Intro: You are listening to the fresh focus podcast where VA dietitian nutritionists are serving up health and Wellness information for veterans and their families in addition to being in clinic chatting over the phone or using video connect, we are increasing your access with this podcast. The VA has an amazing weight management program called move this comprehensive program gives you not only a blueprint to follow but the tools needed to meet your individual goals so grab a notebook and get ready for tangible tips to conquer those barriers.

Episode Transcript: Hi and welcome back for another episode of fresh focus my name is Brianne and I'll be your guest host today. I'm the MOVE coordinator of the John J Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff Missouri a worldwide health for about 13 years. In this series you have heard all about the VA 's move weight management program, how to get started, steps on how to set smart goals, ways to achieve those goals from week to week, meal planning ideas, how to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine, overweight obesity or chronic health conditions and we want to help you reach your health goals by improving your overall health and Wellness.
Participating in move is a great starting point. Starting the program completing all the modules what an accomplishment but it doesn't end there. Weight management requires a lifelong commitment, lifestyle changes and long term follow up with your healthcare team. As you reach the last move module to complete the program, we want you to reflect on the positive changes you have made. How have those positive changes impacted your weight management efforts? It is vital to remember that the changes you are making may not always be reflected in your appearance. For instance, maybe you've lowered your blood pressure, seen improvements in your cholesterol, maybe that hemoglobin A1C has come down. While all of these are fantastic accomplishments they aren't reflected in the mirror. All of these lifestyle changes you have made in the last several weeks in this program have led to a healthier you and we want to help you keep moving forward.
So that brings me to today's episode the last one of the series. I'll be focusing on how to maintain the progress you have made while participating in move. Let's talk about some things that will help you keep the progress going and maintain your motivation. The 3 main strategies for maintaining your progress include watching your diet, being active and staying on course. Let's take a look at each one of these strategies.
The first one will look at is watching your diet. What does your plate look like? Are you eating on that 9-inch plate? Are you still using the healthy plate model to guide your food and beverage choices? Is half of that 9-inch plate covered in colorful fruits and vegetables? Is one quarter of that 9-inch plate covered in protein? Are you using whole grains and beans to fill the remaining 25% of the plate? Are you following a healthy realistic eating pattern? We know that individuals who eat consistent amounts at consistent times have a higher likelihood of having long term weight management success. So, eliminating meals, prolonging meals, delaying meals, these aren’t healthy ways to effectively manage the weight.
Keep those eating patterns consistent. Are you applying the healthy behavior changes you've made in the area of dietary intake when you're at holiday gatherings, dining out at restaurants, attending a birthday party, going on vacation? Being able to apply those healthy behavior changes in risky situations like these increase your chances of long-term weight management. Be sure you're eating breakfast every day. Eating breakfast can help you from feeling over hungry later in the day. If you're feeling overly hungry later in the day that may result in, you eating more than you should at lunch and dinner.
The second strategy is being active. The recommendation is try to achieve 60 to 90 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per day. Wow, that can be a lot. Just remember you can break it into smaller chunks. 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the afternoon, 20 minutes in the evening and don't forget those strengthening exercises and your stretching.
The 3rd strategy is staying on course. While staying on course you wanna continue to monitor your diet and activity. Yes, you gotta keep that food journal going. You have to keep counting those steps and you gotta keep track of that physical activity. Doing all of these things will help increase your self-awareness of the food choices you make, of eating behaviors you may have, your physical activity patterns and it will help guide you and help you identify where further change may be needed. Continue to monitor your weight. Set up a regular time to weigh. It doesn't necessarily have to be daily, but we would recommend at least weekly. Be sure you weigh at the same time of day and make sure you're wearing the same kind of clothes. Sometimes it's tempting to not step on the scale if we think we've gotten a little bit off track but we've gotta face the music and facing that music can help us see how our behaviors are impacting the number on the scale. So just keep in mind if you see a 1-to-2-pound weight increase start paying closer attention to portion size and focus on portion control. If you see it 3-to-4-pound increase in weight, yellow light, use some caution, problem solve to determine changes in behavior contributing to weight gain. For example, have you been going out to eat more, are you spending more time watching TV, have you been snacking more often and if you experience a 5-pound weight gain treat this as a red light. Stop, get back on track return to those calories levels that resulted in you losing weight and reestablish the reason why you want to manage your weight. And the last part of that strategy of staying on course is getting support from your family friends and others around you. Your MOVE team is here to support you.
At the John Jay Pershing VA Medical Center, we offer a monthly support group for our veterans that have completed the move program. It's a time for the veterans to come together, talk about the successes they've had and any challenges that they may be facing. When you ask friends and families for support let them know what that looks like for you. Does it mean checking in to see if you've done your walk for the day? Does it mean asking have you journaled today? Let them know what you need so they can fulfill that. Which of these strategies will be the easiest for you to maintain? Which of these will be the most difficult? What can you do to help set yourself up for successful maintenance?
I have a veteran that has went from 462 pounds to approximately 260 pounds. When he first came to see me, he wore oxygen 24 hours a day and took pain medicine for back pain. Since losing 200 pounds he is able to go to the gym for at least an hour and a half 6 days per week. He attributes a lot of his success to keeping a detailed record of what he eats and drinks. It helps keep him on the right path. Staying motivated is essential for long term weight management success. Here are 8 tips for staying motivated. Number one, remember the benefits you've achieved and hoped to achieve. I would encourage you to keep a list of the positive changes you've seen since you began this program. Is it easier to tie your shoes? Can you go up the stairs with greater ease? Are you less fatigued when you go on your walk? Is it easier to carry your groceries? And consider what you can continue to work on to meet your weight management goals.
The second one is recognizing your success. Consider what eating and physical activity changes you're most proud of making. Is it that you've given up that late night snacking? Are you able to say no to that ice cream? Do you look forward to going on your walks now that you've established a good physical activity routine? Number 3, keep physical signs of your progress. Have you had to get a new belt? Keep that old belt laying around as motivation. Measure yourself. Watch how your weight size decreases. If you're having trouble staying motivated walking or exercising maybe, you pick a virtual location that you're going to walk to. Number 4, continue to keep track of your weight, eating an activity. That's where that journaling comes in again. Number 5, develop your eating and activity routines. Reflect on what has worked well for you. What helped you get to the point you're at right now? What do you feel like you should continue doing to continue seeing success? Number 6, set new goals for yourself. We talked about this a lot. Goals are your road map for getting to the destination you want to be at. So, if the destination is weight loss, those goals are how you're gonna get there. Continue to set those short term and long-term goals to keep yourself on track and don't forget to reward yourself when you meet those goals. Now remember, don't use food, but is there a new book you've been wanting? Perhaps a new outfit? Maybe you'll get a massage. Find a non-food reward to use whenever you meet your weight management goals. Maybe you create some friendly competition. Maybe you have friends or family that you can compete with to see who can take the most steps or who can journal the most days. And number 8, lean on your move team and your fellow veterans. We're here to support you.
You can always go back through our programs, attend monthly support groups, or see a dietitian in your primary care department for individual weight management help. Remember to reach out to your local VA to find out more about the move program in your area. You can also check out more move info on the national website at www.move.va.gov. Thank you for listening. Don't forget to like and subscribe to this podcast and later review.