A Life-Changing Journey
Sherry Thornton changed her life with the support of family, friends, and the MOVE! team at the VA clinic in Childersburg, AL by gradually making simple but significant adjustments to her daily routine.
A Healthy Effort
Sherry explains that for many years, she had tried to lose weight to improve her health. Unfortunately, she admits, those previous attempts were more about trying to "get the weight off quick" rather than making lasting changes. "I wasn’t able to walk or do much at all," she shares. "I had to sit down and rest a lot." Sherry’s primary care doctor had a conversation with her about the risk of diabetes and offered to connect her with the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans. For Sherry, MOVE! was a new way forward toward a goal she hadn’t yet been able to reach.
Nobody’s perfect. If you mess up, just get back up and continue doing healthy things.
Sherry Thornton
Motivation and Support
"My MOVE! experience has been wonderful," Sherry recalls, "from the group visit where they taught me how to count calories and what tools to use, to my wonderful nutritionist, Brandi Green, whom I really enjoyed talking to and getting wonderful advice from. Most of all, the motivational support is outstanding." Unlike her previous efforts, MOVE! helped Sherry understand how little changes to her eating and physical activity habits can lead to significant results. Instead of a quick fix, Sherry’s MOVE! experience showed her that "It’s not about being skinny, but about being healthy and doing the right things so that I can stay healthy." She’s confident that with the strategies and skills she has used to reach her goals, she can maintain a healthy lifestyle for the long term.
Enjoying the Process
Since starting MOVE!, Sherry has lost nearly 110 pounds. Excited about her progress, Sherry shares, "I can say I have really enjoyed the process of getting healthy." This includes feeling stronger and having more endurance, walking 40 minutes a day, and participating in strengthening and spin classes several days each week. She adds, "My life has changed completely since I began my journey. I’m able to do so much more and have so much more fun…with my family… [and] going to the gym." For Sherry, it’s been much more than the number on the scale. Her health conditions and lab results have improved, she has more energy, and she requires fewer medications! She continues to stick with the changes that helped her achieve her goals and says that now, "the biggest thing is that I try not to restrict myself…I’ve made myself aware of what I eat and make sure I don’t end up going back to old bad habits."
