Fill number 2

Hello and happy holidays! I hope you have a blessed Christmas!

Today was the big day for fill number 2! I got 1 and 1/2 cc fill today for a total of 2 and 1/2 cc. Plus the 1 and 1/2 cc I had from surgery. Tho i'm frustrated with the lack of restriction, I lost 4 pounds in the last two weeks. Altho 2 of those i've lost and gained a few times the last several weeks. But that's because I'm doing my best to keep up with my work out routine! You HAVE to exercise on a regular basis, oh man it's not easy, but the rewards are awesome!

Do you ever stop to realize you've lost sight of things near and dear to your heart? My daughter-youngest(9) spent the afternoon together and ended with cooking supper and SITTING DOWN at our table. Something we just do not do, I could count on one hand the number of times we've sat at the table to eat. She looked over at me and said, "mommy, we should do this more often". I almost cried! It was so cool to share this time with her and I commit more one on one time with her in 2008!

I also look forward (in 2008) to spend more quality time with my family, the great outdoors, God and friends!


Happy New Year to you and your family! Blessings in 2008 to you and your family.

Kerri

Things out of our control

Imagine you've gone thru 3 months of preparation, 20K surgery, 4 weeks of recovery only to be told when you show up for your Dr. appointment the X-Ray machine just broke and now you can't get your long awaited "fill"! I have been counting the days leading up to today and my next couple of fills because i've been told from other Lap Band patients that it takes about 3 or 4 fills to feel restricted with food.

I was NOT happy, very disappointed and frustrated and if you know me, I pretty much wear my emotions on my sleeve. I'm an open book and i'm ok with that!

Then when the gal looked to see when they could reschedule me for my X-ray and fill, it wasn't until December 26th. (heavy sigh). I made it pretty clear that wasn't acceptable and appologized at the same time for being crabby about it! Thank goodness she totally understood where I was coming from.

I appreciate Shelle's willingness to give me a 1cc fill of saline(it's 3cc's when you have the Xray). Don't think it'll do much to restrict my eating, but......I feel better, at least emotionally.

That was my day today with Altru. I did schedule my apt. for December 26th for that second fill.

I hope this first fill will help some in the upcoming weeks.

Happy Holidays!
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Kerri

A bit of frustration

Tomorrow marks week 5 post surgery. Hard to believe it's been 5 weeks! On one hand, I'm kinda mad at myself for not loosing more weight than I have, but on the other it's better than gaining! I'm pretty much at a point where I can eat whatever I want, which amazing people when I tell them. I always get a weird look and "REALLY??". You see, what most don't understand is this time between post-surgery and fills. Right now there really isn't any restriction when it comes to eating. I'm not eating near as much, but still I feel like I'm eating too much. Maybe I'm too hard on myself. I don't know.
The frustrating part is thru all the classes I took for 3 months prior to surgery, nobody ever educated us about this time between surgery and fills. I think it would have helped knowing this so I wouldn't feel so impatient and frustrated. I go thru all the education and group sessions, go thru the surgery and now it feels much like I didn't' even have surgery. Yep, I know....I'm impatient and I'll look back on this blog and laugh!

OK, so this Wed. is my first fill, it sounds like it's not until the 3rd fill that I'll start feeling the restriction. I'll be sure to keep you posted!

I'm feeling great tho, I can finally lift weights and strength train, altho I'm taking it easy and slowing working up to where I was at! I'm up to 40 minutes on the elliptical machine, hard to remember when I started and couldn't make it 5 minutes! ha ha

Hang in there and I hope you push yourself to find the time to exercise! It feels great!

Thanks for reading my blog! Merry Christmas!

Kerri

The Golden Compass

Hi, I mentioned on the air this morning about the movie opening this Friday staring Nicole Kidman and I encouraged listeners to NOT take their children to the movie and this is why:

The Golden Compass You may already know about this, but I just learned about a kids movie coming out in December starring Nicole Kidman. It's called The Golden Compass, and while it will be a watered down version, it is based on a series of children's books about killing God . Please follow this link, and then pass it on. From what I understand, the hope is to get alot of kids to see the movie - which won't seem too bad - and then get the parents to buy the books for their kids for Christmas. The quotes from the author sum it all up. http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp

Feelin Good

December is here, can you believe it? I'm almost 3 weeks post surgery, i've had several friends ask how i'm feeling and everytime it reminds me I need to update my blog! I finally have some time AND I remembered to do it! If you know me, I can be a bit forgetful.....I hate that. But what do you do? Get more sleep would probably be a good place to start! ha

Anyway, i'm feeling really good, still a little tired after a day at work, but that's fairly normal for the hours I keep.

