Sean did more than reverse his type 2 diabetes; he took his life back.

By Sean L, on Virta for 6 months

A year ago, I couldn’t even walk my dog around the block without getting winded. Today, however, I am about to start on a “50 miles in 5 days” challenge, something I haven’t done since I was a Boy Scout. That is what Virta has done for me—it’s given me my life back.

For most of my adult life, I have been a member of the 300 pound club. Before kids, my wife of 18 years and I would make time to go to the gym, but in the long list of other priorities, working out just didn't make the cut.

10 years ago, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I tried Weight Watchers, which helped for a little bit, but it never felt sustainable. Even after losing 20 pounds, I would find myself struggling to stay consistent. A cheat meal turned into a cheat week, then month, and so on.

My real turning point was about a year ago when doctors discovered a tumor on my kidney that turned out to be stage 4 cancer. Let me just say: hearing “stage 4 cancer” has a real way of waking you up to what is important in life.

At just 50 years old, I have three beautiful, athletic daughters who I could never keep up with, as well as a granddaughter I desperately want to get to know. I didn’t do something about my health, I wouldn’t be around long enough to do so.

When I got an email about Virta at work, I thought one of my colleagues had sent it to me directly because it just hit so close to home. After a few days of doing my own research on how Virta worked, I decided to give it a shot.

I was a bit hesitant, though, and wondered if Virta’s approach to meal adjustments would be doable. But as I started to make my way through watching the videos and reading the educational materials that Virta provides, I got a chat message from my new Virta health coach, Jay. I was so surprised that Jay was already asking how I was doing, even though I had even officially started on the treatment..

For me, that was the moment that really pushed me from exploring Virta to fully committing to it. Jay’s real-time coaching support both motivates me to do better and keeps me accountable. Because unlike diet programs, there is a very real person on the other end of an app that is with me during my journey.

The other reason that I will never look back is the incredible results.

On Virta, I have already  lost 25 pounds, reduced my A1c from 7.0% to 5.6%--which is below even prediabetic levels. Combined, these improvements in my health have also given me so much of my energy back.

Now, I can play hoops with my daughter. I can walk with my dog. I can truly enjoy life again. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up enough to get back out on the trails. I used to love to hike, and I really want to share that with my family again. Because of Virta, I know I can.

‍