Culpeper resident Paul Flynn, Jr. lost 266 pounds because he wanted to be able to get on the floor to play with his granddaughter.
It took him more than three years, but the 61-year-old auto technician vows to keep it off for good.
At his heaviest in January 2014, Flynn weighed 427 pounds, and had been battling obesity for 15 years. He had diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension in addition to a bad back and knees. Flynn admitted he was working too much and not taking care of himself.
I was working two jobs, eating fast food in between and sleeping two or three hours a day, he said. It didnt take long to pack on the pounds. You ache all over. I lost two jobs because I weighed too much.
Flynn, originally of Falls Church, actively played in two softball leagues as a younger man when weight was not an issue. But then he and his wife, Coleen, started a family and his personal fitness took a back seat.
He wasnt happy and he was very short a lot of the times, said Coleen Flynn. His quality of life was deteriorating."
While taking a class for a state inspection license, Pauls legs collapsed beneath him.
To try hold himself up, he grabbed a bar above him and when he did, he pulled his arm out of the socket and dislocated his shoulder, said his wife.
Doctors could not repair the injury and he had to go out on disability.
Tired of feeling bad all the time, Flynn decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery at the University of Virginia Medical Center, but before he could get the procedure, he had to lose weight on his own.
At the encouragement of friends, he signed up for the local chapter of Take Pounds Off Sensibly (TOPS), which has met for decades every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at Precious Blood Catholic Church with weigh-in at 5 p.m.
I kept thinking to myself what good is this going to do me? I didnt understand, but the more you listen the more the meetings started to help, Flynn said. I stopped eating fast food and Cokes that was the biggest thing.
Within three months, he had dropped 30 pounds. By September 2014, he was 60 pounds lighter and ready for surgery. Flynn spent a week in the hospital recovering.
It was torture, said his wife of 38 years, Coleen. He regretted doing the surgery that first week. But once he healed, the weight started coming off very quickly.
Gastric bypass and other weight-loss surgeries make changes to a persons digestive system to help them lose weight by limiting how much you they can eat or by reducing the absorption of nutrients, or both, according to the Mayo Clinic. After surgery, recipients must follow strict diets and consume less food that their now-smaller stomach can comfortably and safely digest.
Flynn with buy-in from his wife had to completely change the way he ate with most meals prepared at home. The first few months after surgery all he could eat was pureed food. His diet these days consists of lean meats, yogurt, fruit, vegetables and diminished portions.
We cut our food in half and use a small plate, Coleen said.
Added Paul, Its not a quick fix. You got to follow a plan.
That plan includes weekly support sessions at TOPS.
The doctor told him he needed an accountability partner, Coleen said. Something to help keep him motivated.
She went with him from the start and the couple still attends the Tuesday gatherings. Coleen started to lose weight, too 60 pounds altogether.
They are so positive and encouraging, she said. They helped keep us motivated by knowing we had to weigh in every week.
Through his multi-year journey with TOPS, Paul has won various awards for his drastic weight loss, including last year, when he received a trip to Disney World for his accomplishment. More recently, he was named the Virginia Division Winner.
Barbara Cady, president of TOPS Club, Inc., based in Milwaukee, said the Flynns are an outstanding example of the importance of support in the weight loss journey.
This includes accountability at weekly weigh-ins, discussion of successes and challenges and solid educational information on healthy living, she said. It has been a privilege to watch Paul's steady loss.
Having a supportive life partner is also crucial, Cady said, noting that Paul and Coleen regularly encourage each other.
Their TOPS friends cheer them forward. Together, all of us are getting healthier, she said.
Paul said he doesnt miss the fast food. He doesnt miss the diabetes or hypertension either that is all under control now that the weight is gone. As of last week, he weighed 161 pounds and was looking to gain about 10. Hes gone from a size 60 pants to a size 36.
Being able to play with his granddaughter has made the struggle more than worth it.
They have those little tunnels you crawl through, of course I couldnt fit my big butt through there, but now I can climb right on through the tunnel with her, he said. It was a big motivation, oh, my gosh, yes, and now I got a grandson. I love the heck out of them.
Losing more than half your body weight is not easy, Paul emphasized. It takes a lot of hard work.
I would recommend it to anybody, but its a new way of life, he said.
Link:
'A new way of life' - The Daily Progress
