Tony Alvarado, 45, from Houston, Texas is a professor of mathematics at Rice University and has a history of heart problems. A combination of too little exercise, stress eating, and drinking contributed to weight gain that threatened his livelihood. Here’s how he got his act together through a comprehensive diet plan that helped him steadily lose weight.
I’VE STRUGGLED WITH my weight on and off since I was 10 years old. I have a history of heart issues with two episodes of acute coronary syndrome that occurred in June 2013. It was pretty scary, and it motivated me to get in shape. I lost about 30 pounds, going from 175 pounds to 145. I more or less managed to stay at a healthy weight until about 2018.
That’s when I met my wife, Carey. We traveled a lot together, enjoying ourselves, and being foodies. My wife and I used to go out and get takeout a lot. We went out to dinner two to three times per week and ordered takeout another two times per week. We love New-American, Italian, Texas BBQ, Chinese, Thai, etc. They were heavy meals. I gained about 7 pounds a year for about 3 years.
Then the COVID lockdown happened. A combination of too little exercise, stress eating, and drinking led me to gain another 15 pounds over the course of a year. I hit 200 pounds around October 2020, and kept toggling between 190 and 205 pounds.
At my heaviest, I snored so loudly I’d wake myself up. I didn’t have a lot of energy. The simplest physical tasks like picking something from the floor was hard. If I ever had to rush anywhere, I’d arrive at my destination out of breath. Going up three flights of stairs in the building where I work was tough. I felt terrible.
Before photo of Tony.
My Lightbulb Moment to Make a Change
My lightbulb moment came around November 2023. With my history of health problems, my cardiologist insisted I needed to lose weight. He put me in touch with a cardiometabolic specialist, who concurred. I understood then that if I didn’t take action, there was a good chance I wouldn’t live a long life. It was painful to think that I might not grow old with Carey because I didn’t get my act together.
Per my cardiometabolic specialist’s suggestion, I focused first on my diet. She wanted me to take a GLP-1, Wegovy or Zepbound, but my insurance wouldn’t cover those meds at the time. My employer would, however, pay for me to join the VIRTA Health weight loss program.
I focused on a ketogenic lifestyle that could help me regulate insulin. Though I was apprehensive and scared at first, because the diet the program offered is high in fat. Even though they assured me it was healthy fat, it seemed counterintuitive to me given my heart problems. Thankfully, I spoke with my cardiometabolic specialist who explained to me that this was a perfectly reasonable way to lose weight. On January 15th, 2024, I started my weight loss journey.
My Diet Rewired How I Looked at Food
I learned to focus on how tasty the food I could eat was, instead of lamenting the lack of foods like bread, pasta, and rice in my diet. The little devil on my shoulder who whispered bad food ideas into my ear went poof!
In terms of food on the program, most mornings I have a protein smoothie for breakfast, with unsweetened almond milk, 2 tablespoons of almond butter, 30 grams of whey protein, a tablespoon of heavy cream, a bit of cinnamon and some dark cocoa power, and a half cup of blueberries. When I travel—which I do frequently—I search for egg-based breakfast options at hotels or keto-friendly breakfast options at Starbucks or Whole Foods. Lunch and dinner typically involve a 5- to 7-ounce piece of protein and two low-carb veggie sides, like broccoli, mushrooms, kale, cauliflower, or zucchini.
About 4 months and 30 pounds into my weight loss journey, my insurance company approved me for Zepbound. The GLP-1 helps quiet my mind, in terms of making it easier to make good food decisions and stick to them. To this day, I take the lowest dose. I find the combination of the VIRTA program with a low-dose GLP-1 has a powerful effect on my body.
Selfie of Tony Alvarado.
The Weight Came Off—And My Life Got So Much Better
Slowly and steadily, I lost 45 pounds over the course of a year. There were three 30 to 45 day plateau periods where I saw no change in the scale. I then lost another 5 pounds, and I’ve hovered around 146 pounds for the last seven months.
I’ve lost 50 pounds since I set out to lose weight. It’s a 60 pounds total loss from my highest weight. I feel incredible as a result!
Most of all, I have no heart problems anymore. I see a cardiologist and a cardiometabolic specialist once a year now, just for a checkup.
Here are some numbers from the tests ordered by my doctors.
When I started: On May 17, 2023, my A1C was 6.0—that was considered pre-diabetic. My total cholesterol was 144 (HDL = 45; LDL = 66); I was on statins. My triglycerides were 280 (Normal is < 150). On October 17, 2023, my fasting glucose was 109 (still pre-diabetic).
After my health transformation: On June 3, 2025, my fasting glucose was 92 (normal). Total cholesterol was 98 (HDL = 57; LDL = 22) though I am still on statins. Triglycerides were 103. On August 1st, 2025 my A1C was 5.4 (normal)
The journey has been humbling. I consider myself a disciplined person, but I’ve realized that all the discipline in the world is sometimes not enough. I needed help; I needed support. My wife and my VIRTA coach, Carey, were incredible at helping me stay on track, especially at the beginning.
Tony and his wife Carey.
Most incredible of all, I stopped sweating chronically. I know that sounds weird, but I had a sweating problem that made me self-conscious. I could be in a room cooled to 60 degrees, and I could start sweating profusely for no apparent reason. That disappeared completely.
The Next Step is Staying Consistent on Exercise
I’m still working on being consistent about exercising. That’s a work in progress. I have lapses, sometimes long ones. Motivation is an ongoing struggle for me, although it’s getting better. I am not proud of the lapses, but I have learned to be forgiving with myself (another shoutout to Carey, for helping with this kind of self-love).
For me, improving my health and having a shot at a longer life with my wife helps me get back on track. I am also motivated to exercise for stress relief and improvement in sleep quality.
I am still building up to working out 5 times a week: at least two days of strength training, and the remainder a cardio workout of running or rowing.
My advice to others making a weight loss transformation: be kind to yourself. It’s a long journey, and you will make mistakes. Don’t go it alone. Find the people in your life who will help you in your journey, and don’t be afraid to lean on them.
Lisa is an internationally established health writer whose credits include Good Housekeeping, Prevention, Men’s Health, Oprah Daily, Woman’s Day, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire, Glamour, The Washington Post, WebMD, Medscape, The Los Angeles Times, Parade, Health, Self, Family Circle and Seventeen. She is the author of eight best-selling books, including The Essentials of Theater.
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