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A remarkable transformation story comes from Beth Hilgartner, a 68-year-old woman from Barre, Vermont, who successfully lost 50 pounds through intermittent fasting with the aid of the Simple App.
Hilgartner candidly shared how she battled with her weight over the years, describing her experience with various restrictive diets. “I’ve tried numerous diets and managed to lose a few pounds, but inevitably, when I stopped the diet, the weight returned. It’s a cycle that many of us are familiar with,” she explained.
Despite these challenges, Hilgartner appreciated the ongoing support from her doctor. “My doctor has always been supportive of my efforts to stay healthy, even when I was at a heavier weight,” she noted, highlighting the importance of professional encouragement in her journey.
However, it was a revealing moment during her last physical exam in June 2024 that prompted Hilgartner, a retired Episcopal priest, to take a decisive step towards improving her health and embracing a new lifestyle.
But Hilgartner – a retired Episcopal priest – was hit with a stark reality check at her last physical exam in June 2024.
It was then that her doctor warned her blood panel showed her ‘unhealthy levels’ – such as cholesterol and blood glucose – were rising.
She was advised to start taking statin medications, which are often taken to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, to which Hilgartner shared she had a ‘really visceral reaction.’
‘Without considering much, I simply said to her, “I am not taking statins. What are my other options?”‘ she said.
Beth Hilgartner, from Barre, Vermont, admitted that she had struggled with her weight ‘off and on’ for many years until she found the Simple App (pictured after weight loss)
The doctor suggested she make lifestyle changes including losing up to 20lbs in weight – and Hilgartner immediately set about researching weight-loss programs.
She initially went back on a restrictive diet that required followers to weigh ingredients, calculate calories and do ‘the endless stuff which was less and less appealing.’
But then she discovered Simple – an effective tool for weight loss, particularly for those looking to adopt intermittent fasting.
‘After I found it, I thought “this might work.” I sat down and started to figure out how I was going to construct my eating window and what I was going to do,’ Hilgartner, who is also a sitting council member, shared.
‘I said to myself I’ll try this. I will try Simple… and this eating window concept for three weeks. And then I’ll figure out whether this is sustainable or not. So I did.’
And after three weeks, Hilgartner had already started seeing results.
‘I was actually losing weight and not having to do the endless tracking and measuring and calorie counting and being – quite frankly – scolded by my previous app, which would give me a hard time if I overshot the fat quotient or the carb quotient of my restricted diet.
‘I’d lost some weight. I’d lost three pounds. I was losing about a pound a week. And I thought, this might work. So that’s what I did,’ she shared.
After three weeks, Hilgartner had already started seeing results and has so far lost 50lbs. Pictured: Before (left) and after (right)
Explaining the benefits of the app, Hilgartner explained that Simple sets you up to establish new habits and then supports users in achieving them.
It also offers advice and does not require measuring out food.
‘If we want to talk about actual results, they’ve actually been pretty impressive.
‘Since I started using the Simple App, I’ve lost around 50 pounds. I’m not quite to my original goal weight, which was 130 pounds from about 180lbs. But I’m within that range,’ Hilgartner, who is also a musician and writer, detailed.
‘My progress was fairly rapid.
‘Well, it’s not like one of those crash diet things but it was about a pound a week for 25 pounds and then it started leveling out a bit which made sense because there was less fat on my body to burn up.
‘I’ve been gradually moving into this sort of maintenance with a slight downward trend,’ she added.
Hilgartner keeps herself busy with a range of hobbies such as horse riding, gardening, knitting and baking.
Simple users are encouraged to keep active too and it recently launched a Tai Chi Walking plan aimed at losing weight based on your age.
Hilgartner concluded: ‘I really love this Simple app because it is simple. It’s simple and straightforward and it’s teaching me new habits that I can maintain and that’s really important.
‘I’ve told a lot of my friends about Simple and about intermittent fasting and my weight loss journey.
‘I’m feeling way better. I’m stronger. I’m more flexible. There’s all kinds of good stuff going on…
‘I have more energy. I’m sleeping better. These are all positive things that I think are related to the health improvements that I’ve managed to achieve with Simple aid.
‘So I strongly recommend that you try it and I hope my sharing my story will help someone else be encouraged and to recognize that the journey to being healthy is something that’s ongoing.’
