My Journey of a Thousand Miles that Began with a 3 Day Reboot

Name: Paul Urfi
Age: 44
Location: United States
Reboot: 3 day
What Health Issues apply to you? High Cholesterol, Obesity
Did you Reboot to lose weight?
Yes
How did you learn about Reboot?
A coworker of mine (who had started their own journey back to good health and lost a bunch of weight) mentioned the documentary to me.

What inspired you to do a Reboot?
I saw a picture of myself (the “before photo and I didn’t recognize the person in the photo. I felt horrible, both physically and mentally. I knew I wasn’t performing at my best and I was starting to see and feel the effects that my lifestyle was having on my health and well-being. I was run down – even after a good night’s sleep I never felt great or seemed to have enough energy. I had numerous aches and pains and honestly felt much older than my age. My waist had grown to 43 inches and wasn’t stopping. I was cranky, irritable and just not a happy camper. I just didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin anymore. My doctor had me on medication to lower my cholesterol, clear my sinuses and was concerned about my blood sugar. 

I snored like a freight train and he suggested that I might want to consider a sleep study and a CPAP machine. I could see that I was on a path to ruin. I realized, after watching FSND, that my diet was the first logical place for me to start making changes. My diet was horrible… lots of processed foods, fast foods and I could probably count the number of servings of fruits and vegetables I ate in a week on one hand. I certainly wasn’t consuming FRESH fruits and veggies regularly either. Here’s a great example of what I was doing to myself. I figured out that on a daily basis, I was consuming at least 500 calories and over 6g of sugar just from peanut butter. Factor in all the other poor food choices I was making and it wasn’t a shock that I looked the way I did. 

How did the experience go for you?
I firmly believe that completing the 3 Day Reboot changed my life. Not just for the obvious health benefits, but because it gave me a small win that I was able to build on to make other significant changes in my life. I told myself if I could just make it through 3 days, then I could do anything. I won’t lie, it was tough for me at first – mentally mostly. I was reliant on food for so much more than just sustenance. I had to completely rethink my relationship with food and the Reboot helped immensely with that. 

Once I started paying attention to the food that I put in my body, things began to change for me. More important than just the types and quantity of food was the quality of the food. It wasn’t just about the calories (although they’re important), it was about the nutrients. I realized that even though I may have been consuming enough calories on my old diet (ok, too many), I was literally starving myself to death from a nutritional standpoint. My body was never going to get the vitamins and nutrients it needed for optimum health if I didn’t change my diet. Of course watching calories was important, but once you give your body the nutrients that it craves you’ll be surprised how easy it is to eat less. 

Throughout my experience (and even today) people ask me how I did it and my answer is always a disappointing “the watch what you eat and move your feet” diet. Most people know that to be true but don’t like the answer. There isn’t a “magic pill” and you don’t need to follow some complex food ritual to achieve results. I learned that going back to basics could help me achieve my goals. Once I completed the 3 Day Reboot, the ball was rolling. I incorporated juicing into my daily life and that helped me improve my diet overall.

As the pounds started to drop off I felt inspired to start exercising. I just walked at first…nothing crazy, just a little every day. I got a pedometer and started tracking my steps. I set some goals for myself; 10K steps a day. Pretty soon the pounds started dropping off faster. I was inspired! I joined a gym and began doing cardio and strength training workouts 3 days a week – something I still do today. Not long after that I realized that in order to keep my heart rate up I had to walk faster and faster which eventually lead to running. Once I started doing that I got the crazy idea that perhaps I could actually run a 5K… I ran my first 5K in September and just completed my 4th. My next goal is a 10K and then a half marathon. All of this because I decided that I could possibly do a 3 Day Reboot. The journey of a thousand miles does indeed begin with a single step. I’m still amazed myself. 

How much weight did you lose (even if that wasn’t your goal!)?
Ultimately I’ve lost over 70 lbs. (32 kg) in the past year. It’s the first few pounds that I saw drop off during and as a result of the Reboot that inspired me. It was that first small win and how I felt that provided the spark of change. It’s said that we won’t make a change until we’re aware that there is a problem or that there is another (better) way. The Reboot showed me that there was in fact a much better way and that I could feel and be better than I was.

Did you have any notable health or physical improvements?
Many.

– I am no longer on any medications.
– I’ve lost 9 inches off my waist.
– I now wear a size L shirt instead of a XL or XXL.
– I sleep much better and I don’t snore (much to the delight of my wife)!
– I just feel better – my spirits are up and emotionally and mentally I feel like I can take on the world again!
– My skin is the healthiest it’s ever been. I’ve suffered from cystic acne my entire life. That problem has completely gone away.

What was the toughest part about the Reboot experience?
Taking that first step. Once I started I kept reminding myself that it was achievable and I had a lot of support from family and friends. After the Reboot, as my diet began to transform, I didn’t beat myself up for any slips or “less than perfect” days. Each day was a new opportunity to make the best choices for my health that I could and that’s the bar I set for myself.

What habits have you maintained and kept a part of your everyday life?
I still juice at least once or twice a day. Since starting this process we’ve joined a food co-op and visit the farmers market weekly. As a result the food available to myself and my family is much more nutritional and of higher quality. We cook more. I avoid dairy, alcohol, fast foods, refined white flour, refined white sugar, processed foods, and grains in general. I use fresh ingredients whenever possible and generally try to eat stuff that doesn’t have a label.

What is your lasting impression of the Reboot experience?
The Reboot and juicing changed my life. The number of ways are almost too numerous to count but at the top of the list are weight loss, overall health and an improved sense of well-being. I never miss a chance to tell people my story if they ask. Juicing is now a part of my life and is always front and center in that story. It’s been the foundation for my daily food choices and will continue to be as long as I have any say in the matter. I tell people that even though I’m only in my 40’s I’m actually training for my 70’s and 80’s. The choices I make now will have a direct impact on my quality of life in future years. I had to make these changes in my life now. I want to enjoy my golden years with my best friend – my wife, I want to walk my daughters down the aisle and I want to spoil my grandchildren rotten (eventually).

My bucket list is long and I’m going to need to be healthy and active if I want to get to all of it.

Do you have a success story to tell? Share it here.