Finding the Value of Change
David Lohnes decided to be proactive about his health and developed a new lifestyle to help manage his weight.
David worked with the MOVE! team at the Bob Michel Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Peoria, IL, creating healthy eating and physical activity habits to help reach his goal of better health.
The Third Time is the Charm
David's struggle to maintain a healthy weight started about 10 years ago, and ever since that point, he has made many different efforts to address the issue. In addition to paid weight loss programs and popular diets, he also worked with the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans on two occasions. In the end, however, David was not able to maintain a healthy weight. Himself a retired VA nurse, David knew that a healthy weight was essential to overall good health. In 2021, he started MOVE! again, this time with a new determination to achieve permanent change for a healthy lifestyle.
The [MOVE! Veteran] Workbook is a great and wonderful tool!
David Lohnes
The Right Tools
David explains that his drive to change his lifestyle was reinforced by his MOVE! team and strengthened by the tools and strategies that they helped him acquire. One of the most important resources was the MOVE! Veteran Workbook, which helped David acquire a better understanding of how to use healthy eating and physical activity choices to his advantage. David also shares that drinking more water played a major role in his success, including replacing much of his diet soda intake with flavored carbonated water.
Keeping His New Perspective
As David continued to stick with his new, healthy habits, his positive outlook helped him stay focused on making the right choices. Since starting MOVE! this time, he has lost over 60 pounds and lowered his blood pressure to a healthy range. To maintain his progress, David continues his physical activity routine, which includes walking, biking, and weight training. "Everybody is different," he shares, "but successful weight loss comes from the right psychological view of the right amount of exercise, being aware of what you eat, and still treating yourself."
