Words and
Photography
Carmel Sparke/Bauer Syndication
weightwatchers.com/au 49Linda Hall
At the meeting, Linda, 47, shared the good news
that her cardiologist had not only taken her off
blood pressure medication, but told her she
didn’t need to return until she was in her 90s!
Having lost almost 40kg in 16 months, Linda’s
seen a dramatic turnaround in her health, and
is no longer insulin resistant. But it wasn’t her
health that spurred her on to attend WW –
rather, it was not being able to do all the things
she wanted with her 16-year-old twin sons.
While visiting a Gold Coast theme park, Linda
found she was unable to go on most of the rides
because of her size – and when she did, the
attendant had struggled to secure the bar.
“It was the most humiliating thing. Thank
goodness it was one of those wet rides,
because I was crying so much,” says Linda, who
has dropped from 140kg to her current weight
of 101.9kg, and is now on her way to Goal.
“My health is much better, I feel good and I have
so much more energy. I can be an example to the
kids and my husband. The doctor had said, ‘You’re
looking forward to a short future and a future
with diabetes if you keep going the way you are.’
“The ladies at the meeting are just such an
amazing support system – almost like family.
We are sharing this journey together.”Diamond Coaches
Joanne (left) and Carolyn
motivate, inspire and
entertain members, and
say their group is like
a community.Julie Grellman
When Julie started WW almost three
years ago, she says she would have been
happy to lose just 10kg. But she’s gone
way beyond that, dropping 37kg! Julie
began attending meetings with her
daughter, who lost 25kg. As her weight fell
from 105kg to her Goal weight of 68kg in
two years, her health also blossomed.
“The health benefits are amazing,
my medications have been reduced and
my cholesterol and blood pressure are
down,” the 60-year-old says. “I was on the
verge of diabetes and I had severe sleep
apnoea where I had to wear a machine and
now I don’t have to wear that now.
“Apart from everything else,
I love being able to park in
a small car space without
worrying about whether I’ll
be able to get out of the car.
“I still think about that, and then
I realise, ‘Julie, you don’t need to worry
about that anymore!’”Christina Ellis
On retiring, Christina, 65, promised
herself she’d spend more time looking
after her health, learning to play golf,
being with her grandchildren and
travelling. She’s ticking off all those
goals, including losing 12kg through WW.
“I just feel so much better. I exercise
and I don’t have the pains that I used
to have when I was working, when I had
a lot of troubles with my shoulder, hip
and knee. All of that is gone now,” says
Christina, whose start weight was
75kg. She’s now maintained her Goal
weight of 64kg for three months.
“I can comfortably go into nearly every
shop and pick up a size 10 and know that
it’s going to fit me now. And I love being
a part of the meetings. The ladies are all
so nice, and Carolyn and Joanne are just
amazing. They are so encouraging.”Barbara Pye
“I really like going to
this group, because it’s
such a homey and
friendly environment,”
says Barbara, 71,
whose start weight
was 84.9kg. After
losing 18.9kg in 18
months, she’s hit her
Goal of 66.1kg.
“I’ve learned so much
about food and how to
eat and cook healthily.”