There’s a lot of truth to the old saying, “Slow and steady wins the race,” especially when it comes to weight loss. Just ask John Adamski.
When the 77-year-old Air Force Veteran stepped on the scale 10 months ago and saw he was over 300 pounds, he knew it was time to act.
But he didn’t jump into trendy diets, extreme deprivation or weight loss drugs. Instead, he reached out to the TeleMOVE! program at Milwaukee VA and started doing the work, little by little.
The result? He has lost 60 pounds, is no longer prediabetic and has the energy and ability to be more mobile, despite chronic hip pain.
“I’m healthier. I feel better and I look better,” Adamski said. “I’m breathing better and don’t use my rescue inhaler anymore,” noting he has weather-related asthma. “I can walk farther, and I’m more active than before.”
TeleMOVE! helps Veterans lose weight by teaching nutrition, portion control and other healthy-eating strategies through telehealth. “Veterans get daily tips, lessons, quizzes and other educational tidbits via a home telehealth talking device, a tablet, or through automated phone calls,” said Renae Briones, TeleMOVE! care coordinator. Participants also receive a scale that connects with the devices for an automated daily weight check.
A VA registered dietitian who works with Veterans one-on-one, guiding and encouraging them to stay on track with their health goals.
“I am there to support them and be a point of accountability,” Briones said. “We’ll do a little bit of strategizing or problem-solving, and we work a lot on goals—figuring out which ones are working and what we have to tweak.”
Taking control
While Adamski said he has been appreciative of Briones’ coaching, it was up to him to take control and make the right choices.
He started small, cutting back on his consumption of soda and snack foods, and upping his fruits and vegetables. He pared down his portion sizes and began keeping a food log, recording his caloric intake. He also limited carryout and restaurant meals and would cook at home instead.
He took small steps, emphasizing that he didn’t deprive himself of everything he enjoyed.
“If you deprive yourself, you just crave it more,” he said. “Instead, you ease off of it. You don’t stop eating. It’s not easy, but it’s not hard. You have to make up your mind to do it. This is a lifestyle change, not a diet. It’s a commitment you have to make to yourself. No one can make you lose weight other than you.”
Nothing drastic
Briones said Adamski’s success is notable because he has done it almost solely through dietary changes. While exercise is a key component in weight loss, Briones said there is some truth to the old adage that says the recipe for weight loss consists of approximately 80% dietary changes and 20% exercise.
“It’s pretty impressive what he has accomplished,” she said. “He didn’t do any drastic changes. He didn’t go with intermittent fasting or keto diets; he went with those small, specific goals that he worked on one by one. You don’t have to do crazy overhauls with a diet. You start where you’re at and then work on it a couple of changes at a time. It has to be something you can sustain long term.”
Briones shared the newest trend in her field is weight-loss drugs. And while she doesn’t discount their benefit, she suggests gradual dietary changes, coupled with exercise, have proven to be successful.
“It can be done with old-fashioned, back-to-basics nutrition interventions,” she said.
Changed mindset
This isn’t Adamski’s first go at losing weight. He had participated in the MOVE! program before, losing about 30 pounds. But he backslid, and the weight came back.
This time will be different, he said, because he’s changed his mindset along with his diet.
“I’m going to maintain it because I’m looking at it from a different angle,” he said. “I’ve set my mind to it.”
His advice to other Veterans looking to lose weight?
“The program works, if you want it to,” he said. “You have to stick to it. I would recommend it to anyone.”
Deciding to get started is the first step. Make your MOVE!
This article was originally published on the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center site and has been edited for style and clarity.
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Very interesting very Professional
It gets Easier as we go along
This program really works. The instructors (Lauren Hannibal, Cally Byrne), we had at Wade Park and Akron VA clinic here in Ohio were awesome, I had a lot of fun, and the other Vets made it interesting as well. It was a tele-health program, we had really good instruction, Lauren and Cally were so knowledgeable, I learned so much. They told us we started with 21 people and graduated with 21, they complimented us for everyone hanging in there. I started March 5, by completion of 16 weeks, I lost 48 lbs. That was July 24th.On Aug 1, I hit 50 lbs.!!!!! I been maintaining it. I am 66, I got scared when the scale was pushing 300. Thats why I joined the Move Program. I originally asked my PCP, Dr. Rodriguez (AKR VA), if I could get Zepbound,or Wegovey. He told me I had to go through Move first. Once I started the program, I started losing wt. realizing I don’t need the drugs. I realized you still have to diet and exercise with these drugs too. I’m thinking why do that, because you have to stay on them your whole life. I am going to go this way instead. Just want to say THANK YOU to my instructors and the VA.
“But he didn’t jump into trendy diets, extreme deprivation or weight loss drugs.”
Why did you lump weight loss medication in with the other things in a negative way? The VA suggests offering the to treat obesity yet articles like this spin them as a bad thing. This vet, at 300 lbs, probably met the VA criteria for use but VA providers are blocking access to medications that could help the root cause of “obesity-related conditions” yet will push statins on just a slightly elevated LDL.
This program sounds/seems very workable. My only complaint is that I am elderly to the point of being OLD! I am fat. I am arthritic/not so mobile as in all the wrong places as in hips, ankles/feet and I have become very sedentary because of the pain involved with simple putting on shoes on swollen feet.
Yes I am a mess. So what does this program hold out to me? I appreciate Adamski’s comments and am glad for him. Wish him well.
But others of us are not so easily fixed.
ps I am fairly cautious about food. Have a partner who shoves a semi-vegetarian diet at me which I like. But still weight loss is hard for elderly and sort of damaged goods like me.