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My way back to life: Elvira's success with ViaSlim

1. My starting point: trapped in my own body and in negative thoughts

My name is Elvira, I am 55 years young, happily married for almost 35 years and the mother of two grown-up children. Professionally, I am heavily involved as a partner in our own business, transLink.ch AG. My everyday life is often stressful and full, but I love my work. Yet the high professional and private strain has taken its toll over the years.

Since the birth of my children I had struggled with stubborn excess weight. A particularly critical time was my burnout in 2017, after which my weight only kept rising. I made desperate attempts to lose weight, and once managed to lose 20 kilos with shakes – but the bill came promptly in the form of the famous yo-yo effect, which put those kilos plus a surcharge back on my hips.

What frustrated me most and made me deeply sad was the lack of empathy and support from my GP at the time. With every physical complaint – whether a twisted knee, chronic foot problems or back pain – all I got was the same indifferent sentence: "You simply have to eat better and more healthily, you are too heavy. You urgently need to lose weight." As if I didn't know that myself! The fact that the psychological strain of the burnout was still echoing was completely ignored. I felt rejected, misunderstood and deeply angry – above all at myself, because I thought I was too stupid and too weak to win this fight. "So I'll just stay fat," was my bitter thought.

Out of frustration and anger I ate in secret; bad moods and sleeplessness became my constant companions. My inner self-hatred grew. In October 2024 my weight reached a painful peak of 135 kilos. I knew I could no longer hide: I could no longer dress myself properly, carrying shopping bags up the 34 steps to our flat became torture, and when I sat on the floor I needed help to get up again. Talking while walking was out of the question.

2. Why ViaSlim? – The emotional phone call that gave me new hope

Faced with those 135 kilos, I made the final decision to go to my GP once more. Again the same cold rebuff. He flatly rejected the modern weight-loss medications. I felt definitively abandoned. The secret eating continued out of despair, even though I knew it was wrong.

The turning point came in April. After a long, frustrating search for a doctor specialising in obesity, I came across ViaSlim. At first I was extremely sceptical. I thought: "More big promises that will come to nothing." Nevertheless, I booked an appointment.

The phone call with Gezim Dervishi, one of the fantastic doctors there, became one of the most emotional I have ever had. I cried and laughed at the same time. Suddenly there was a physician who told me: "It is not your fault that you cannot lose weight. We are here and we will help you." That feeling of finally being understood and seen as a person who needs and deserves help was overwhelming. He explained to me that both the mind and the body had to be considered and that the medications are also available for obesity. I was even told: "You can reach your first big goal of under 100 kilos by autumn 25." I was stunned, but hope was rising.

3. What was the journey like for me? Structure, support and new routines

23 April 2025 was the day that changed my life. Just two days later I was already in Zurich for the blood test. On 3 May 2025 – barely a week later – I started my weight-loss journey. Everything has changed.

I immediately received support from the lovely Tanja, the nutritional counsellor. I always thought I knew enough about healthy eating, but she explained so much more to me in detail. For example, how important fibre and protein are for maintaining muscle and how I could turn my diet around 180 degrees: no sweets, good carbohydrates, healthy fats, plenty of fruit, vegetables and high-quality protein sources. I have got into the habit of checking the nutrition labels in the shop and now drink up to three litres of water a day.
Luckily I have no major side effects. At the beginning I felt cold after the injections and was very tired. Some headaches. That has eased off. The only thing that challenged me at times is constipation, a problem I knew could be caused by the slowed-down bowel activity. But here too my doctor Norbert Niebuhr stood by me with help and advice.

The best feeling is the calm in my mind. The constant circling of thoughts around food has disappeared. Snacking and secret eating are history; the temptation is hardly there any more. The biggest challenge was actively remembering to eat high-quality food three times a day! After consulting Tanja, though, it is perfectly fine to have a protein shake when I have no appetite.

The professional support from ViaSlim is unbeatable: The consultations with my doctor, Dr Norbert Niebuhr, are uncomplicated and a true blessing. I book appointments flexibly via the app, even on Saturdays. The appointments are constructive, and I feel heard and seen – without any judgement. The chat function via the app with Tanja is fantastic too; the feedback is prompt. This is professional and humane care that many "normal" doctors could learn something from. The regular blood tests most recently showed a clear improvement in my liver values – fantastic!

4. My results: a new quality of life and a new body

In seven months, thanks to the medication and the structure of ViaSlim, I have lost an incredible 34 kilos (from my peak weight in October 2024 even more than 40 kilos).

