We’re a couple from Southern California who decided to take the plunge and join a virtual pilot program sponsored by Dr. Misra out of San Francisco, California. We were both overweight and unhappy with our lifestyles, so we decided to do something about it together. With remote monitoring and telehealth assistance from Dr. Misra – and with a whole lot of hard work and accountability to one another – we achieved a goal we’ve been wanting to accomplish for a long time now. With some outside help and guidance, we went on to lose a combined 40 pounds, including 20.6 pounds of body fat.
Let’s take a closer look at our story while explaining the process that we used. Just like us, you and your spouse might also team up and get into better shape than ever.
Background
The way that the system works is quite simple. It’s a 10-week program that combines intermittent fasting and weekly in-home body composition testing. These were our body composition results before starting the program.
| Nathalie (female) | Michel (male) |
| BFM: 92.7 lbsSMM: 62.4 lbsPBF: 45% | BFM: 106.5 lbsSMM: 101.4 lbsPBF: 37.4% |
Goals
For any program to be successful, it’s important to set goals for what you want to accomplish throughout the journey. We strived for permanent weight loss and to make lifestyle changes that were healthy and lasting. Starting this program was the motivation we needed to start a new healthy lifestyle. Nathalie originally only joined to support me but quickly fell in love with the intermittent fasting (IF) lifestyle, and she never looked back.
“I needed something other than my wonderful wife telling me regularly that I had to lose weight and exercise. I wanted to find an additional, not another, but an additional motivation. And that’s what the challenge was for me.”
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting, or time-restricted feeding, is a lifestyle that’s gaining popularity and recognition rapidly. This eating schedule involves 16-20 hours of fasting, followed by a strict 4-6 hour eating window. Previously, we tried to kickstart a healthier lifestyle by eating six small meals a day but saw little to no results even with all the preparation and hard work.
The part that really made an impact on our success was the freedom from being highly intuitive with what you are eating.
Here are some of the reasons that fasting was so effective for us:
- It’s a “simple science” – no counting calories or steps, it’s as easy as setting a daily alarm or stopwatch
- For the most part, you can eat what you want.
- It doesn’t involve timely and laborious food prep or meal planning.
- You feel less hungry
- It helps you feel healthier, more mobile, more energetic, and more confident.
“The fact that you could eat what you really wanted, with some exceptions obviously, was a big change from the previous diets that we did.”
Hurdles Faced and Overcome
Like all serious lifestyle changes, there are always hurdles and obstacles to overcome. That’s part of what makes the outcome so rewarding. Knowing that you overcame adversity to achieve your goals boosts your confidence. Nathalie faced her share of obstacles and fears regarding intermittent fasting.
“I was afraid of the scale … I never wanted to get on it. Even the doctor knew I wouldn’t get on it. Now, I go on it, and I’m not so afraid anymore”
She even managed to continue her lifestyle of tracking body composition when traveling overseas. That’s the beauty of portable, dependable at-home body composition devices. It’s a lifestyle that you can take with you no matter where you are.
Accountability
When it came down to it, neither of us could have succeeded without the other. We needed accountability and encouragement from one another to accomplish what we did. In the end, we did it for each other because it’s something we’ve been putting off and a way to show how we care about each other. With teamwork and accountability, we were able to turn Dr. Misra’s program from a challenge into a lifestyle.
Committing to the experience and being each other’s reminder for a healthier life ahead helped to keep us on track from the challenge into a way of life in our family.
“We went through that stage where we’re challenging each other and pushing each other. Now it has become just the way we live our life. It’s not a challenge anymore. These are conversations we never had before”
Gains Seen on the Scale
Not only did fasting help us feel better and healthier, but it also helped us see surprisingly rapid results on the scale. Through weekly in-home body composition testing and family accountability, we saw great health results by the end of the 10-week program.
| Nathalie (female) | Michel (male) |
| BFM: 82.3 lbsSMM: 56.4 lbsPBF: 44.2% | BFM: 96.3 lbsSMM: 95 lbsPBF: 36.5% |
What’s Next?
Once we started losing weight, we found a new fire among us to continue these health improvements. Intermittent fasting led us to start exercising more, helped us feel healthier, brought us together as a family, and made us more motivated to live a healthy life. The program was the kickstart we needed for a new healthy start for our family. Our household’s entire culture and lifestyle has changed to one of striving for health and wellness.
Tips for Your Journey from Us
There are some things that we will do differently moving forward. Here are some helpful tips that we wish we had known when we first started the program:
- It’s important to keep active and exercise alongside your fasting strategy. This is something that Michel wishes had done more initially, but it’s also to look forward to as the weight comes off and confidence builds.
- If you don’t feel like going to the gym, running miles, or lifting weights at first, Nathalie’s secret weapon was walking to stay active. It was an activity that fits in a busy schedule, keeps her active, and something she could do with the ones closest to her… like our dog, Tobi.
Overall Experience
Fasting and frequent body composition check-ins changed the culture in our house. It was the jumpstart we desperately needed to make better and healthier lifestyle choices. Aside from the physical and mental benefits we experienced, we also formed a unique bond that will continue in our family just like time-restricted feeding. We learned that anything is possible with teamwork and accountability to one another.
“You do a challenge, for a certain period of time, and if you don’t believe in it, you stop, go back to whatever you were doing. But Nathalie and I are completely committed to continuing this. It’s becoming a lifestyle change”
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