Meet Gina, an Enara-Mankato member already experiencing incredible success in her first 5 months of the program, and is in the process of reversing her pre-diabetes! As of August 2022, she has lost over 30 lbs (about 13% of her starting weight)! Read her story here.
Gina’s Story
Gina had always struggled with her weight, but hit an especially difficult set of challenges starting in 2019 when she had her baby. The Covid pandemic didn’t help — in 2020 she hit her highest ever weight and decided she needed to take action. She tried a few different strategies and was able to lose a bit of weight, but as soon as she hit another stressful speed bump the weight came right back.
Enter Enara
This past year, Gina went to see her doctor and learned that the Mankato Clinic had partnered with Enara. She thought, “why not?” and the rest is history! She started her weight loss program and her motivations kept her going. She wanted to have enough energy to keep up with her toddler. She didn’t want to feel winded all the time. She also wanted to prevent diabetes and live a long vibrant life.
Gina took advantage of everything Enara had to offer — she diligently met with her medical provider, Nutrition Specialist, and Exercise Specialist. She completed her lab work, did genetic testing, and made the suggested lifestyle modifications. She also took photos of her meals, weighed in regularly, and got monthly body composition tests to further track her progress.
Gina felt supported and accountable, but at the same time, unpressured. Meeting once a week was helpful when she first started out. When asked about how her experience with Enara differed from other weight loss methods she had tried, Gina said that it “takes the guesswork out of nutrition.” The cookbook with healthy recipes were helpful, but more importantly she learned how to tailor almost any recipe to fit her healthy lifestyle. Learning how to order when eating out was another major factor. Additionally, Gina appreciated that her exercise program took her starting point and physical capacity into account, meeting her where she was at. She felt like her program was uniquely tailored to her needs.
Non-Scale Victories
Gina feels her mentality is different than before, adding that “it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.” She crossed a major milestone recently, picking up her 40 lb daughter with one arm. She is no longer feeling exhausted day-to-day. She is fitting into the clothes she wore pre-pregnancy, and she stopped hiding behind makeup. The best part is that she has more confidence in herself!
Gina has lost nearly 13% of her starting weight so far!
Starting weight, BMI: 242 lbs, 36.8 kg/m²
August 2022 weight, BMI: 211 lbs, 32 kg/m²
Gina’s Lab Improvements
Gina lowered her fasting glucose by 12%:
- A fasting glucose (or blood sugar) test measures glucose (sugar) in your blood after 8-12 hours of fasting. It is a simple way to screen for diabetes, prediabetes, or gestational diabetes.
- 99 mg/dL or lower is normal. 100-125 mg/dL typically indicates prediabetes. 126 mg/dL or above typically indicates diabetes.
Gina lowered her fasting insulin by 38.5%:
- Insulin is a hormone secreted by your pancreas. Its main role is to regulate the amount of nutrients circulating in your bloodstream, in particular sugar.
- Insulin resistance is when cells stop responding to insulin correctly, causing high insulin and blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance is linked to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
- Insulin resistance can be reversed by weight loss and lifestyle changes including exercise.
Gina lowered her insulin resistance index by 45.7%:
- HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance) is an indicator of how much insulin your body needs to keep your blood sugar levels in check.
- HOMA-IR is calculated from your fasting glucose and fasting insulin levels.
- In general: optimal insulin sensitivity is a HOMA-IR of less than 1. Levels above 1.9 signal early insulin resistance. Levels above 2.9 signal significant insulin resistance.
