Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital

Mr. Maniates, Mr. Bucko, Mr. Hier, Mr. Pena, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Tyranowski each lost at least 5% of their initial body weight by participating in the Hines MOVE! Weight Loss program. Congratulations!

MOVE!® participants say program is definitely worth it!

Tired of feeling bad and having little energy, a group of Hines Veterans decided they wanted to be healthier and live long, happy lives.  After speaking with registered dieticians at the Hines VA Hospital, these Veterans signed up for a unique weight loss program for Veterans….and got some amazing results.  Mr. Maniates, Mr. Bucko, Mr. Hier, Mr. Pena, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Tyranowski each lost at least 5% of their initial body weight by participating in this free program at Hines.

Managing Overweight and/or Obesity for Veterans Everywhere (MOVE!®) is a Department of Veterans Affairs weight management program designed to help Veterans lose weight, keep it off, and improve their overall health.

The group of Hines Veterans lost at least 5% of their initial body weight by participating in the program, which offers nutrition counseling, exercise advice, and expert assistance in overall wellness strategies.  When asked what tips they would give other Veterans trying to lose weight, these graduates of the Hines MOVE!® Program offered the following strategies:

• Don’t ever give up on yourself!
• I stopped telling myself I couldn’t do it.
• I got my wife involved. Her support helped tremendously.
• I started using a phone application to track my calories.
• I used smaller plates. I still eat the same types of foods, just less of them.

The MOVE!® Program teaches Veterans how to become healthier by emphasizing health and well-being as achievable goals. Through a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach using behavioral changes, nutrition, and physical activity, Veterans individually tailor the program to meet their specific goals. The VA serves more than six million Veterans, of whom approximately 77 percent are overweight or obese. Approximately 38 percent are obese. The MOVE!® Program is the largest and most comprehensive weight management and physical activity program associated with a medical care system in the United States.

“It’s wonderful to see Veterans in our MOVE!® Program lose weight and feel so much better about themselves overall,” said Lisa Korpolinski, MOVE!® Dietician. “The support group meetings make them realize that they are not alone in this journey and others have the same issues.”

The MOVE!® Program provided at Hines addresses three of the nine Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Healthy Living Messages which include “Maintain a Healthy Weight,” “Eat Wisely,” and “Be Physically Active.”  It provides guidance in areas of nutrition, behavior change, and physical activity, and allows the Veteran to participate in personal goal setting.  Any Veteran receiving care at the Hines VA Hospital or one of its outpatient clinics can participate by talking with their primary care provider.