Weight Loss “Gamechanger” for Central Minnesota Couple
Weight Management“It took a lot of hard work, willpower and encouragement from family and friends. We have had our struggles, but if you don’t have your health, life can be so much harder.”
Ask Julie and Dave Tschida of Grey Eagle their secret to losing weight and the first thing they’ll say is that working together is key.
“It really was the only way to go for us when we were trying to become healthy,” Julie said. “We put a lot of effort into keeping unhealthy food out of the house and to start making healthier choices.”
Described as a “game changer” in their lives, Julie and Dave’s weight loss journey started three years ago with CentraCare Weight Management’s program in St. Cloud.
they started the CentraCare Weight Management Program.
When Dave needed to lose weight before having a knee replacement. He had borderline high blood pressure and was tipping the scales at 300 pounds. Weighing 200 pounds, Julie had borderline diabetes and her doctor suggested she drop some weight as well.
Using CentraCare Weight Management’s meal replacements and eating one healthy evening meal together, the Tschidas lost a combined 155 pounds. “It took a lot of hard work, willpower and encouragement from family and friends. We have had our struggles, but if you don’t have your health, life can be so much harder,” Dave explained.
Much of the cost of medical and dietitian appointments can be covered under medical insurance, health savings or flexible spending accounts. The Tschidas’ insurance covered their consult visit which included lab, lab provider and dietitian. Insurance also covered all follow-up visits with the provider and all follow-up labs. Optional programs, such as individual health coaching and meal replacements, can be paid for with employer programs (flexible savings accounts) or cash.
“After our weight loss, we feel so much better and can move around much more easily. I can chase my grandchildren and play with them on the floor,” Julie said.
Weight maintenance challenges
including four-year-old Evan. Photo was taken in July 2019.
Three years into the program, they’ve experienced what many others have — maintaining the weight loss is tough. “Portion control is a struggle for us. We work at it every day but we just can’t give up on healthy living,” Dave said.
Their advice for others considering a weight loss program is that “It doesn’t take much food to maintain a body. You have to master ‘learning how to eat to live,’ and ‘not live to eat.’”