Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Joslin.
Hi Jeff, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My weight has always been a concern of mine. I am pretty big, so despite being borderline obese, I looked heavy but didn’t really accept that I was obese and that my weight was an unhealthy danger. Despite frequent exercise, I had “grown” to be about 40 lbs overweight. I enjoyed food. Eating also gave me an uplift when I was feeling low or to quell anxiety during times of stress. Growing up, sugar was either a reward or indulgence that brought on a sugar high. So, I really loved sweets and good food.
Eating healthy was a challenge. I was a Navy Pilot in my 20’s. The flight schedule and mission might mean a microwaved vending machine burrito at 6am for breakfast or a hasty lunch between flights. Later as an airline captain more exotic locations meant indulging in a little of everything tasty wherever we ended up. Food was an adventure everywhere I went. I chalked it up to “experiencing the local culture” thinking, calories didn’t count if you were on the road. But indulging like this weekly added up.
As I entered my 40’s, it became pretty clear that the eating I could get away with when I was younger didn’t work. I was gaining weight. I began periodic dieting and more intensive exercise. I successfully lost weight, but the weight always returned – plus a little more each time. I began to worry about my family history of diabetes. On a whim, I signed up for an inexpensive coronary calcium scan with my wife. I found out that my arteries were clogged with plaque. I was fortunate to discover this without experiencing painful symptoms. I also wound up with a caring cardiologist strongly encouraging me to lose weight if I wanted to increase my chances of living a long, healthy life.
It was about this time that I first learned about “gut health.” I had never even heard of gut microbes until I had a fascinating conversation with a friend from Church who had been a prisoner of war in a WWII Japanese Camp. He suffered terribly in the camp. He had to eat things most people would be repulsed to even look at. Needless to say the “bad bugs” he consumed for survival wreaked havoc in his stomach over the course of a long life. His journey to better health was the first time I’d heard that there was science around gut health. Who knew that gut microbes had a big impact on diet and well-being? I didn’t. At the time, I also thought it must be expensive to investigate my own gut health.
ZOE was a timely discovery of a program for eating well. I loved that it measured my own blood fat, glucose and gut microbes and then made personal recommendations on how to eat individually created for me. The timing was right and the price was right. I had already lost about 20 lbs but was stuck and starting to inch back up. ZOE helped me reach my weight goal and my broader goal of eating consistently for fitness and longevity.
Using ZOE’s app was a deliberate, measured learning process. ZOE recommended the best foods to enhance my good gut microbes and avoid feeding the bad ones. It also was tailored for my personal blood fat and blood sugar responses. I learned how food combinations lessened things like blood sugar spikes. Thankfully, NO foods were ruled out with ZOE. I learned that some foods I could eat anytime I wanted in any quantity. Others should be limited, which surprisingly I was able to do without much difficulty. I learned how to eat that piece of cake without ruining my day (or week!). I also found that with ZOE, I maintained good energy and was not hungry like I was when I was on a diet. I physically felt great.
Without trying very hard, I lost another 20 lbs and stabilized. My cardiologist was thrilled. He told me that few of his patients were able to take off the weight he recommended and maintain the loss. Additionally, my blood pressure is great, and I’ve reduced my chances of either a heart attack of diabetes. I am working on keeping fit, which is added insurance for my heart and blood. Now, my goal is to maintain my weight and restore the fitness I had before the pandemic.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
For the most part, it has been a pretty smooth road. Occasionally I get sidetracked, I still love sugar and a little too much can bring back cravings. I seem to be more cognizant of the downsides of feeling that way. So, I pull out the ZOE app and start fresh. Every day is a new day and by focusing just on today and letting go of past mistakes – I find it’s easier to maintain a long-term record of progress.
It’s been harder to get back into physical conditioning. But I love to walk with my dogs (Adele and Maya), so 5 miles goes by quickly with them. I try to do that daily. Cross-training, core strength and adding a variety has been the bigger challenge I am working on. The encouragement from my wife and family has really been helping too!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I was an Airline Captain. I retired nearly two years early with 34 years in my career and six years in the US Navy. I flew worldwide but in the last half of my career, I tried to focus on how to perform a job that had built in health risks in the healthiest way possible. Frequent travel makes it easy to eat poorly especially with a widely shifting sleep schedule. I tried my best to minimize those challenges through scheduling choices and carrying my own food. An important part of my aviation career was spent facilitating teamwork, conflict resolution and communication skills to fellow pilots. I also began working on some small climate change initiatives at work.
In my retirement, I am focusing the bulk of my time working for a nonprofit climate change organization. I believe climate is one of the greatest threats we face. I’ve lead a local chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby for about six years and am now more focused on a nationwide effort to bring resilience skills and support to the organization’s volunteers. Climate activism can be stressful, anxiety producing and tiring. Addressing that is an important part of self-care; for myself and for those in the organization.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
My greatest cheerleader is my wife. She’s been incredibly understanding. She accommodates and helps with dietary choices. She’s always been my hero when it comes to food choices, she was an incredibly healthy eater long before I “saw the light.” My wife is also a self-taught artist and poet. She’s been in business selling her work for 35 years and her commitment, perseverance and real courage have fed and inspired me.
The ZOE team has provided great support too. I frequently turned to them with questions or for encouragement. They were quick to respond, really helpful and always wanted feedback on how well they helped me.
I mentioned my friend from Church, the flight crewman who shot down, captured and suffered in the Japanese Prison camp in WWII. I’ve never told him how his story and journey has inspired me but it really has. We’ve lost touch. But I would not have been open to the concept of gut health had he not shared his incredible journey with me.
Pricing:
- The ZOE test kit, which helps you understand how your body works, costs $294 or can be paid in six monthly installments of $49 each. Then you can choose how long your program membership lasts:
- 1 month at $59 per month
- 4 months at $39 per month
- 12 months at $29 per month
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@joinzoe.com
- Website: https://joinzoe.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joinzoe1/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Join_ZOE
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa09am-cOsC-FSgr_nLkFFA
- Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1xDawqT8Cgm6HAnbpFX5T5
Image Credits:
Images labeled Jeff Joslin, please credit Jeff Joslin Images labeled ZOE, please credit ZOE
