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Weight Management Program Helps Veterans Kick Old Habits

James Queen, a graduate of the first MOVE! class at the Loch Raven VA Outpatient Clinic, maintains his weight loss by exercising on a regular basis. He is shown here receiving instruction on how to use a stretch band from Natalie Cardin, a Physical Therapist from the Perry Point VA Medical Center.

It’s summertime and the thought of treats like ice cream and quick meals on the run are often a part of the American lifestyle. For six veterans who receive their care from the VA Maryland Health Care System, giving up those treats was a welcome task to reach the goal.

Thanks to VA’s partnership with MOVE!, a national weight management program designed by the VA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, veterans across the nation are dropping those extra pounds and keeping them off.

Local veterans who receive their care at the Loch Raven VA Outpatient clinic were eager to jumpstart their personal goal-setting and action planning with the MOVE! program. As part of the 10-week program, participants who are overweight or obese are educated on diet and physical activity and are either offered exercise classes or referred to community resources where classes are held.

By the end of the first nine weeks, the participants’accomplishments were impressive. Collectively, the veterans in the program lost 118 pounds. What’s most encouraging about the team’s weight loss is that they did not use any special equipment like you would find in gym. They did it the old-fashioned way, using their own arms and legs and some stretch bands to assist with resistance.

A team consisting of a physician, physical therapist, clinical psychologist, physical therapist and recreation therapist all worked together to enhance the mind and body during the group’s weight loss venture. The journey began with an assessment to determine weight control expectations, overall nutrition and physical activity behaviors. The evaluation also helped to determine whether a person was ready to make behavioral changes required for success and whether there were barriers that may hinder success. Additional support was available for veterans who require higher levels of care.

“A key attribute of this patient-centered program is that it is set up as a partnership between the VA and veterans,”says Dr. Kennita Carter, an internist in the Managed Care Clinical Center, who implemented MOVE! at the Loch Raven Clinic. “Our goal was to work with them and support them in achieving successful weight management and in making healthy lifestyle changes.”

On June 30, 2006, the six veterans became the first class to graduate from the MOVE! class. John Turner was among the Loch Raven graduates. Although Turner struggles with arthritis, he was able to make the most of MOVE! because the routine was adapted to meet his personal needs. He used a chair for additional support, enabling him to keep pace through more challenging exercises.

“Having an alternative way to do the exercises made a big difference,”explains Turner. “At first I was doing 600 to 700 steps a day, and after six weeks I was sometimes doing about 10,000 of them,”he says.

A personalized touch, good education and ongoing support can inspire motivation in those who wish to lose weight and to keep it off. Few, if any, programs offer each of these features, notes James Henderson, also a graduate of the first MOVE! class. “Usually, you are given a diet to follow, told where to buy the food, and then you are on your own,”he says. But working with a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals who became familiar faces, who answered his questions and who encouraged him every step along the way, gave him will power. In fact, Henderson had enough will power to take off 29 pounds in nine weeks and to continue working to lose more weight.

Something else that has fueled Henderson’s momentum is camaraderie. He admires the fact that everyone is in it together. This includes not only MOVE! participants, but the clinical staff as well, many of whom exercised right along with the class participants.

Keeping veterans engaged once the program is over is important, says Dr. Carter. To assist, she has implemented a follow up class that includes an educational component and an optional exercise component. “We want to support our veterans in continuing to work on maintaining a healthy lifestyle,”she says.