Answering the Call to Change
James Mayer took advantage of TeleMOVE!’s convenience working remotely when and where he wanted with the Jackson, TN VA Clinic MOVE! team and reached his goal of creating a healthy lifestyle he could maintain.
Ready to Lose
James shares that his motivation to reach a healthy weight grew over time. "I noticed in photographs of family gatherings that I was the biggest one," he explains. James began an effort to lose weight on his own and achieved progress, but he never quite reached his goals. "Then," he recalls, "my dietitian at VA asked if I’d like to try the MOVE! [Weight Management Program for Veterans]. I was ready to lose."
Try it! If you’ll try it, and honestly try it, you will lose weight.
James Mayer
Making a Connection
With TeleMOVE!, James connected remotely with his VA team combining the daily messages with support from the team using his tablet. "The morning lesson was very motivating," he shares. "The program and my dietitian taught me a lot about my food and changes to make." Some lessons focused on making mindful food choices, while others focused on healthy portion sizes. These helped James realize that some changes, like choosing healthier bread, were "so easy" but simply hadn’t occurred to him previously. In addition to healthy food choices, James also made healthy changes to his daily routine, such as starting every day with breakfast, and riding his stationary bike for 40 minutes every other day while enjoying listening to the radio.
Sticking With It
After his first 90-day round of TeleMOVE!’s daily messages, James was so happy with his experience that he re-enrolled for a second round. During this time James lost over 40 pounds and experienced many health benefits. Among these was a decrease in his A1C, which helped him reduce his insulin needs. James is grateful for the constant support of his wife and his MOVE! team, which helped him stay on track. He plans to maintain his healthy habits and check in regularly with his VA dietitian, for continued inspiration to stick with his new, healthy lifestyle.
