Sharing Stories and Celebrating Success
Tim Toth set his sights on healthy change and weight loss, inspired and supported by other Veterans and his MOVE! team at the Edward P. Boland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds, MA.
Fighting His Battle
For Tim, maintaining a healthy weight had been a struggle for decades. "Diet, medication, and counseling with my civilian primary care provider and nutritionists failed," he recalls. "My public safety career had a role too, with no set schedules and meals at all hours of the day in-between incidents." Tim decided that he’d "had enough" and sought support from his VA health care team. In addition to receiving a weight loss medication prescription, Tim began attending group sessions of the MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans.
Do it! You won’t be sorry that you did.
Tim Toth
Answering the Call
A large part MOVE!’s appeal for Tim was just how easy it was to get involved. He was surprised by how much he enjoyed the virtual video group sessions which included other Veterans on their own weight loss journeys, saying "The remote access/distance learning opportunity with peers was phenomenal!" Along with the shared experience with his peers, Tim credits his MOVE! team, including dietitian Stella Magny and Dr. Angela Wendorf, for keeping these sessions "fun and informative." Tim added healthy habits into his lifestyle to help spur positive change. These included adjusting portion sizes and making healthier food choices, removing foods with excess sugars, and consuming fewer carbohydrates. To complement these changes, Tim increased his physical activity and created a daily exercise regimen which "paid huge dividends."
Planning for the Future
Tim reports that since starting MOVE!, he has lost weight and experienced other benefits too, like fitting into his smaller sized clothes again and feeling good about himself. "Moving grain bags and hay bales" keeps him active and busy as he progresses with weight and health goals. Tim maintains his new lifestyle and regimented habits and is grateful for all of the components of his MOVE! experience, emphasizing that "of course, the support and teamwork of my fellow Veterans really made the program relevant and rewarding for me."