• Freedom of movement: I can get dressed standing up again, even put on socks, which was unthinkable before. I get up from the floor by myself. I climb the 34 steps to our flat with two bulging shopping bags without getting out of breath.
• Body awareness: I can see bones on my body, like my collarbone, my knuckles and my ankles, which I had never seen until now, and I am overwhelmed.
• Mental health: I sleep much better, I am more balanced, calmer, no longer so irritable and nervous.
• Clothing size: I have gone from a size 50 to a 40/42 – that is absolutely incredible.
• Self-love: My whole quality of life and my joy in it are back. I can look at myself in the mirror again and love myself just as I am now.

5. My personal conclusion: a marathon, not a sprint – and the best decision of my life

What I take away above all from this time, and from the time still ahead of me, is that it was not my personal inability to lose weight. Rather, I needed the right medical and nutritional support. The constant struggling and failing has come to an end. The medication has not only changed my body, but also my mind. I often ate not out of hunger, but out of habit. Not because I was undisciplined, but out of sheer boredom. My body simply had so many other things to deal with. 

And losing weight does not just mean losing kilos, but letting go of old patterns and breaking through them. Adopting new patterns and new habits that are healthy and sustainable in the long term. 

That is exactly what I am (even after 7 months) still learning and putting into practice, and it is not always easy. But it is worth it, and my health says loud and clear: THANK YOU! I am not at my goal yet, but I am on the right path towards it!

It was the best decision of my life.

Alongside my husband and my daughter, who support me, my life has changed completely for the better over the last seven months. I feel as active as I did in my twenties. My employees say things to me like: "You're glowing! It's not just physically that you can see you are doing well – no, your face speaks volumes too."

My advice to everyone who is hesitating or in despair: Be brave, dare to do it! Come out of your shell and get in touch with the ViaSlim team. You can only win: in quality of life and joy of living. There you will get the support that has been denied to you until now – without shame, without bad feelings, without judgement. Top doctors and nutritional counsellors are there for you every day. Dare to do it, you are not alone and you no longer have to be.

Testimonial Barbara Young

Dear Corinne,

Here is my testimonial and two photos, at the start of Viaslim  and today.

Hello, my name is Barbara, I am 71 years old, 1.74 m tall – and I have been struggling with excess weight since I was 17.

Over the last 54 years I have truly tried everything: tablets, countless diets, Weight Watchers several times, an operation, low carb, fasting… an endless up and down. Several times I lost 40 kilos – and after three to four years they were back. My BMI was 39 eight years ago.

Over the years, losing weight became more and more difficult. At 107 kilos I simply couldn't get any further, and yet I wanted to keep losing weight because I have advanced knee osteoarthritis.

In February 2025 I then read about Viaslim in an online newspaper – and signed up straight away. The consultations with doctors and nutritional counselling take place online: super practical! With the digital scales you receive, you have accurate readings of your weight, fat, muscle and water percentage at any time. These and other data are automatically transmitted to Viaslim, so that professional support is possible. Questions? Simply ask in the app – the answer comes quickly. The injections are conveniently delivered by post. It's that simple.

To date I have lost 18 kilos, without any side effects at all. I'm carrying on until I reach my target weight.

Would I start Viaslim again? Immediately.
Can I recommend Viaslim? Yes!
Are my knees better? Yes.
Am I happier today? Oh yes – very much so.

The difference in the photos isn't massive, but perhaps they will help you.

Have a lovely Sunday

Barbara

My Viaslim journey started in March 2025 at 93.6 kg, 160 cm tall and 58 years old.
My waist measured 109 cm.

Six months later I weigh 76 kg with a waist of 89 cm – minus 17.6 kg and 20 cm off my waistline.

For me the weight comes off rather slowly, and there are always longer phases where nothing moves.
Because of health problems and operations I can't do any strength training at the moment – apart from long walks and Nordic walking.

With mindful eating and consciously new habits I am getting better and better at dealing with temptations.
For me too, the urge to snack often comes from boredom.

Then I look at my before-and-now photo, give myself a loving pat on the shoulder and say out loud:

Bravo Reni, well done – keep it up!

… and the cupboard stays shut.
Instead I put on my jacket and winter boots and go for a long winter walk.

I hope my little story encourages some of you to be grateful for every success – whether it's the visible success on the scales or the mental success of being able to resist, of finding strategies and of treating yourself with love and mindfulness.

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