What is Virta?

Yep... once again... not a cult.

So Purdue sends this invite for employees to participate in this program to REVERSE diabetes- free of charge, and involves some sort of health coaching. "Hmm." I think. Let me just click on this link to find out more....

So I dive deep into the research paper and am getting intrigued,  but, suddenly, hit a roadblock. There is it. The name of a local doctor here in town that runs a medically supervised weight loss program. She was part of the study.  I tried that program. And had NO success. Why? Because I was a sugar addict and they just kept telling me to add more artificial sweeteners to things. Ugh. I resign myself to the fact that this is just a modified version of her program and it's not going to work for me.  *sigh*

But then I keep reading... and see another name. One I'm not expecting... that of one of my Honors College students. He was a research assistant on the project.  And, seriously, the kid sits in my office for some amount of time EVERY. DAY. I had no idea that was his research. But...it at least perks me up to find out more. So I do.

And so sure, there are SOME similarities to the previous program I tried.. but they learned A LOT and this is truly different.  How is it different you may ask?

1) I haven't seen anything that says exactly where the name came from...but I have to believe it is because there is a VIRTUAL component to it. Yep.. I have online doctors appointments and a Health Coach who is available by text 24/7. I love it.

2) It's customized to me.  No cookie cutter meal plan. My health coach and doctor work together to decide what's best for me and how to best approach each barrier and goal.

3) It's free. :) Well, for Purdue employees. Purdue has opted in to offer this to their employees as a health benefit.  They quote it as a $5000 value. That may sound like a lot, but a friend recently told me that it typically costs an employer $30,000 to cover the health care costs of someone who is diabetic. So for Purdue, I'm sure it's a cost saving measure.

4) We are focusing on blood sugar, not weight loss. That being said.. sure.. I've lost some weight.. but its great to know there's no pressure to lose weight- its about getting the bloodwork in an acceptable range. In the past program I felt like I was scolded because I'd come in and have only lost .5 lbs and that wasn't sufficient.

5) They supply you with all the tools you need to succeed. Including a digital scale that automatically uploads your weight to an app so you can't cheat on recording it! Hello Internet of Things!!

So, what made me decide to go ahead and try it? Data.

I went to an informational meeting with a scoff on my face, expecting to hear a repeat of the medically supervised weight loss program and to prove to myself I DID NOT want to do this. But there was a free lunch. So there's that.  But in the meeting... there was a statement that caught my attention- the presenter says "are you tired of just going to the doctor and having them continually up your dose or add another med only to not see results? "  Um... yeah. You've got my attention.  Well, here's some data from our clinical trial... 87% of participants were OFF their meds by the end of 10 weeks.  WHAT? OFF OF THEM? Like no more?  That's crazy talk.  But, it's true.

So that's what made me decide to start my Virta Journey. Next time... what it's really been like...