My first fill is December 12th and I can't wait. Actually I'm anxious for my 2nd and 3rd fill. I have heard that many people who have had surgery don't really feel the restriction until about the 2nd or 3rd fill. Yeah, it's frustrating, we weren't really explained about this lapse of time where you expect to be full and not be able to eat as much, but it's not the case yet. I've gone from liquid foods to mushy foods now. Yes, I COULD eat pretty much anything, but don't because of healing. It's not easy tho, and i'm sure most of those who've had this surgery would agree, it's very tempting to eat whatever you want.

I can say that I'm not as hungry as I used to nor do I eat as much as I used to, but still am wanting to feel the full effects of the surgery, but that will come in time.

I'm working into my work out routine, at least my cardio workouts. I try and do 30 minutes a day and i'm up to 4 days a week and will be able to lift again in about 3 weeks.

Happy Holidays! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, email me anytime!
kerri@97kyck.com

Surgery was a success!

Well time sure flies! I think I say that alot, then again, I definitely "feel" it alot.

I'm a week out of surgery and I feel pretty good, still a bit tired tho. Surgery went great, of coarse all you remember is waking up in pain! Altru took wonderful care of me, especially Bertha, the night nurse who's been with Altru for about 17 years. She was such a wonderful care giver, not only to me, but to Dorothy my room-mate. At one point Dorthy's back was sore and Bertha took the time to massage her back! now that is a beautiful thing! Thank you Bertha!

I slept most of last week, thanks to some good pain medicine! My daughter and husband(that sounds so weird to say! ha) "husband". Wow! Anyway, her and I did a bit of running around, it did feel good to get out a bit! She's such a great help to me! Always love our time together! Thanks "sissy"! love you!

Monday was back to work, well, I made it about 6 hours, so about 11am I went home, slept from 11:30-3:30(didn't know I could sleep so much). Actually got a good walk in too, felt great to get out and exercise a bit!

I quit taking the pain meds Monday, have been having some headaches tho so Tylenol has been my friend! Other than that I feel great and am very excited to continue this "get healthy" journey! Biggest Loser is such an inspiration to me! Way to go Kae! and, of coarse, all the others!

Tomorrow is my dr apt. I'm excited to step on the scale! I'll keep you posted.

Have a very BLESSED and HAPPY Thanksgiving and think about all you are thankful for! There is so much!

Kerri

Can't stop eating

No, it's not that time of the month for me, I just can't seem to get a grip on eating this past week and half. I'm not eating like I used to, but seem to feel really hungry and just want to eat dang it! It's a good thing i'm in a regular excersise routine! Geez. I've still lost a couple pounds, mostly because I tell myself I have to work out that much harder. See, this is why I MUST have the surgery, people have asked me over and over. "Kerri, why not do it on your own"? you are doing really good! This is why, I just can't control my eating! Sure some weeks I can, but not others! Surgery is about a week away, a week from this Tuesday, November 6th! Little nervous, but very excited too!
How are you doing?

Take care and email me anytime! kerri@97kyck.com

Be happy, positive and remember you can do anything!

Getting closer and feeling a little nervous

Hi there,

Funny how we get impatient about events in our lives and all of a sudden those events come and go! Surgery is only 2 1/2 weeks away! The whole time i've not had any feelings of nervousness or second thoughts. As it gets closer, those feelings are changing, but just a little. I was talking to a friend who just had the surgery a week ago and she's having a hard time with food going in one end and coming out the other! It really is a huge lifestyle change, as I sit here drinking a diet coke, realizing after surgery I won't be able to drink pop. Toast, bread, pasta, raw veggies, nope! Not for many months anyway. You know tho, that's ok! I'm ok with it!

Today wasn't one of the best days I've had, in fact it started out very crappy and now as I sit here typing the desire to work out is slipping away. It's amazing how draining emotional stress/crying is. It's ok, i'm fine.....don't worry! I just get tired of my emotions and feelings getting trampled on.

My last class is Monday, the 29th. It's amazing how fast these last 3 months have gone! I am truely blessed to have been with a group of about 10 people that have made this journey alot of fun! And if you feel that the 3 months of classes required at Altru is too long, it's really not, you will learn SO much and make friends with some wonderful people! Go to one of their info classes! email me if you need more info: kerri@97kyck.com

"Either I will find a way, or I will make one."

