A Team Approach to Better Health
Jim Gumm dedicated himself to improving his health by making small, manageable changes to his lifestyle.
With the help of the MOVE! team at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System's Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Pune Bluff, AR, Jim learned how simple adjustments to everyday habits could add up to make a major difference for his health.
Time for a Change
Jim shares that his struggle to maintain a healthy weight began after he left the Army in the late 1990s. He tried to manage his weight by following special diets and workout regimens, but he was not able to achieve sustained success. After hearing his own labored breathing on a video recording, Jim decided that for the sake of his health, he needed to make a change. Jim's VA provider recommended the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans as part of a combined approach to managing his weight.
We will always have self-discipline; we just have to find it again to make this work.
Jim Gumm
Focusing on the Little Things
Jim began attending both group and individual MOVE! sessions and was curious to learn about how he could adjust his lifestyle and manage his weight more successfully. Unlike the previous diet and exercise plans that he had tried, Jim explains how MOVE! emphasized small changes that he could build into long-term habits. He explains that these healthy eating and physical activity strategies were further enhanced by the consistent support of his MOVE! team throughout his weight loss journey. "It is a real-life team approach which is why it works so well…an individual success [that] takes a team effort," he explains.
Striving for Success
Since starting MOVE!, Jim has lost nearly 90 pounds and 10 inches from his waistline, but he measures his success by more than just those numbers. He no longer has pre-diabetes, and both his blood pressure and breathing have improved. "Now it is nothing but self-motivation and discipline that will keep me going," Jim shares. "I am confident I will continue on eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle."
