Virta taught Justin what healthy eating looks like

By Justin, on Virta for 8 months

Growing up as a big kid, I have always struggled with my weight and body image. Over the years, I tried diets of all kinds: crash, starvation, carnivore, you name it. There was a time where I would eat nothing but chicken salad and a can of pineapple, thinking fruit was healthy. In the mid-90s, I went through a phase where I added salsa to everything because someone somewhere told me it was healthy.

All this to say that until Virta came along, I didn’t really know what eating healthy meant. As someone who can’t process carbohydrates like others can, I didn’t realize that I had been sabotaging myself by not eating in a way that works for my body. 

I’ll admit that at first, I didn’t think eating “the Virta way” would work. No bread? No potatoes? No ice cream? I’m a production supervisor at an ice cream factory, so you can imagine the daily temptation. Yet here I am, 8 months later, not only sticking to my Virta plan, but enjoying it. 

In just a month and a half, I had already started seeing changes in my body and feeling my energy stabilize. And when I started dropping some of the medications I used to take for diabetes, I knew I had made the right choice. 

Nowadays, when I go out to eat with my family, I just work with my Virta health coach to go over the online menu and plan ahead. Instead of biscuits or potatoes, I ask for more vegetables. Instead of bread, I ask for a side salad. I have yet to be turned down by a server!

As of today, I’ve lost 60 pounds, brought my blood sugar down to around 100 mg/dL, and stopped needing a few of my diabetes medications. I have more focus and energy during the day. When I have to climb stairs at the factory, I no longer have to pause and catch my breath before talking to someone. In the evenings, I have less aches and pains; at night, I sleep better. I’m even working out now and slowly putting together the home gym of my dreams.

Though one of my goals is to get healthier for myself, I am also doing this for my kids. I am setting a good example for them because I’ve watched them go down the same path I had been on for so many years before Virta. I know that if we can make these changes together now, we will have so many more years together. Just the other day over dinner, my daughter and I got into it talking about the different kinds of squats we were doing at the gym. My wife looked at us like we were both crazy, but I think we both love this healthier lifestyle we are all adopting. 

None of this would have been possible without Virta!