Kerri

Natures Country Store

Hey, I just got done with a 15 day Thisilyn Cleanse digestive sweep and I feel it was very helpful! I noticed feeling less tired, refreshed and energized. I would recommend the 15 day sweep rather than the 7 day. Yeah, you get sick of taking pills day and night, but in the end it's well worth it! find more info here http://www.naturesway.com/NaturesWay/productDetail.aspx?productid=15409

If you have any questions, Kathy is wonderful and very knowledgeable about this and other vitamins and health foods. Call her at 701-772-8086 or 701-746-4499

Another product I highly recommend is the Whey Protein they have from NOW Foods
http://www.nowfoods.com/index.php?action=itemdetail&item_id=2795

Understand I have tried MANY protein mixes and this is by far the best tasting and the consistency is great! I can't stand gritty, thick protein shakes, YUCK!

Try this:
8 oz. Soy Milk(vanilla-low fat)
1/2 cup frozen fruit
1 container yogurt-fat free
Protein mix

I have a hand mixer, love it! Mix this up and you are set!

Enjoy the day and get some exercise in, even if it's only 10 minutes!

Kerri

Doing the Happy Dance

Got a call from the clinic today with my surgery date! YIPPY! November 13th is the day! I am very excited. I also lost 2 more pounds so my total weight loss is 19 pounds. Now, i've had some people ask me, "well Kerri, why don't you just keep going and NOT have surgery"? Well, because if you look at my life, you'll see that I've lost weight many times only to gain it back. Plus I really want to loose alot of weight and keep it off and feel this is an incredible tool to help me accomplish my weight loss goals!

Things were kinda crazy for me last week, had alot of work to do and ended up working late a few days, that always makes it tuff to get a work out in. I missed a work out Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I hate that.......it's too easy to continue down that path!

It is time to get on the air! Hope you are doing fabulous! i'm always here if you want to chat! Send me an email-kerri@97kyck.com

Take Care,
Kerri

Thoughts from this week

The price of SUPERSIZING.

It may be costing you more than you think!

If every day you eat 300 calories more than your body needs, you will gain 31 pounds in one year.

If twice a week you eat 300 calories more than your body needs, you will gain 9 pounds in one year.

Here is another way to think about it: If you ate 100 fewer calories each day, instead of gaining 10 pounds at the end of a year, you would be well on your way to losing 10 pounds.

Do yourself a favor and don't fall into the "bigger is better" and "super size" mindset. The few cents you save in your pocket is not worth the extra calories you put into your mouth.

There's no need to give up your favorite foods to manage your weight or improve your health. The biggest nutrition problem in America is not WHAT we eat-but HOW MUCH we eat. The key to healthful and delicious eating is to downsize your portions at breakfast, lunch, dinner and especially snack time.

Those are a few tips that stuck out for me this week, and they all are very helpful for me. I continue to do well with exercise but also struggle with my eating habits. And for me, it's quantity. I LOVE FOOD! I'm learning to cut back, but I still would like to be able to choose better foods. As much as I agree with the statement above I also believe you do need to be careful of what you eat.

I lost 2 pounds this week, total loss is 16 pounds. YEAH BABY!!!!!

I honestly have to say that i'm kinda burnt out on the treadmill and walking. My challange this week is doing other cardio that will fit into my schedule. Step aerobics is out as I can't fit class times into my day. I'll see what this week brings and be looking forward to sharing with you!

Have a great week and have confidence-true belief starts with YOU!

Kerri

Take time to enjoy the fall colors

Over the week end we closed up the cabin on Island Lake and I usually sit around and eat all week end and don't exercise. I took advantage of the gorgous weather and beautiful fall colors and got out and walked Saturday and Sunday! I even took the hard road, lots of hills. I got in 2 1/2 miles each day and it wasn't easy, man I can't wait to be healthier. All this walking/jogging/treadmill activity is taking a toll on my heels. I've had problems in the past and got cortizone shots in both heels. It really helped and I feel it's time to have it done as I don't want that to get in the way of the routine i'm developing. I hope that you are doing wonderful and remember YOU can do WHATEVER YOU set your mind to! If I can, you can!

Enjoy the fall, get out in the woods and enjoy nature!

Kerri

September 21, 2007

Yippee, it looks like like I do not have sleep apnea! No need for me to strap on a breathing machine. Altho, if I did have SA I would want this machine. I did have some Sleep Apnea but only while laying on my back, but most people do. The sleep study was much better than I thought. I didn't realize I would have my own room, with a big comfy queen size bed and a room all to myself! I think they hooked up about 8 wires to my head, my side, my face, chin, throat, ankles and two stretchy straps around my chest and waist. I'm just thankful they didn't shock me every hour like Denny said they would! The staff was wonderful! thank you.

Now that I'm over that hurdle, the only thing standing in my way of surgery is finishing the "New Start" program. I'll finish that up October 27th.

