I lost 30 kilos to save my sister’s life
Over60 community member, Di Rieger, 66, from Hoppers Crossing in Victoria, shares her brave tale about how she decided to face her body images demons head on and in turn save her sister's life.
I’m a long way from my teen years, but I can still remember the things I used to think when I looked in the mirror: “I’m too fat”, “I’m pear shaped”, and “Why don’t I look like my friends?” I spent hours cataloguing (little wonder I chose a career in libraries) my flaws and if I missed any, I think my three sisters and brother kindly helped me out!
One reason that weight can be such a problem for everyone from teens to adults is all the sitting around we’re doing and inactivity can have a major effect on our waistline and health. Watching TV is the most common activity that can lead to weight gain (if you don’t exercise or eat right) and it is something that we do more and more as we get older. Losing weight in my 20s and 30s seemed simpler. I just ate a bit less and moved a bit more and, regardless of whether I ate chocolates every day, I remained the same size. Once I reached 40 everything changed.
From the age of 45 the responsibilities that came with my job became greater and all thoughts of taking care of me flew out the window – this continued until I retired from full time employment at the age of 57. At this point in time, with encouragement and support from my daughter, I joined Weight Watchers. Eighteen months later when I relocated to Brisbane I found that without her support it soon became a chore and I stopped going. All that I had achieved while attending Weight Watchers went by the wayside and soon after I turned 60 I realised that my weight had spiralled to a point where the scales teetered on 106 kilos. Family and friends noticed that I really struggled with any activity that required any more than minimal movement, they remarked about how unwell I looked and my chronic back condition was the worst that it had ever been. I remembered back to my teenage years when I had looked in the mirror and thought that I was too fat and decided that it was time for me to make lifestyle changes.
It was in the latter part of 2011 after my husband had heart surgery and during visits to his cardiologist that I realised just how important it was for me (in fact, both of us) to make those changes. I started seeing a physiotherapist who gave me a huge amount of encouragement and support and assisted me to enrol in a hydrotherapy class, which I participated in several times a week. My husband and I also enrolled in a program called Heart Moves a gentle physical activity program suitable for anyone who hasn’t done any exercise in a while and that allows you to exercise at your own pace in a friendly atmosphere. For a period of time I also used, with the approval of my general practitioner, a meal replacement product called Optifast that is used in Weight Management programs at the Wesley Hospital in Brisbane. Slowly I started to lose some of those 106 kilos.
Around about the same time I learned that my older sister was in stage-four kidney failure and immediately put up my hand to be tested as a live donor. In August of 2013 when her condition became critical I had some initial testing and discovered that I was compatible. However, because I was still overweight (teetering on 92 kilos) further testing was put on hold as potential donors need to be in optimal health and an acceptable BMI for surgery. Desperate to do anything that I possibly could to help my sister I continued with my weight loss regime which included eating smaller portions, cutting out sugar and eating “real” food – veggies, lean meats, fish, eggs, fruit and nuts. My oldest son coached me through a program of high and low intensity exercises and this is now a regular part of my daily routine. I have now lost a total of 27 kilo (now weigh 79 kilos). I recently received the news that through the Paired Kidney Exchange Programme a live donor who is a better match than me for my sister has been found and that her transplant surgery has been scheduled for early September. With regard to having been tested I have absolutely no regrets and I would do it all again in a heartbeat for any of my family or even a friend. My biggest motivation was a desperate need to help my sister and although the outcome is now different, I am now determined that I am not ever going to go back to where I was four years ago. I would not have thought that I would go from wearing size 24 to now wearing size 14! Whatever the motivation, I am amazed at the difference that this has made to my overall health and wellbeing. My family, friends and doctors have all played a major role in the success of my weight loss plan. I could not have achieved it without their support.