This news story is also available in Spanish.
In 2018, Debra Ramos had an epiphany about her health — she weighed 286 pounds, had high blood pressure and asthma, was borderline diabetic and averaged three to four cases of bronchitis and pneumonia per year. After losing her father, she realized that she needed to make some major changes to be around to take care of her mother as she aged.
Ramos, a member of Blue Shield of California, said she tried almost every diet and weight loss program. But nothing was sustainable, until she found WeightWatchers through Wellvolution, our lifestyle-medicine platform available at no additional cost to most members. Ramos lost 50 pounds in the first six months. Since 2018, she has lost 116 pounds.
WeightWatchers is one of six weight management programs available through Wellvolution, which helps members build healthy habits. Each member participating in WeightWatchers is given a customized food plan, tailored to their lifestyle and preferences. With the WeightWatchers app, members can track their food and water intake, as well as exercise and sleep. Notably, WeightWatchers assigns different point values to food and drinks, to help members track and work towards their goals. This includes a plethora of zero-point foods, like many fruits, vegetables and proteins. Members also have access to coaching and community meetings for support.
Now, Ramos’s A1C (a marker for diabetes that measures average blood sugar levels over three months) is at a healthy level, and she no longer needs an inhaler. One big change she’s seen is the ability to ride her bike — but it wasn’t always easy. “The first time I rode a mile, I threw up and I had to use my inhaler,” she said. Ramos and her husband now regularly ride from their hometown of Glendora to Seal Beach, which is 40.2 miles away.
Ramos says WeightWatchers, through Wellvolution, saved her life: “I felt like I was on the verge of having a heart attack. I was going to become a full-blown diabetic. I can't even imagine what my life would be like [without WeightWatchers]. It's so different now than it used to be.”
Non-scale victories
One of the key learnings Ramos took from WeightWatchers is celebrating non-scale victories — not all success is based on the number on the scale. She cites fitting comfortably into a restaurant booth and wearing a 16-inch-long necklace her husband gifted her, as two memorable victories.
“I'm able to tie my shoes more easily. I'm not out of breath walking up the stairs anymore or when I'm playing with my nieces and nephews. These are the small things that you start to notice," said Ramos. "We don't sit around, we're always busy now, we're always doing things. We go on hikes, we're traveling. It's a completely different life than what we had before. It's amazing."
A new future
Recently, Ramos visited her brother in the San Francisco Bay Area and was finally able to join him on a hike. He’d always mentioned he’d love to show the family his favorite spots, but Ramos could never participate because she’d be out of breath and panting. Joining the hike this summer was a full-circle moment.
Ramos and her husband are also now able to travel more — and even just got their Global Entry pass for international travel. “It’s been life-changing,” she shared. “We’re able to go places, and I fit in an airplane seat.”
Ramos continued: “You don't ever think about it until you sit in an airplane seat and [realize] ‘Wow, I have room’. The people next to us had to get an extender for their seat belt, and I thought to myself, ‘That could have been me if I hadn't changed my life.’ And I need to be here. I need to be here for my family, to take care of my mom and to take care of my people. I'm telling you, it's been life-changing.”
For more information, and to explore Wellvolution programs for diabetes, weight management, mental health, hypertension, musculoskeletal health and tobacco cessation, available to most Blue Shield members at no additional cost, visit Wellvolution.com or Wellvolution.com/es for Spanish.