Jumpstarting a healthy life: Winona Health rolls out group weight loss program – Winona Daily News

Weight loss isn’t easy, and going it alone makes it harder.

But a new group weight management program at Winona Health called HealthyFit aims to provide support for the journey through weekly education sessions and good old-fashioned camaraderie.

Winona Health dietitian Anna Hudson said she started the program based on patient comments. Many of them told her they wished they could have more accountability for their health goals, outside of their meetings with Hudson.

“I felt like it was something that was missing,” she said.

The program rolled out last fall with a pilot group of eight participants, and the next class starts April 7. It lasts 14 weeks, with an hour-long meeting each week, private weigh-ins to track progress, and lots of conversation, all focused around each person’s individual goals.

“It’s very much a discussion-based program,” Hudson said.

The HealthyFit curriculum is based on a program developed through the VA called MOVE!, which has seen consistent positive results since it rolled out in 2006. It focuses on lifestyle changes, not fad dieting, so participants can achieve—and maintain—healthier habits.

The goal isn’t just weight loss, though that’s part of it. Participants set goals to lose five percent of their body weight over the 14 weeks.

“For some people, that might be five or ten pounds,” Hudson said.

That may not sound like much, but research indicates even a small, manageable weight loss reduces the risk of chronic conditions like diabetes or heart disease. For people who already have diabetes, weight loss can help them better manage blood sugar.

HealthyFit session topics include goal setting and problem solving, label reading and nutrition, handling setbacks, and exercise. Once the program is over, graduates are invited back for a check-in meeting after one, three, and six months to see how they’re doing.

Hudson said feedback from the pilot group was encouraging.

The group met their weight loss goal, but more than that, “They were able to lose weight and their program ran through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s,” Hudson said.

And although weight loss isn’t always easy, Hudson said the participants overwhelmingly told her they felt equipped to keep off the pounds they’d lost, and continue their healthy lifestyle.

The program is open to all adults, regardless of weight or health conditions.

“We’re all setting different goals,” Hudson said.