From Obesity to Obesity Platform
December 18, 2013After WLS Success...Kearsten's Fight Against Obesity Continues On
Although always a very active child, Kearsten Weeks had been fighting obesity all of her life. Having been surrounded by family members who were also morbidly obese, she was basically given a free "all you can eat" pass. It was only when she became seriously ill and diagnosed with several diseases that she decided to take control of what she was capable of when it came to her health. Weighing 260 pounds at 5'3", Kearsten underwent weight loss surgery in February 2011. Thanks to the skills of Dr. Ross McMahon and her own hard work, she has lost 140 pounds!
With weight loss comes many new and exciting things but Kearsten never dreamed she would be crowned Mrs. Wenatchee and and now be competing for the title of Mrs. Washington. But that is just what has happened. Now she is taking her life experience to the stage making her platform for the competition on Obesity Advocacy. OH recently had the opportunity to interview Kearsten and we are excited to share her inspiring story with you!
"I will stand on a stage this January for all who can’t."-Kearsten Weeks
OH: Were you overweight as a child and teenager? Share any personal emotions and experiences you may have had.
Kearsten: I have been heavy all my life. Even playing competitive soccer starting at age 5, I was still chunky. I was always picked on for one reason or another but always felt it was related to my weight. I saw my friends have boyfriends starting in junior high but not me. In high school, I continued to be the heaviest amongst my twiggy group of friends. Junior year I tried out for our popular performance drill team at a size 13. The try outs were three days long and I made it to the final day. I was sure I made the team based on feedback I was getting. Name after name after name was called and there two of us sit. My name wasn’t called last. I wasn’t called at all. I had other team members say I was better than some previous members but yet my name wasn’t called. Not only was my name not called, the captains in charge made me sit there waiting and waiting until I was out on the gym floor alone, for all to see, singled out at the very end as the only one left standing. Believe it or not, I dismissed the humiliation by my senior year and tried out for cheerleading mascot. The same days went by and the final day came. Nervous of the outcome I was glad to hear we’d see names under tryout type vs. calling name by name. The roster was posted. I ran with another friend in toe to see if my name was there this time. I scrolled the list and there it was my name, Kearsten – Varsity Mascot.
I spent two hours a day that entire summer at practice along with working full-time and enjoying my final summer before school. The “skinniest” I got was that summer at a 9/10.
OH: If you consider yourself an emotional eater, what were/are some of your triggers?
Kearsten: I don’t classify myself as an emotional eater. I would say I am a “by habit” eater. From as far back as I remember I was never taught proper habits related to food. I was expected to eat what was served, clean my plate and have desert immediately after dishes were washed. I formed a learned behavior from family and only knew to enjoy the “bad” foods and was allowed to consume them in any quantity I deemed fit. I would also fall under being a social eater. Our family events centered on meals. Even if I wasn’t hungry, it wasn’t polite not to eat.
OH: Does obesity run in your family?
Kearsten: Yes! Yes! A thousand times YES! Both my father’s and mother’s sides struggle with obesity and obesity related diseases. Several generations deep with many relatives well over 400 pounds or more.
OH: What prompted you to seek weight loss surgery (WLS) and did you have any fears about having the surgery?
Kearsten: In September of 2007, I started an ear infection that never seemed to end. By January 2008, my primary doctor placed me on disability. I continued to get sicker and sicker. Several specialists did a multitude of testing with no concrete reason for my declining health. Although the doctors knew being overweight wasn’t the primary reason for me sleeping 20 plus hours a day and being too fatigued to walk from my bed to bathroom and back, they always started a conversation with, “If you weren’t overweight…” I decided in the fall of 2010, I would control what I was capable of, related to my health. Weight was hopefully controllable. Plus I wanted to lose weight to show the doctors it would no longer be a factor when trying to diagnose me. I was ultimately diagnosed with Lupus, Fibromyalgia & Degenerative Joint Disease along with a few other secondary diagnoses.
OH: Did you share with other family members and friends that you were going to have WLS? If so, were they all supportive or did some try to talk you out of the surgery?
Kearsten: I shared with immediate family and very close friends but personally told them. I did not “advertise” on social media that I was having WLS. Although family was supportive, I did get a lot of push back. Most could not understand why I was taking such “desperate measures” to lose weight. They would slip discouraging innuendo into most conversations or ask a lot of irritating questions to proclaim a hidden agenda. What they failed to understand was I didn’t want to end up like them. Most family between 50-90 years old, were themselves obese. I have watched them yo-yo diet and weight fluctuate my entire life. I knew I needed to end the obesity cycle within my own family dynamic so my three kids never had the same battles. The biggest regret related to sharing my WLS was not documenting progress. I too was a tad scared I’d fail like so many times before so I kept my progress to myself. No one saw documentation until I had lost most of my weight.
OH: Any advice you would give to those considering surgery?
Kearsten: Make sure you are seeking a provider offering full program support. It is also important that your surgeon is able to perform the surgery that is right for you. Losing the weight with WLS is the “easy” part. Keeping it off the rest of your life is the challenge. Will your provider be there in 20 years when you have a question? Be honest with your provider about your complete health issues so they can collaborate with you. Follow their plan for you for ultimate success.
OH: Any post-op tips to share?
Kearsten: Follow the plan your program team gives you. Your new “tool” is only as good as what you put in it and how you use it. Never miss a vitamin or supplement! It is imperative you treat your new stomach like a Lamborghini engine vs. a garbage disposal.
