My Journey with Calibrate: Vicki

This testimonial tells the inspiring story of a caregiver and mother who, after facing personal hardships and significant weight gain, transformed her health and confidence through Calibrate. In March 2021, she joined the year-long program, drawn by its science-backed, whole-body approach to sustainable weight loss through medication and lifestyle changes. Over four years, she achieved remarkable results—losing 24% of her body weight, regaining mobility, and adopting lasting habits for physical and emotional well-being. With personalized coaching and a focus on nutrition, movement, sleep, and stress management, Calibrate empowered her to prioritize herself and achieve lasting, life-changing progress.

My Weight Loss Journey

Throughout adulthood, I rarely struggled with my weight. After the birth of each of my two sons, I found it relatively easy to lose the pregnancy weight by joining WW and other similar diet programs. But then, everything changed.

Ten years ago, my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I started taking care of her while she was still living at home with my father and then later when she moved into a nursing home. Then, she passed away. I felt like a small part of me died with her. 

The heartbreak of losing my mother took its emotional and physical toll on me. I stopped taking care of myself and, soon enough, the weight began to pile on. Not long after, I took on another caretaker role for my father, too. At that point, it felt like I was taking care of everyone but myself.

When I decided it was time to put myself first and work on improving my health, I rejoined WW, but this time it didn’t work. So I tried a severely restrictive diet, called the HCG diet, but that didn’t work either. No matter how much calorie cutting I did, the scale just wouldn’t budge. To make matters worse, I had developed arthritis in my knee that made it nearly impossible to exercise or even walk. I felt like I was out of options and was ready to throw in the towel and give up on my health.

How I Found Calibrate

I discovered Calibrate on my social media feed. I was blown away by its science-backed methods, but mostly, I was drawn to the use of medication. Back when I was pregnant with my first son, I got my personal trainer’s certification. In learning about the body, nutrition, and weight loss, I had always thought that there was something critical missing in the popular diets and programs of the time. Reading about how Calibrate took a whole-body approach to health and weight loss, including nutrition, movement, sleep, stress, and medication gave me confidence that this program might actually work.

My only reservation was the commitment required—at the time, Calibrate was a year-long program. Could I really stick to it? But when I thought about it more deeply, I realized that the commitment was another benefit of its sustainable approach. Short-term fixes were more likely to deliver short-term results, and I wanted to lose weight in the most realistic and long-lasting way possible. So I decided to sign up.

My Experience So Far

I joined in March of 2021 and was delighted to see that they didn’t dump all of the information at me at once. First, I met virtually with the clinician who went over my labs and health history. We discussed the program and the medication. Then, there was a team of people that helped me get authorization from my insurance to help cover the cost of the medication. I was amazed at how quickly and considerately they handled this, so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it. 

Then, I met with my coach. Let’s just say, I adore her. She feels more like a friend and a confidante than a health coach, though in reality, she’s all three. She has given me the support and accountability I’ve needed to stick to the program and stay on track of my progress. Without her, I can imagine how easy it would have been to lose motivation or forget to log my food or exercise in the app. But instead, she’s given me yet another reason to keep the promise I made to myself to get healthy and improve my quality of life.

My Progress So Far

I’m proud to share that after being a member of Calibrate for more than four years, I have lost 24% of my body weight—and kept it off. Calibrate has taught me that I can still go back to the basics, feel good, and sustain my results, all while living my life. My initial “Why” for joining Calibrate was to feel more confident and better in my clothes, and I really do. When my mind starts playing tricks on me, even when I’m doing all the right things, I look at a picture of myself from before I started Calibrate or put on one of my favorite outfits and it grounds me again.

Calibrate has become a part of my life, I don’t think of it as a program to follow anymore—it’s just how I live my life. For example, every time I go out to eat, I always look at the menu ahead of time to decide what I’m going to get, so I go in feeling confident about my choices. 

Recently, when I went out to lunch with a friend, I had a sandwich and ate until I was full, bringing the other half home for later. I feel so much better when I’m not overstuffed and I know my limits. When I do go off course, I pick one thing to focus on that will get me back on track. For me, that’s almost always my water intake. I find if I’m not drinking enough water, I tend to veer, but now I recognize that and use the tools Calibrate has embedded in me to move forward.

I have more energy, I’m sleeping better at night, and my labs are phenomenal. I feel like I’ve regained my sense of self—I finally feel confident in my own body again. Miraculously, after my first few months of progress, I discovered that the pain in my knee improved, too. I’m now able to bend it without causing major pain. I’m even walking more and able to do activities again!

People that have seen me go through this process understand that I’m not perfect, but it works for me and it could work for them. I’ve had friends that have joined as well, and they have similar results and are thrilled. I’m so happy that they were able to see the positive changes I’ve made in my life and do it too. It’s not complicated, it’s a better way to feel.

My New Day-to-Day

I’m 57 now and I’ve spent a majority of my life overeating and only changing one or two things to maintain my weight. Calibrate has given me the tools to understand all the factors that impact my weight and how to stay healthy. While I’ve only known it for a short period of time compared to how I used to think before Calibrate, I’m glad I know it now.
Calibrate has helped me manage my stress immensely. I take care of my dad, my family, and I work. Calibrate has taught me to take care of myself first so that I have the energy to help others. For example, after work or in the mornings on my days off, I take an hour of meditation time. It helps me unpack my day and leave it all behind. I have a meditation and yoga space in my house, and now my family knows that when I’m going in there, I need that time uninterrupted.

Along with daily meditation, I’ve implemented some other mindfulness techniques that have become a part of my routine and help me get better sleep. About two to three hours before I go to bed, I shut off my phone or put it to the side. I tune out everything for the rest of the night. I know that the results from the game, an election, etc. will all be there in the morning. It helps me keep my mind clear of all the chatter. I try to do the same thing in the morning—not looking at my phone right away, until I do everything I need to get done first.

Looking Forward

My biggest win over the course of the last few years is not a number, it’s the way I feel. I don’t ever feel like I’m missing out on something and I’m still able to meet my goals. I didn’t know what life could be like until I went through my first year with Calibrate of learning, transitioning, and seeing that progress. Now I see life in a completely different way.

Before joining Calibrate, I had given up on myself. What I needed was not a quick-fix, but a gradual learning process. This version of myself that I’ve developed over the last four years is the best version of myself I’ve ever had in my lifetime. I can’t tell you enough how much Calibrate has changed my life. 

Four Pillars Lightning Round

Favorite food: I’ve always been a steak and potato person—but now I’ve traded my regular potato for a sweet potato. Four years later, I still do this! Now I look for places to eat that have sweet potatoes because I love them so much. Though, often I’ll do chicken and sweet potatoes these days.

Best sleep tip: I have my phone set up to use softer light about two hours before bedtime, which really helps with decreasing stimuli. Now, four years later, I’m also more mindful of shutting down my phone or putting it to the side so I don’t have the pull to check on things.

Favorite type of exercise: Either walking or yoga. Since I started Calibrate, I have created two dedicated spaces in my house—one for yoga and meditation, and one for weights and a treadmill. Having these spaces helps me get into the mode without distractions.

Emotional health tip: I try to take one part of the day where I can go outside and just sit and focus on being present. I focus on my breathing and simply being outside without a computer or electronics. Today, this has evolved into me spending at least an hour a day in my meditation space to unpack the day.

This photograph is of Calibrate member Vicki in her home yoga/meditation studio in 2024. All previous photography of Vicki is from 2021.

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*Results not typical; average Calibrate members lose 15% of their body weight in 12 months. Read more here.