Gotta tell ya, it felt pretty good this morning when I went to put on a pair of shorts and I couldn't wear them because they were TOO BIG! It's always been the other way around!

This week has been a very crazy week for me and I haven't been as faithful with my exercise routine, and that bugs me! Which is good. I am actually off to work out now.

Kerri

"Thinking is easy but acting is difficult and to put one's thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world"

September 19, 2007

I had a terrible eating week, had a hard time controling my emotional eating. I gained a pound, bummer! I DID stick to my exercise routine tho, but as you know....they go hand in hand! I found out this week that I need to go thru a sleep study and finish the New Start program before I can have surgery. Yeah, I was bummed about it, but I know my medical will cover it! It's all good!
Tonight I have my sleep study and I hope I don't have sleep apnia! I'll keep you posted!

more to come, gotta run!

Kerri

September 11, 2007

Exercise makes all the difference! It's been the biggest challenge, fitting it in to my busy schedule, it's much easier to go home and take a nap! Getting up at 3:45am means I'm ready for a nap when work is over at 2-3pm. I've found that I MUST have my work out clothes in my car at all times! That way I can go straight to the gym after work. Even days when I plan to go home and walk on my treadmill, I change into my work out clothes at work. It may sound silly, but it's helped me get on the treadmill! Whatever works, just do it!

I'll have to admit, I've not been the best at eating the things I should be and not eating the things I shouldn't. One of the co-workers here brought in fresh bakery doughnuts a few times last week and as hard as I tried to not eat them, I did! BUT, usually I would eat 2 even 3, but I was able to just eat one.

Class was great this week as always. I was kinda worried I might have put on a pound or two. Boy was I surprised to see I lost 4 more pounds! For a total of 14! Yeah! I am very excited and motivated to keep up with the exercise and eating right. Eating right is definitely more of a challenge tho. I love food! Cravings- a good point was brought up by our leader last night. When you feel the need to eat something that maybe you shouldn't.....wait.....even for 5 or 10 minutes. Most of the time, you'll be OK with NOT eating it. I've noticed I've been doing that lately. This morning I felt so hungry at home and wanted to eat before I left for work because I love those frozen sausage/egg biscuits, but I didn't. Wasnt' easy tho. We also touched on eating out, this was great.......eat fewer or less menu items with these words: alfredo, bearnaise, flaky/crusty, hollandaise, tempura, deep fried, sauteed, crisp, breaded, basted, glazed, pan fried and au gratin. Wow, those are the foods I tend to want! Funny how that works!

Have a great week and remember- He who has begun his task is half way done. Have the courage to begin! I'm right there with you!

Kerri

September 5, 2007

I have to be honest, i've had a hard time eating right these past few days. I've been so hungry and haven't been doing the best at eating right and eating proper proportions! I spent Labor Day week end at Kick N Up Kountry in Thief River Falls, MN with several great friends and we had a blast! I did manage to get up early our first morning there and walk 2 miles, but that was the only day I did it. It was really hard to eat right, I didn't eat the best food, but I also didn't over eat!
So, today I had my first doctor apt. with my doctor who will perform Lap Band surgery. I actually had to sit down with him and his assistant and answer several questions and then it was up to them to decide if I was an ok candidate for the surgery. I am! Now I have to wait to find out if my insurance will approve the surgery! I think they will, but until I see it in writting, i'm not going to get too excited. I have lost 11 pounds now, 14 pounds is the number I need to reach to qualify for the surgery. I won't have a problem reaching that as I can't have surgery for at least 6 more weeks. They asked me how i've lost the weight so far and I explained to them that it's mostlly been exercise and smaller proportion sizes! The whole calorie counting and not allowing myself to eat the things I love doesn't work for me. You know what I mean?
I hope you are doing wonderful, thanks for taking the time to read my blog! What ever you are struggling with, remember that you CAN overcome! I have faith in you!
Kerri

August 28, 2007

Did you know 1 pound of fat equals 7 pounds of pressure on your knees and 10 pounds on your back? Never let yourself be depressed over a small weight loss. Last week was a little tuff and i'm surprised I lost 1 1/2 pounds. Week ends are always tuff, was up in Hibbing helping my daughter and husband build a new deck and of coarse it's "lets order pizza"! I did eat less than I normally do, but still could have done a bit better.
We talked about emotional based eating this week and for me it was hard to pin point if I am an emotional eater. Think about it tho, How often do you eat when you're angry? depressed? bored? happy? nervous? See if you can pay closer attention. For me, even tho it's hard to believe I could be bored, but I am totally a "bored eater". Workin on gettin over that. Identify substitues for eating that you can use to deal with emotions.
Guidelines To Focus Your Attention On Eating:
1. Eat in ful lview of your friends, partner, children, colleagues.
2. Eat when you are sitting down. Foods eaten when standing are usually the ones that you won't eat sitting down.
3. Eat without distractions such as radio, TV, newspaper, books or loud music.
4. When you eat, avoid emotional conversations. WHen you are emotional or tense, you eat the feelings along with the food.
As far as caring for your body, make sure you do some daily stretches. Wow, it's been awhile for me and what a difference it makes. Stretching feels so good! I hope you are doing well and remember email me anytime if you have a question or just want to say hi.
kerri@97kyck.com
Have a great week!
Kerri