OH: What are you most grateful for after having lost so much weight?
Kearsten: Having my children see my struggles with obesity and me overcoming it. I am grateful they are now educated and informed about proper nutrition and exercise. I ended the obesity cycle with me and I am not passing it to another generation.
OH: Did you have any funny post-op moments?
Kearsten: Apparently my “protein farts” clear a room. My husband told me one night my farts smell so bad that he and the dog had to leave the room. I’ll trade stinky farts over obesity any day!
OH: Tell us about some of your WOW moments.
Kearsten: Having people contact me from all over the world asking what my “secrets to success are”
- Having a size 8 as a goal (not a weight) and going from size 12 to 6 in a short time surpassing my ‘goal’
- Staring in two commercials for Swedish Weight Loss Services and seeing it for the first time during the Biggest Loser
- Putting my high school prom dress on and having it be too big and having my youngest son and I both fit in my wedding dress with room to spare
OH: What was the most difficult part of your weight loss journey?
Kearsten: Feeling the need to defend my choice to have WLS and that it is in no way the “easy way out”. My favorite new reply is, “Some say I took “the easy way out” or “cheated” at weight loss because I had Gastric Surgery, but in truth, the ‘only’ thing I cheated was death! So get your facts straight!”
OH: Tell us about your experiences being Mrs. Wenatchee and in running for Mrs. Washington? I understand that your platform is Obesity Awareness. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Kearsten: Earlier this year I was trying to figure out a way to share my story in hopes of reaching more in need and I won a contest to be a “real woman model” during the Northwest Women’s Show in Seattle. I was treated to a makeover and appearance in the fashion show. During my backstage time I observed how well the actual models carried themselves. After a conversation or two I learned most of the models were former Mrs. Washington America contestants or winners. In March (2013) I was crowned Mrs. Wenatchee and became a contestant in the Mrs. Washington America (2014) Pageant. I will stand on a stage this January for all who can’t. My message of ending the obesity cycle within this generation so the next doesn’t suffer will be delivered in January. I will compete in interview (50%), evening gown (25%) and yes, the dreaded bathing suit (25%).
OH: What are some of the most memorable moments of your life?
Kearsten: I am honestly the girl next door who lived in the same house most my life while growing up in a small town in Northern California. Went through school with the same kids from K-12 grades and had a typical childhood. I am an only child of divorced parents but gained step brothers and sisters through marriage who most assume are biologically related. I married my husband in 1997 and we started a family ending with three vibrant boys within a total of five years. I thought I would live my entire life blocks from known family & friends but in 2005, my husband’s employer moved us to Washington State. The summer of 2006, our family experienced a major tragedy in which we lost five extended family members at once. The intense stress of the event along with the aftershock impacted me to the core. This was not the sole trigger for increased health issues but it definitely added to it. I also have special needs children ranging from ADHD to Asperger’s. We are a tight-knitted very scheduled and routine driven family. We love to travel, see and experience new things. Since my surgery (2/28/11) there has been so much interest in my success, I created Weeks On Wellness, playing off our last name.
OH: Who has been most supportive to you throughout your weight loss journey? Anyone you would like to say thank you to?
Kearsten: My husband and three sons have been my biggest cheerleaders during my journey. I want to thank everyone who believes in me because I know if I can do it, you can too.
OH: What are your thoughts about the epidemic of childhood obesity? Continued adult obesity?
Kearsten: We live in a drive -thru video-game society. In addition, the less expensive more convenient foods tend to be higher in non-beneficial calories, bad carbs and lots of sugar. We went away from eating farm fresh to eating fast food along with sitting most of our school and work hours. Without developing healthier habits as adolescence, I feel by the time we reach adulthood it will be much harder to adapt let alone completely change our preferred way of eating. Plus forget exercise if you’ve sat on a couch constantly watching television or playing games. The combination is literally deadly.
OH: What do you consider most important in the effort to overcome obesity and the related illnesses?
Kearsten: Having medically supervised programs available to the masses at little or no costs and to have support services to assist in any adaptions as they present. As long as top-roman is .25 cents a pack and fresh produce is $3-5 a serving, we’re doomed as a society.
OH: Can you share with us more about Weeks on Wellness and being an Internationally Certified Bariatric Coach & Motivational Speaker.
Kearsten: As early as my 100-day postoperative follow up appointment, I was asked what “my secret to success” was. I then started volunteering to be the “after” patient testimonial at preliminary seminars my bariatric program offered. From there more and more potential patients and postoperative patients were contacting me. Hearing my story was inspirational to others; I created a Facebook page about my journey and named it “Weeks On Wellness”
The need to help others continued to organically grow. After researching more about successful long-term bariatric support, I discovered besides parts of comprehensive programs, there were not a lot of resources available. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I found becoming licensed under BSCI (Bariatric Support Centers International) would offer my ability to deliver core curriculum, offer personal coaching services and aid in full cycle support to Bariatric Programs worldwide.
I have also been sharing my story of successful WLS with other bariatric programs, within seminars, to new and current patients, patient personal supporters and bariatric professionals. I want to inspire others and have an opportunity to share my story with those struggling with obesity. It can be a lonely place since obese individuals are still plagued with discrimination in our society. My main goal is to offer hope. If I can do it, they can too!
Stop by Kearsten's OH profile and congratulate her on her WLS success! Click here.
