Celebrating 20 years of MOVE! Weight Loss Program for Veterans
Navy Veteran Tavia Farr, 51, noticed that after her discharge from a decade in the service, she began gaining weight at an alarming rate.
No matter what I did, I couldn’t stop gaining weight,” she said.
She reached out to her primary care provider at the VA Maryland Health Care System and asked to be referred to the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans and began a wellness journey that helped her lose 15 pounds to date.
For Eustace Langley, 47, who also spent just shy of a decade in the Navy, the weight he gained put his health in jeopardy, putting him closer to “the burden of diabetes. I was 322 pounds on a six-foot frame,” said Langley. Although he receives his healthcare at the DC VA Medical Center, an opening in the VA Maryland Health Care System’s MOVE! program brought him to Baltimore. He is now down 16 pounds and counting. “I’m still on track to achieve my goal, which is 250 pounds right now,” he said.
Both Veterans agree: The VA’s MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans changed their lives.
And to no surprise to the program managers, considering MOVE! is now celebrating its 20th year of helping millions of Veterans lose weight, improve health, and prevent chronic diseases by focusing on nutrition, behavioral counseling, and physical activity. The program lasts 12 weeks and Secure Messaging Move! runs 16 weeks. Veterans graduate after completing the program but are welcome to re-enroll for ongoing support after one year has passed since their last enrollment. This option helped Farr who graduated from the program once and then returned later. “I wasn’t ready for the information the first time. The second time in the program, it stuck,” she said.
What exactly is MOVE!?
“MOVE! is a comprehensive lifestyle intervention (CLI) program focused on improving nutrition knowledge and diet quality, increasing physical activity, and building sustainable behavior change skills,” said Mikaela Clemente, a registered dietitian who is the current MOVE! instructor at the VA Maryland Health Care System. “Veterans are required to enroll in a CLI like MOVE! before being evaluated for a weight loss medication by endocrinology or pharmacy.”
Enrolling in a program like MOVE! helps Veterans who struggle with weight loss get further evaluation for referrals and treatment options to programs that depend on meeting specific eligibility.
“MOVE! gave me a greater understanding to know exactly what I’m eating and how it impacts my body,” said Farr. “MOVE! makes you be accountable.”
Through the program, she discovered that perimenopause played a vital role in her weight gain and learned to manage it by changing what she eats and how much she moves. “I stopped eating processed foods, such as luncheon meats.”
With the help of MOVE! Langley made a plethora of changes to his lifestyle and diet. “I’m from Africa, and in our culture, rice is a major staple. I have cut out rice. I have cut out sugar, learned to read labels to find hidden sugars, and also learned about portion control,” he said.
Langley recalls being extremely fatigued before joining the program, sitting home on his sofa watching movies and playing video games. “It used to feel daunting just to get up and go to the bathroom,” he said.
These days, after changing his diet and lifestyle, he now walks about three miles (nearly 8,000) steps a day. He found a healthy substitute for rice and now eats mostly vegetables. “I have measuring cups at home and measure what I eat.”
The MOVE! program educates Veterans about healthy eating and provides structured support through group and individual sessions, TeleMOVE, which consists of 90 daily phone education sessions with a daily weight check-in, is an option for those unable to attend the session in person, and an app available nationally. Secure messaging MOVE! is through My HealtheVet; Veterans read the modules on their own and respond to weekly check-in questions from their MOVE! Coach app.
Although the MOVE! program is currently only offered to Veterans via in-person and virtual classes, the MOVE! workbook is free and available to anyone at move.va.gov under “Veteran Materials” for self-guided uses.
To date, the program at the VA Maryland Health Care System has assisted more than 8,569 Veterans with weight management.
“Taking charge of your health can transform your life. Every step you take brings you closer to a stronger, healthier you,” said Clemente.
Both Farr and Langley are living examples of Veterans who chose to take control of their lives.
“MOVE! changed my life,” said Langley who also relies on the MOVE! app to help him reach his goals.
“If you make the changes, you’ll see the difference,” said Farr.
Veterans need a referral to either MOVE! or TeleMOVE from a provider. Veterans with referrals to MOVE! will be scheduled for a MOVE! group orientation to learn more about and to enroll in the program.