How did your feet cope?
My feet were bad and they hurt
every day. But then, on Mother’s
Day, my daughter bought me
this terrific pair of proper
walking shoes, which fitted me
properly. They felt so
comfortable, like slippers.
I reckon I’ve walked about
1000km in those shoes now.Have you done other
exercise?
I just walked until I’d lost about
20kg, and I met someone at the
park whose partner had lost
25kg. She told me about this
cheap exercise class called On
Top Fitness at the local school
(in Coomera, Queensland). I had
a lot of flabby excess skin and
thought I could strengthen my
arms a bit. So I went along, and
they were so welcoming. There
was no judgment; you could go
at your own pace and there were
people of all ages and sizes.
I’ve been going there twice a
week since June, doing squats,
weightlifting and sometimes a
bit of boxing. After the first few
times I was aching and couldn’t
work properly, but it isn’t over
the top. It has made me feel
much stronger.How hard was it to
change your diet?
On my early morning walks I
could smell sausage rolls at the
bakery, so I used to run to get
away. But one day I bought a
sausage roll. I had two bites and
thought ‘This isn’t as good as
I thought it would be.’ I was still
craving a pepperoni
pizza and a doughnut,
but I didn’t give in.
I was sleeping better,
my blood glucose
numbers were coming
down, and I could see
it was actually working.
Until then, if anyone
had said I could get
my diabetes to go into
remission I would have
laughed at them.
I found Weight
Watchers good because
I’m a busy person and
I just wanted to eat
normal food that was
quick and easy to get
ready. I used the app and had an
online coach, which was great for
those days where I felt like I just
wanted to eat everything in the
house. And I found the step
tracker really helped to keep
me accountable.So your diabetes is now
in remission?
Yes, my blood glucose hovers 6-7,
so I’m officially in the normal
range. My doctor says I’ll never
get rid of the diabetes, but there
are now no signs or symptoms of
it. My doctor was so
proud of me. She’d been
on my back about it for
ages, but I had to do it
for myself.How do you feel
about the new
you?
I was worried about
my loose skin at first,
but I thought ‘I’m
going to wear that as
a badge of honour, and
there’s always Spanks!’
My supermodel days
are over, but as long
as I’m fitter and
stronger I don’t
care about the loose skin.
My girls are so proud of me
and they are still encouraging
me every day. I’m five-foot-11
(180cm) and I’m now a size 18.
I’ve got about 20kg to lose.
W My goal weight is 80kg. ■
O
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I had two
bites of a
sausage roll
and thought
‘This isn’t
as good as
I thought it
would be.’
FAR LEFT: Julie took action to
become healthy for her daughters.
ABOVE: Before and after photos.
RIGHT: Exercise is now routine.my story: type 2
diabetic living JULY/AUGUST 2019 123