By Dulce, Virta patient for 7 months
Before finding Virta, I struggled for years to keep my type 2 diabetes under control. The conversations with my doctor about how to reduce my A1c always revolved around medications. And with each visit, the medications I was taking, such as metformin, increased a bit more. I started to wonder what was next.
I have been married for over 20 years to a man who could probably still fit in his wedding tuxedo. He works in construction and never gains a pound. But as part of his Chicago Laborer’s Health Plan, I discovered that he and his dependents have free access to Virta, a type 2 diabetes reversal treatment.
When we got the mailer about the Virta benefit, I was a little skeptical. I already thought that I ate a healthy diet, so the idea that food could somehow help me reduce my blood sugar better than the medications I was taking seemed pretty far-fetched. But the more I looked into it, the more I started to think, “What do I have to lose?” I set a date for October 2021 to get started.
The initial process with Virta was incredible.
When you sign up, the first thing you do before making any changes to your diet or medications is go through a series of videos that explain everything about the treatment. Videos explaining not just what to do, but why it works. Virta explained that one of the reasons I had type 2 diabetes in the first place was that my body had an intolerance to the carbohydrates I was eating. Now, I am a very analytical person, so I credit having that baseline of understanding with at least some of the success I have had on the treatment.
I was surprised at how quickly I saw changes. In the first month on Virta, I was in ketosis, meaning my body was burning fat for energy and not carbohydrates. My average blood sugar went down, and I started losing weight. I thought, “I can do this”. And even though I was a little nervous about starting Virta just before the holidays, I had nothing to worry about.
On Virta, you change how you eat, not necessarily how much, so you don’t feel like you are missing out.
Today, because of Virta, I am completely off metformin. I have lost 35 pounds, and I have reduced my A1c from 6.4% to 5.4%, which is below even the prediabetes threshold. And because I feel better and have more energy on Virta, I find myself motivated to do more of what I love: intense Zumba. I don’t think I would have ever had the ability to keep up with the instructor before Virta. I am so grateful to my Virta coaches who are always just a text away and to my husband for supporting me and for having a job with such great benefits!
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