Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Please switch auto forms mode to off. 2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.

MOVE! Weight Management Program

Menu
Menu
Quick Links
Veterans Crisis Line Badge
My healthevet badge
 

Joseph Sossamon - Jan 2025

Photo of wooden mountain walkway

A Journey to Better Health

After a heart attack, Joseph Sossamon made a choice to change his life for the better and lose weight with the help of the MOVE! team at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center.

 

A New Start

For Joseph, the battle to maintain a healthy weight has been a lifelong one. Despite trying various diets and programs, Joseph was unable to maintain a healthy weight. "What I lost," he recalls, "came back double!" After suffering a heart attack in March 2024, Joseph committed himself to his cardiac rehabilitation plan. Part of this plan was the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans. He was determined to make the changes necessary to lose weight and improve his health.

Listen, learn, participate. Believe! Never give up!
Joseph Sossamon
Photo of pair of dumbbells on floor, next to water bottle

Beginning to Build

Joseph started attending MOVE! group sessions once each week, where he could share his experience with a group of other Veterans on similar journeys to better health. At these sessions, Joseph learned strategies to develop a healthy lifestyle including new eating and physical activity habits. Using tools like his MOVE! Veteran Workbook and the MOVE! Food and Physical Activity Log, he was able to track and monitor the amount and types of foods he consumed. Joseph also began drinking more water and exercising 5 times per week at his local gym!

Continuing to Strive

Thanks to this new lifestyle and medication to help manage his weight, Joseph has lost 55 pounds so far. His weight loss has had a positive effect on his health, as he sleeps better, requires less medication, has less pain, and is in general much happier on a daily basis. His lab results have improved and he no longer takes medication for diabetes. Joseph is especially grateful for the support of his wife and his MOVE! team throughout his journey to better health. He plans to maintain his habits and lose even more weight as he enjoys his new, healthier life.

Return to MOVE! Stories Library

 
 

"Making that commitment, and knowing where to start..."

Carl Conway

 

"If you care about yourself and you care about your life..."

Rocco Terrezi

 

"Sticking with the program really works!"

Paul Shaskan

Share