By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A PAKENHAM grandmother who recently won a nation-wide health improvement award said she can’t remember the last time she felt so good.
Judy Flynn just celebrated her milestone 70th birthday in the same week she was named Weight Watchers’ Health Improvement Winner of the Year with a whopping loss of 55kg.
“I can’t remember being a size 14 as I am now. I remember back to 1983 and then I was still a size 16,” she said at a proud 81 kilograms.
“I can do so much more. I virtually couldn’t drive a car … it was a trouble getting in and out. I had to use a walker inside and out of the house. It got to the stage where I was becoming a burden on my family.”
Judy, who started her weight loss journey in May of last year at 136 kg, said she had been able to start doing things that she never would have at her previous weight.
“It’s made a major difference to my confidence. My son lives on the other side of Melbourne and I had given up driving there because I just didn’t feel confident. But now, I drive to Riddells Creek with no trouble at all.
“My son also took me to Port Douglas for my birthday. I went snorkelling, got on a motorbike … I can do much more with my grandchildren,” she said.
Judy’s daughter Marita Shean said her kids were happy for nanny but miss taking a spin in her wheelchair.
“It’s absolutely awesome! Though the kids are upset they don’t get to ride on nanny’s wheels anymore,” she laughed.
Though Judy’s weight posed a danger to her health, she has survived worse.
The skin cancer survivor has battled with dangerous melanomas for the past 14 years which led her to have most of her right lung removed in 2008.
“They gave me 12 months to live at one stage. The cancer got into my bloodstream so that’s why I have ongoing problems,” she said.
She said she was having fewer melanomas removed each time she went to the doctor which she thought had to do with her reduced intake of sugar – which is proven to feed cancers.
“I have gotten around 100-150 melanomas taken out of my right leg. I still have to get them removed twice a year, but instead of having three to five clusters removed, I will only have one out. Right now, I have none.”
She said she had tried Weight Watchers before but found the former program too strict.
“It really wasn’t hard this time. Nothing is barred like it used to be … as long as you count your (calorie) points, then you can have a sweet treat. I like the flexibility,” she said.
Judy received $2500 cash for as winner of the Weight Watchers award.
