Life Before Elevé
John’s early adult life was full of movement. In the 1980s, he competed in bike races and triathlons. Once children and a fast-paced corporate job entered the picture, things changed. "We moved four times in the '90s," he says. "Family took the time I had been using for an active lifestyle, and corporate life just added to the pressure."
Though he was managing his blood pressure, John noticed his blood sugar starting to creep up. “I wasn’t diabetic yet, but I knew I had to make changes,” he says. Energy was low, naps became part of the routine and he found himself using wine to calm down from stress at the end of the day.
As time went on, his career shifted and his kids grew into adults with their own lives. “The excuses I had 10 or 15 years earlier didn’t apply anymore.”
A New Approach
After speaking with friends who had gone through the Vitality Program, John decided it was time to take control. “Joe, Katrina, the whole team—they were so knowledgeable,” he says. “They looked at things my general practitioner never did.” Lab work, body scans and in-depth assessments gave John a complete picture of his health.
With help from the Elevé team, John received a structured, personalized plan. It included nutrition changes, intermittent fasting, exercise, better sleep and supplements. “I finally had a prescription for this issue,” he says. “Not medication, but a real, actionable plan.”
One of the first things the Elevé team addressed was his carb intake. John remembers: “Dr. Joe made me laugh. He said, ‘John, I know you love carbs, but carbs hate you.’” But with some focus and discipline, he cut back. “I think I lost five pounds in the first couple of weeks just doing that.”
Small Changes, Big Results
John embraced the intermittent fasting schedule and drastically reduced his carb intake to help his body reset. He also cut back on alcohol and began tracking his sleep and activity with an Oura ring. “They taught me how to measure everything—protein, fats, carbs, hydration,” he says.
Within a few months, John reached his target weight. “I started in July, and by November, I was at 205 pounds. I just felt great and so much more energetic.”
Four years later and now retired, he’s maintained most of his progress, despite a few natural slip-ups due to travel or family emergencies. But even when life gets busy, he knows how to reset. “They taught me how to do this,” he says. “I know what to do, and I can pull myself back up when I need to.”
Building Strength for Retirement
One of John’s biggest breakthroughs came in the form of strength training. “I hadn’t done resistance training since my twenties,” he said. “But I built back muscle mass, and I could see the results on the body scan.”
As he prepared for retirement, John realized how important it was to stay active. “This program helped me get ready for the next phase of life. I didn’t want to lose momentum just because I wasn’t working.”
More than just his own success, John has inspired others to join the program—one friend even reversed their diabetes. “If you can do it naturally, it’s always better,” John says. “And I’ve seen firsthand what’s possible.”
