Weight loss program helps Julia turn life around
Weight loss program helps Julia turn life around
When Julia McNevin, 52, joined the Medical Weight Loss Program at MultiCare Center for Weight Loss and Wellness in February 2016, she was suffering from multiple weight-related health problems.
Although McNevin had begun to lose weight several years earlier, she still weighed over 300 pounds and was having a difficult time moving around without the use of a walker. She also had a heart condition called left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), compromised kidney function, hypertension and hypothyroidism, as well as chronic chest pain and dizziness.
McNevin had recently fallen after standing up and found herself in the ER with a sprained neck and a concussion.
“The ER doctor told me that I should consider assisted living, but I was only 51,” she says. “That’s when I knew my health was going in the wrong direction. I had always been a yo-yo dieter, but I needed to start getting serious.”
Heading down a new path
Soon after her fall, McNevin’s nephrologist at MultiCare referred her to the MultiCare Center for Weight Loss and Wellness.
“I felt grateful, because I needed the help,” she says. “I was glad that MultiCare doctors cared enough that they wanted me to become healthy.”
A year later, McNevin had lost 21 additional pounds. Her kidney function and blood pressure are normal, her hypothyroidism has stabilized, her chest pain and dizziness are gone and she no longer uses her walker. Her asthma has also improved and she doesn’t have as much arthritis pain.
In the fall of 2016, McNevin achieved one of her main goals: to walk on the beach near her home without a walker for the first time in years.”Each pound I’ve lost has made a difference,” McNevin says. “It’s hard to hear that you need to lose weight because it’s the only way for your kidneys to improve, but it was what I needed to hear. MultiCare has helped me turn my health around in many areas.”
Focus on consistency
MultiCare’s Medical Weight Loss Program is based on a philosophy of overall wellness, sustainable habits and long-term results rather than rigid dietary requirements. It focuses on improving health, nutrition and lifestyle choices, and promotes active living and stress management.
Participants in the program receive an individualized treatment plan focused on key medical and behavioral areas blocking their ability to lose weight. The program includes a full medical assessment as well as help in areas such as:
- Consistency
- Cooking skills
- Emotional eating
- Fitness level
- Gut health
- Planning and organization
- Sleep health
- Stress and anxiety coping skills
Finding help — and hope
McNevin says that she is now learning to make healthier choices in manageable steps.
She’s eating more protein, less processed grain and more fruits and vegetables, and beginning to exercise for short periods of time by walking in the pool and on the beach. She’s also starting to practice mindful eating, as well as breathing exercises for stress reduction.
“The key is to get started and stay consistent, because small changes can make a big difference,” she says. “It’s not about deprivation; it has to be a lifestyle.”
Now that she’s feeling better, McNevin can attend more events in her community, see friends more often and is looking forward to starting to sing again. Because it was too difficult to stand for long periods or even take a deep breath when she was heavier, McNevin had to stop singing in her church choir — but now she’s in the process of joining once more.
“I’m thankful to MultiCare,” she says. “This has really made a difference for me, and now I feel like I’m going in a positive direction.
“It’s easy to feel stuck and hopeless when you feel as bad as I did. But there is hope and help in life — you just have to pursue it.”
This story was originally published on MultiCare Vitals in February 2017.
The MultiCare Center for Weight Loss and Wellness supports you before, during and after the weight loss journey.
