Member Success with Sandy

Meet Sandy, a real Calibrate member who was living with obesity and struggling with the negative health impacts of fad diets. Motivated by the potential to improve her quality of life as she got older, Sandy found Calibrate and success in effective lifestyle changes that followed. 

My Weight Loss Journey

I first went on a diet as a teenager, which is when my struggle with weight began. It was around this time that I started to notice the difference in my body compared to my peers’ bodies. I remember attending pool parties with friends and feeling incredibly self-conscious in my swimsuit—especially in front of the boys.

Over the past forty years, I’ve tried every diet I could get my hands on: The Scarsdale diet (which restricts you to just 1,000 calories per day), WW, Jenny Craig, Slim Fast, and more. Soon enough, I started to see a pattern emerge—most of these diets start with extreme calorie restrictions. Unsurprisingly, this leads to a significant amount of weight loss in the beginning. But after a few weeks or months, this severity becomes unsustainable. Before I knew it, I’d end up gaining all of the weight back, and in some cases, even more. 

But my inability to keep the weight off didn’t kill my resolve. I continued to jump at every chance I could to try and lose the weight. I subjected myself to unpalatable frozen and packaged meals and even tried a supplement regimen where I had to swallow 16 extra-large supplements before every meal. It was painful and unsuccessful in the long run.

As I grew older, I realized that my thinnest periods in life didn’t coincide with my healthiest periods. In other words, even when I was able to lose weight temporarily, my body wasn’t healthier because of it. In fact, these short term fad diets had a negative impact on my health. 

I also began to consider the roots of my weight gain. As the only bigger person in my family, it was hard to know whether my size was entirely biological or impacted by other factors. As someone who experienced early childhood trauma and has an inherited blood disorder, I realized that when it came to improving my weight, I needed a solution that took my whole health into account.

How I Found Calibrate

I discovered Calibrate on my Facebook feed and as soon as I visited the website, I was impressed. I was drawn to the comprehensive and evidence-based approach, though I was a little hesitant at first about the use of medication. 

Still, I couldn’t shake this gut feeling that I had finally found a sustainable approach to a healthier lifestyle. When I read that the program championed nutrition over calorie restriction, incorporated medical support, and uplifted emotional health—I knew that this was what I had been searching for the past four decades.  

 Before I took the plunge, I thought of my mother-in-law and her quality of life as she approached her mid-80s and how difficult it was for her to do simple physical tasks, like get up and walk to the front door. I knew that I wanted a better quality of life for my third act and that I was ready to make an investment in my future health.

My Experience So Far

I joined in December of 2020 and found the first few weeks to be surprisingly easy. From getting started on the medication to connecting with the support staff and my coach through the app, the entire process felt incredibly seamless. I especially loved getting to know my coach and learning about the foundational pillars of the program. 

Over the past six months, Calibrate has exceeded my expectations. Each aspect of the program was introduced gradually, enabling me to take things mindfully and slowly. Best of all, no moment of this program has felt like a diet or an unsustainable challenge. Instead, it feels like a lifestyle change.

Looking back, I’ve realized that each aspect of the program has come in handy at different moments throughout the year. When I needed extra guidance on nutrition, I fell back on the nutritional pillars. And when I was coping with particularly stressful moments in my life—like the electrical blackout here in Texas due to the freak snowstorm—the emotional health pillars provided immense support. Overall, I’ve learned so much about my relationship with food, my biology, and weight loss. 

My New Day-to-Day

I've reached my goal of losing 13% of my body weight, about 33 pounds. I’m down two pant sizes and couldn’t be more thrilled about it! I’ve also noticed that I have a lot more energy throughout the day. I get excited to exercise and enjoy moving my body more. 

Not only have I been able to keep the weight I’ve lost off, I’m continuing to lose weight gradually—which proves to me that this is something I can stick to for the rest of my life. 

My non-Calibrate clinicians are pleased with my results too. My blood pressure has improved significantly enough that my clinician has reduced my blood pressure medication, and I will likely be able to go off of it for good in the coming months. 

Joining Calibrate was the best thing I could have done for my health. It’s taught me how to be patient with myself and reminded me that sometimes the best changes take time and dedication, but they’re always worth it in the end.

Sandy’s story likely looks like that of 40% of your employee population—living with obesity and concerned about their quality of life as they get older. Learn how Calibrate can help your employees achieve sustainable weight loss through our metabolic health platform, driving significant outcomes and reducing your total cost of care.