I Lost 75 Pounds & Found a New Way to Think About Food

Name:  Sharon B.
Age: 46
Location: Harrisburg, SD
Reboot: 2 juice only Reboots; 25 days and 30 days

What Health Issues apply to you?
Autoimmune issues, Arthritis, High Blood Pressure, Obesity

Did you Reboot to lose weight?
Yes

How did you learn about Reboot with Joe?
I learned about Reboot from watching FSND. I had seen commercials for the documentary and looked it up on Netflix. I watched it twice.

What inspired you to do a Reboot?
I was inspired by Joe’s and Phil’s stories. It resonated with me. I suffered from fatigue that significantly limited my ability to do the things I used to enjoy doing. I had high blood pressure. I had struggled with my weight since the birth of my first child, 26 years! I knew I had to do something.

How did the experience go for you?     
The Reboot was easier than I thought it would be. I started with the goal of doing it for 15 days and then I would see how it went. My first juice fast lasted 25 days. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the juices. During the fasts, I felt younger, more energetic and alive. Once I began eating again, I found that gluten was a large cause of my fatigue. Every time I ate something with gluten, I felt the heaviness and fatigue that I had experienced for so many years. After the first fast, I continued to drink juices for breakfast and lunch and have a healthy dinner for a month. I followed that month with another month-long juice fast.

How much weight did you lose (even if that wasn’t your goal!)?
I lost 20 lbs/9 kg in the first 25 day Reboot. I continued to lose weight during the next months while I learned how to eat healthier and did another juice fast. After the second juice fast, I switched to eating a low carb diet. In the 9 months since I did my first Reboot, I have lost 74 lbs/34 kg. I am not at my goal yet but feel and look so much better.

Did you have any notable health or physical improvements?
My energy level is incredible! I got off of my blood pressure medication after losing about 35 lbs/16 kg in 3 months. I was able to begin exercising after 2 months. At first, I was only able to work on the elliptical for about 20 minutes, 3 times a week. I have been able to add strength training and other forms of cardio exercise and am now able to do vigorous exercise for an hour 5 – 6 times a week.

What was the toughest part about the Reboot experience?      
The toughest part was the planning. I am a person who likes to be prepared and I found that it required more time and money to do the shopping. The juicing itself was really not very difficult.

Now, I feel like I am eating in a way that I can maintain for the rest of my life. I am not on a diet, I have changed the way I eat. More importantly, I have changed the way I THINK about food.

What habits have you maintained and kept a part of your everyday life?
I have continued to eat healthy, focusing on healthy proteins and vegetables with small amounts of fruit and nuts. I have continued to exercise, increasing the intensity and length over time. I have increased my water intake to about 100 oz. per day.

What is your lasting Impression of the Reboot experience?      
The Reboot experience was invaluable for me. It helped me change the way I think about food. It gave me the initial success that I needed to believe that I could be successful after many years of trying to lose weight. Because of how great the juices make me feel, my focus shifted from just losing weight to gaining health. It also just abolished my cravings. I don’t long for sweets and breads the way I used to. People comment on how much willpower I must have and I have to tell them that after my Reboot, it is really pretty easy to make healthy choices.

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For more stories like Sharon’s, visit our Reboot with Joe Success Story Profiles.