtahealth.com or send me a private message here in LinkedIn. Virta has a clinical weight loss program with daily coaching support and nutritional guidance if you are struggling with your weight. GLP1s are not the answer for everyone struggling with weight. Virta is a healthy option to GLP1s.