The Best Weight Loss Program I’ve Ever Done

Name: Natalie P.
Age: 47
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Reboot: 30 days of juicing, followed by a plant-based diet, and continuing my daily routine of green juice for breakfast.
What Health Issues apply to you? Autoimmune issues
Did you Reboot to lose weight? Yes
If you’ve seen FSND, please note where: Netflix
How did you learn about Reboot with Joe?
From watching Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead 1 and 2.

What inspired you to do a Reboot?      

I was inspired to do something after a trip to the doctor to have a check up on my thyroid. I knew I’d put weight on, and thought maybe my thyroid had finally gotten to the stage where it needed medication (I have Hashimoto’s disease)**. Blood tests revealed that whilst my thyroid was still ok, my cholesterol was high for the first time in my life – 6, with my LDL at 3.6. Added to that, the scales revealed my weight was well above what I had ever been before, apart from when I was pregnant around 20 years earlier. Many of my clothes had been relegated to the back of the wardrobe, as they didn’t fit me anymore. Feeling quite depressed and helpless as I left the doctor’s, I happened to find Joe’s documentary, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, on TV that same weekend. Watching it, I laughed, I cried, and I became hugely motivated to try it myself. I began my own Reboot that same weekend.

How did the experience go for you?

My results from my doctor were all I needed to motivate me to focus on the Reboot. I’d seen what it had done for Joe, and others, and I hoped it would help me too. At first I thought I would just try doing 3 days. I did get a few headaches and felt tired and hungry on those first few days, but it passed. Then I thought that I might as well go two more days and make it 5. Then 5 became 7, then 10, then 15, 20 and eventually 30 days. I did weekly video recordings of myself to document how I felt, and I could see the difference within just the first 10 days. It was pretty exciting! Of course I encountered people who were skeptical about what I was doing, but as the weight started to drop off, and I no longer felt tired or even terribly hungry, and my clothes became noticeably looser, people started to ask me how I was doing it, and I was able to inspire others to have a go at juicing too.

As I did my Reboot during the winter months, I found it helpful to have a soup for dinner, rather than a cold juice. I chose the Creamy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup from Joe’s website. The whole family loved it! Eventually, as my Reboot came to an end, all I craved to eat was healthy, whole plant-based foods – it was all I could think about in the last week or so!

How much weight did you lose (even if that wasn’t your goal!)?           

Six weeks after starting my 30 day Reboot, I had lost 9 kg (20 pounds). It’s now just over 5 months since the start of my Reboot, and I have lost almost 14 kg (30 pounds).

Did you have any notable health or physical improvements?

I’ve had both health, and physical improvements. With the weight loss, all those clothes relegated to the back of my wardrobe are now at the front, and even many of those are too loose on me now! My friends, family and colleagues have all noticed a considerable change in my physique and many are inspired to try juicing too. My husband loves the ‘new’ me! Best of all, at my latest checkup, my cholesterol has almost halved, dropping from 6 to 3.6. My LDL also dropping from 3.6 to 1.9. My iron levels are great, my glucose levels were also excellent and my thyroid is still plugging along without medication yet. My doctor was so astonished at the rapid improvement in my cholesterol and weight loss that she had already gone shopping for veggies to juice and was going to do a juice fast too.

What was the toughest part about the Reboot experience?      

For me, a tough part of the Reboot was that I did it in the winter. I think a summer Reboot would be easier – who doesn’t love to drink lots of healthy cold juices on a hot day! Also, managing to say ‘no’ to foods that were outside of my Reboot was tricky, particularly at work, especially when people challenged what I was doing. I found, and still do find it easier to say ‘no’ to everything that is not part of my new lifestyle, rather than saying ‘yes’ to some things, as I know it would be easy to fall into old habits otherwise. Lastly, trying to do too many different juices was tricky. I decided to stick to just a few ‘favourites’ so that food didn’t go to waste, and I could organise my fridge and do my shopping more efficiently.

What habits have you maintained and kept a part of your everyday life?             

After my 30 day Reboot, I did what Joe suggested, and went on to a mainly plant-based diet, although I sometimes include fish. I have gone off all grains, red meat, milk and caffeine, and have found wonderful recipes that substitute many of the old foods I used to love with healthy, plant-based, alternatives. I also try to eat raw food when I can. I continue to have a green juice for breakfast every day and am still loving it!

What is your lasting impression of the Reboot experience?

This has been the best weight loss and health improvement program I’ve ever done. By changing my lifestyle I can foresee that I will be able to maintain my weight loss and continue to get good blood results. My advice to anyone wanting to start a Reboot is – just start! Don’t set huge goals that you might find too daunting; start with smaller goals and work up from there. I certainly didn’t start out thinking I was going to tackle a 30 day fast, I started just aiming to make it through 3 days, and went on from there. It gets easier, the longer you do it, I promise, and it’s totally worth it.

**If you have a thyroid condition, we have a special 60 Day Guided Reboot that can help improve your health. Learn more.

Do you have a success story to share? We want to hear!

For more inspiring stories, just like this, visit our Success Stories page to read about real people who have lost weight and regained their health with juicing.