How St Mary’s teacher Pam Radcliffe lost 40kg

Pam Radcliffe was forced to retire due to a debilitating condition. After her weight spiralled out of control, she decided to make some changes and the result was amazing.

Before and After: Pam Radcliffe was forced to retire from her job of 25 years due to a debilitating eye condition. After her weight spiralled out of control, she decided to make some changes.

Former St Mary’s Catholic College teacher Pam Radcliffe, 62, was forced to retire in 2021 after 25 years at the school due to a debilitating medical condition.

“I had gone from a classroom teacher and I had gone up into admin; I held a leadership position,” Ms Radcliffe said.

“I was very upset when I had to retire because I was only 60 … I found that very difficult.”

The Kingaroy mother and grandmother was diagnosed with Punctate Inner Choroidopathy, which is a rare condition that causes inflammation at the back of the eye.

“It’s like a progressive blindness.

“It started probably 30 years ago in my left eye … over time that changed and it is now in my right eye,” she said.

Pam Radcliffe before embarking on her health journey.

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Although she does have trouble seeing some things and can’t drive long distances, Ms Radcliffe is able to manage it.

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“I don’t have a crystal ball, it could be one year, it could be 20 years but eventually it’s going to go.

“At this stage I’m still OK.”

The condition, along with medication and overeating, all helped contribute to weight gain which then led to further health issues.

Tragically, Ms Radcliffe’s mother was in palliative care at the time which was another challenge she had to navigate.

Pam Radcliffe after her health journey.

The weight gain became so bad that Ms Radcliffe was unable to sleep at night and found it hard to breathe so she went to a doctor and then to a sleep specialist.

“The preliminary tests indicated that I had just stopped breathing too many times … I ended up on a CPAP machine.

“Air is continuously flowed into you with this machine and so it just keeps your airwaves open so you can breathe normally.”

By the time she had seen the doctor she weighed in at 109kg.

“I was well and truly overweight,” she said.

The doctors told her she needed to lose weight quickly and suggested weight loss surgery, which she was against.

She decided to undertake the One-to-One by Cambridge Weight Plan where a personal consultant helped her create a plan and supplied the meals which were catered to her needs.

The initial weeks were challenging.

“I couldn’t do anything for two weeks because I had headaches from sugar withdrawals.”

Ms Radcliffe praised her consultant for helping with her headspace and staying on track.

Pam Radcliffe was forced to retire from her job of 25 years due to a debilitating eye condition. After her weight spiralled out of control, she decided to make some changes

After 12 weeks of the program she had lost almost 10kg.

“Once that started and I could see that it was happening, then I could go for a short walk,” she said.

Over time she was able to increase her exercise intake and to-date has lost almost 40kg.

Although Ms Radcliffe credits the program for her weight loss, she explained that figuring out why it continued to happen throughout her life was crucial towards sustaining her new healthy lifestyle.

It was during her early morning walks she was able to reflect.

“That was the revelation for me, I suppose having the time to think and analyse,” she said.

One of Ms Radcliffe’s greatest achievements from her journey is now being able to help out with her grandchildren, who range from 14 weeks to 13 years old, and to run around with them.

“I could not have done this two years ago, never in a million years. I didn’t have the flexibility, I didn’t have the stamina, I didn’t have the breath.”

Ms Radcliffe has advice for others going through similar journeys:

“Be kind to yourself, think about your own wellbeing and your mental wellbeing. If you fall off the wagon, hit full stop and capital letter tomorrow.”