'This is a lifestyle change, not a diet': Veteran sheds pounds with help of TeleMOVE!

When the 77-year-old U.S. Air Force Veteran stepped on the scale 10 months ago and saw he was over 300 pounds, he knew it was time to take action.

But he didn’t jump into trendy diets, extreme deprivation or weight loss drugs. Instead, he reached out to the TeleMOVE! program through the 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,” he 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! facilitates weight loss by teaching nutrition, portion control and other healthy-eating strategies through telehealth channels. 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. 

They are also connected with a VA registered dietitian, who works with them one-on-one, helping to guide and encourage 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, instead cooking at home.

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,” he said. “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 said the newest trend in her field is weight-loss drugs. And while she doesn’t discount their benefit, she said 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.

But 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.”