If you are a Veteran who would like to shed a few pounds, there are VA resources to help you. The most widely used resource is the VA’s MOVE!® Weight Management Program for Veterans.
MOVE! includes the most up-to-date approaches for weight management. The VA says, “[It] can help you adopt a healthy lifestyle, meet your health goals, and manage your weight. MOVE! is about much more than weight. It is about increasing your ability and confidence to achieve your health goals. MOVE!’s basic ideas—helping you learn tools and approaches for healthy eating and physical activity—are easy to follow and based on the latest research.
If you have a higher body weight, losing 5%-10% of your weight can improve your health. Keeping a weight that is healthy for you can help you feel good and have energy to do the things you want to do.
With the help of your MOVE! care team, you can:
- improve your quality of life, and even live longer
- reduce health risks
- prevent or reverse certain diseases”
It is easy to get started. Navigate online to the MOVE!11 questionnaire and answer 11 questions about your health history, what you eat and drink, your physical activity and what may make it hard to manage your weight. (You can also find the questionnaire by going to va.gov and entering “weight management” in the search box.)
There is a free phone app for both iPhone and android users associated with this weight management program called “MOVE! Coach” that helps you set and achieve your healthy eating, physical activity, and weight goals. To get the app go to the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Additionally, according to va.gov, “the VA also offers weight management medicines and surgery. These options can be helpful when used along with lifestyle changes that are part of MOVE!. Talk with your health care team to learn more about these choices and how they can help you meet your goals.”