70 pounds down and a life to go

Weight loss can be a difficult, long, and circular journey. However, one Kaiser Permanente service can help members achieve and maintain their weight-related health goals.

Just after welcoming in the new year, Kaiser Permanente patient Kyle Parker stepped on a scale. The number shocked him.

“I was 300 pounds,” he said. “Being a dad and a husband, I think that just registered as being unhealthy.”

Parker said he usually avoids New Year’s resolutions. He made one anyway: Lose the weight and keep it off this time.

Healthy steps

“I see Kyle once a year for his checkup, and he doesn't usually need anything in between,” said Jennifer Kubista, MD, Parker’s primary care doctor.

During Parker’s appointment in early 2024, he shared that he was taking some easy steps to improve his health.

Every day, Parker was tracking his food and walking Walter, his black labradoodle, around the lake near their home.

He had already lost about 10 pounds. A former college athlete, he wanted to get back to a version of himself that felt better.

On top of her regular advice, Dr. Kubista shared information about Kaiser Permanente’s health coaching service. She told Parker that Kaiser Permanente provides health coaching services at no cost for most members and patients. Dr. Kubista told Parker he just needed to give them a call.

“And so, I did,” he said.

Coaching healthy wins

Health coaching puts the patient in the driver’s seat, with the coach acting as an accountability partner, said Jennifer Yanez, a Kaiser Permanente registered dietitian and certified health coach.

“It is rooted in the science of motivational interviewing,” she said. “We're working with clients to help facilitate behavior change.”

Yanez and Parker had a monthly call. Parker gave her updates on his food tracking, workouts, and any setbacks he experienced that month.

“My job is to guide them in those conversations, encourage them to tap into their strengths, and get them moving in a forward direction to reach whatever they're trying to achieve with their health,” Yanez said.

Little wins can add up to big wins, like lower cholesterol, better heart health, and decreased risk for diseases like diabetes.

Kaiser Permanente care teams lean into prevention strategies like health coaching because they often produce better results. They are also more affordable for patients than treating health conditions after they have become serious.

Parker said the calls were particularly useful in overcoming the obstacles that had previously set him back, such as minor injuries, cravings, or the desire to cut loose on vacation.

The steps were basic. The results were impressive.

“I’ve lost 70 pounds,” Parker said.

Parker’s weight loss was the product of his own work, Yanez said, but it does show the potential of programs like health coaching.

It was a big win for Parker, his family, and his primary care doctor.

“I make a lot of recommendations to a lot of people, and everybody doesn't always take it,” Dr. Kubista said. “Everybody doesn't always act on it, because it's hard to change.”

Parker said he hopes other Kaiser Permanente patients can find the strength to make their own changes.

“I'm a regular person, and I feel like that's the thing that I hope other people can get behind is that you just got to go do it,” he said. “It gets easier.”

Learn more about partnering with a Kaiser Permanente wellness coach.