August 21, 2007

Week ends are always tuff to get thru without piggin out! Saturday was bad for me, Sunday was better. My daughter Savanna and I worked out together at Center Court. She's only 9 and had never been in a gym before, she loved it! If you're able to work out with your son or daughter I encourage you to do that!
I lost 3 pounds this week, I credit exercise to the loss. I ate much better this week, but the exercise was great! Man it's hard to get in the routine of it, but once you do it feels WONDERFUL!
All I wanted to do was eat yesterday, I brought that up at our meeting and Sue's advice was to be aware of hunger and if I was really hungry or just bored. And be sure you are getting enough protein. It's not easy to find things to do when you are tempted to eat, but if at all possible, do it! Out of the list of 33 things to do when you're tempted to eat list, these will probably help me the most. NAP, HA HA, WORK ON CRAFTS, CLEAN THE HOUSE, USE A SUPPORT PERSON, EXERCISE. Those will be the most helpful for me.
Advice for you this week, watch your labels, know what is in stuff and be mindful of your portion sizes! AND, drink water!
Check out this activity calorie counter HERE
Have a great week!
Kerri
kerri@97kyck.com

August 14, 2007

If you have been struggling with an addiction, whether it's overeating, smoking, drinking, etc. Only you can make the decision to change! I hope that you can find what it takes to motivate you to break your addiction. For me, the decision to have Lap Band Surgery was it, along with being so fat and out of shape. If I can encourage you in anyway, that would be awesome! email me anytime! kerri@97kyck.com
Our focus in class this week was the importance of breakfast, if you are NOT a breakfast person, you need to be! It's a must to get your metabloism going! Another topic: MEAL PLAN. Yeah, something I don't do and don't want to do, but I also understand the benefits of this as I am a very busy person and don't have time to cook. This will be a huge goal for me to achieve, if I can do it, so can you! AND: exercise, even if you walk in spurts, 10 minutes 3 times a day is great!
I lost 4 pounds! yeah! my pre surgery weight loss has to be 14 pounds or more, any less come November 1st will result in NO SURGERY!
GO-GO-GO!!!!!!

Tuesday August 7, 2007

Today is the first day of my weight loss/get healthy Journey. I can't go on a diet, this WILL BE a lifestyle change. I have struggled with my weight for my entire life. I remember being made fun of in high school and to this day haven't been able to loose the weight and keep it off. I did the Phen/Fen thing, Weight Watchers, Calorie Counting, etc but couldn't seem to keep it off. I am at my highest weight in my life, 294 pounds and it sucks! It got worse 4 years ago when I got back into radio full time doing mornings. There's something about getting up at 3:30am and not getting to bed until 10 or 11pm that messes with your brain. (insert a joke here if you'd like! LOL)
I've found it very difficult to have the energy to work out and exercise, even tho I love to do it! I am all too familuar with Step Aerobics, Water Aerobics, Free Weights, Cardio, I just haven't had the energy to put it in motion. Add to that the lack of energy to cook a meal, ha...forget it!
I have always loved photography and for the most part haven't had a problem with actually being IN a picture(i'm usually behind the camera), unttil the last year. I can't stand to even look at myself in a full length mirror. How depressing. I've thoguht about Lap Band Surgery for a couple years but didn't have the medical coverage until recently. Nor did I have the time to follow thru with the 12 week program prior to surgery.
I can't even walk a flight of stairs without running out of breath. Man that's hard to swallow. This has to stop, I want to live to see my youngest daughter grow up, I want to live a healthy life and now i'm doing something about it. Let me tell you, it is NOT going to be easy, for me, it's more than changing my terrible eating habits. It's a complete lifestyle, one I want to change for the rest of my life. I don't want to be fat anymore, I don't want to be tired all the time, I want to look and feel great! Don't you? I hope that this blog can help motivate you as well as myself and I am truely thankful I have the opportunity to share my journey with you! Never hesitate to contact me- kerri@97kyck.com
My Personal Goal: size 14 by this time next year, August 7, 2008! That would be 8 sizes smaller than I am today.