{"id":491620,"date":"2025-06-24T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=491620"},"modified":"2025-06-24T15:15:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T15:15:47","slug":"veteran-lives-her-best-life-with-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=491620","title":{"rendered":"Veteran lives her best life with MOVE!"},"content":{"rendered":"

When she was younger, Army Veteran Dalia Chacon ran marathons, using regular physical activity as a way to cope with challenges. Being so active meant she didn\u2019t have to worry about weight loss.<\/p>\n

Gaining weight was a \u201cresult of medication, depression, multiple surgeries, and I didn\u2019t have a way to cope,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

After a while, \u201cI noticed that I didn\u2019t want to go out in public or be seen by anyone and would stay home.\u201d Finally, after realizing that she didn\u2019t even want to celebrate her birthday because of how she felt, Chacon decided to create a healthy lifestyle again for herself and to be there for her son.<\/p>\n

Then her VA provider told her about the MOVE! Weight Management Program<\/a> for Veterans. \u201cI knew I could do it, I just didn\u2019t know how, so I decided to join MOVE!,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A group effort<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>
Dalia Chacon, a U.S. Army Veteran, used the Department of Veterans Affairs MOVE! program to help her lose 35 pounds and adopt healthier lifestyle habits that support her long-term goals. The MOVE! Weight Management Program helps Veterans adopt healthy lifestyles, achieve health goals, and manage their weigh by making simple, healthy changes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Chacon began attending MOVE! group sessions at VA Palo Alto<\/a> and quickly realized how helpful they were. She was reminded of the importance of reading food labels, choosing healthy foods, and tracking her food and physical activity to strike the right balance of calories.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She also connected with her Veteran peers. \u201cI felt like I became friends with some of the other members and we fed off of each other\u2019s energy,\u201d she shared. \u201cI didn\u2019t feel alone listening to other people\u2019s battles. I was also excited to see others\u2019 progress and oftentimes cheered them on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018I started living again\u2019<\/h2>\n

Chacon has lost 35 pounds since starting MOVE!, but the value of her journey extends far beyond the scale. \u201cI finally have put myself first,\u201d she said, and prioritizes regular runs and exercise in addition to healthier eating habits.<\/p>\n

As well as sleeping better and having more energy, she is spending more time with her family, trying new activities like bike riding on the beach, and has the confidence to go out once more. She can move without pain and stiffness\u2014and her mood has improved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started living again,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans helps Veterans adopt healthy lifestyles, achieve health goals and manage their weight. By making simple, healthy changes with the help of your local MOVE! team, you can increase your ability and confidence to achieve your health goals. Find more information about MOVE!<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When she was younger, Army Veteran Dalia Chacon ran marathons, using regular physical activity as a way to cope with challenges. Being so active meant she didn\u2019t have to worry about weight loss. Gaining weight was a \u201cresult of medication, depression, multiple surgeries, and I didn\u2019t have a way to cope,\u201d she said. After a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":491622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1509,1552],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-491620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-move-weight-management-program","category-weight-loss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=491620"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":491626,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491620\/revisions\/491626"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/491622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=491620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=491620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=491620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}