By Jessica, on Virta for 8 months
I’m in my late 50s now, but I have struggled with weight my whole life. I have tried pills, vitamins and supplements, diets and exercise—you name it—to lose weight, but nothing worked. Then last year my doctor told me that my prediabetes had advanced to type 2 diabetes.
As an employee of the City of Fort Worth, I have a great benefits package. I knew that bariatric surgery was covered, and I was seriously considering it. But after helping me do research, my supportive husband explained that surgery required significant life changes and was worried about the risks. Either way, I was determined to take control of my health and made it my goal to get in better shape—both for me and my family.
That’s when I got an email from the City of Fort Worth about a “type 2 diabetes reversal” benefit called Virta. The email explained that Virta could help naturally lower my A1c, which at the time was about 7.5%, lose weight, and reduce the need for diabetes medications. At the time, I was on 1,500 mg of metformin daily with the threat of insulin looming. Determined to reach my goal one way or another, I figured it was worth a shot. If it didn’t work, I still had surgery as an option.
I set November 30th as my start date with Virta. The first thing I learned was that Virta was not a diet. While the treatment does use food as medicine, it was nothing like other nutrition plans I had tried before. In addition to teaching me a whole new way to look at foods, Virta assigned me a health coach who was there for me every step of the way.
By the third week on Virta, I started to notice big changes. Not only was I losing weight and keeping it off, I had more energy than ever. Soon, my friends and family started noticing the changes too. My church family kept commenting on how I looked, and my mother was ecstatic that my limp was gone. I was pretty ecstatic too.
The last 8 months on Virta have been life changing. I’ve dropped 49 pounds, went from a size 24 to a size 18 and got my A1c down to a 5.8!
When I saw my doctor recently, he was blown away too. He said, “Whatever you are doing, keep doing it!” Then he cut my metformin prescription in half!
I simply can’t keep Virta a secret. I track and post my success on social media and tell everyone about the Virta treatment.