In the middle of 2018, Ruth Merrill, now 40, went to the urgent care clinic to address a "funny pain."
She never found out what it was, because doctors' blood work told a more important story: Her blood sugar was elevated. She had diabetes.
"I was 238 pounds, super wimpy, no muscle mass," Ruth said. "I didn't want to go on insulin. I begged my doctor to give me two months to get things straightened out to avoid that."
She did. She cut out sugars and "crud," she said, and began walking two miles daily. When Ruth returned to the doctor two months later, her blood sugar had leveled out--she was on the right track. Now, she said, she wanted to address her weight, which was a struggle she'd had for as long as she could remember. The doctor referred her to Nutrishop, to take advantage of our expertise, supplements, and InBody machine, and from that point on, Ruth never looked back.
"I've done so many different challenges and passed so many different milestones over the last year and a half," she said, "and Nutrishop has been educating me and being my cheerleaders."
A year ago, she was cleared for diabetes; her doctor calls her her "poster child" for curing the deadly disease. But she'd only lost about 30 pounds at that point, despite having incorporated strength training and meal planning. As many do, Ruth became frustrated with the number on the scale.
"I'd been working my butt off and eating super clean, but wasn't seeing the results I thought I should," she said. "That's where Toby and Nutrishop came in, and they would let me know: My muscle mass, fat loss, body fat percentage was all on track. It turns out I'm just genetically a muscly person. I'm 5-3, but my muscle mass is much larger than the average woman my age. I felt better when I realized my weight wasn't such a big deal, that it was a lot to do with my genetics."
So far, Ruth has lost 69 pounds of body fat and gained 15 pounds of muscle since she first came to us. She is in great health--no lingering issues from her blood sugar scare, she runs for miles multiple times weekly, trains with weights six days a week, and adds yoga three times weekly.
"It's been amazing," she said. "It hasn't just been a health journey, either--there's a major spiritual part of it. To mentally comprehend what I'm capable of is incredible. On my 40th birthday last year, I backpacked for three miles to camp overnight. It's something I've always wanted to do and now I can do it, for the rest of my life. That's a really freeing feeling."
Ruth is thinking more clearly and feeling better than ever, her outlook brighter than that of many women half her age. That's no mistake, she said--it goes hand-in-hand with her nutrition and training.
"It's amazing how many areas of my life have been affected by this change," she said. "I feel alive. I keep up with my 4-year-old son no problem. I can out-run most of my family members, and definitely out-hike them! I'm doing stuff I've always wanted to do but couldn't, because my body was holding me back. I have no limits now.
"It's opened up this world of dreams to me and I'm making it my reality."