Thank You for responding to my invitation to tell us your views on my blog.
I am responding to the invitation that was on your blog….
First, let me say…last night was the first time I have ever been on WordPress. I really didn’t realize how the site was set up. I didn’t realize that I was in a private blog and not a “forum”. So I apologize for in essence, taking your blog hostage today. I was intending to respond to some things that I read, but not necessarily in a personal blog.
Second, thank you for the opportunity to speak my mind on the subject.
Third, Amy, you my friend….if anyone insulted your status as a Stay At Home Mom…let me be the first to say…I’m sorry. That is the single most important job of a mother…to mother her children. I am jealous of those who can stay at home. I have a lot of friends who are stay at home moms. As a working mom, (who had no choice), I think our kids would be much better, if it was the “olden” days and mom was home with the kids and Dad was bringing home the bacon. (Old fashioned yes…truthful yes).
A little about Dee….(background so to speak). Yes, I am a real person with real feelings. I have been overweight my entire life. I have tried other things, including a plain old low carb diet, Adkins, South Beach, WW and LAPBAND surgery. My LAPBAND failed after losing only 20 lbs and had to be removed. I could never reconcile gastric bypass in my mind. So in December of 2006, when the BAND was removed, I literally thought my life was over. In fact, I wanted life to be over. I couldn’t even succeed after spending $17,000 of my own hard earned dollars on a LAPBAND–I’m just the average working stiff and really didn’t have that kind of money. I couldn’t even keep that 20 lbs off. So by the time I read the WW article about KK, I was at the lowest point I could possibly be. Could I raise enough money for the bypass…no. But at that point, I would have done it. I didn’t believe in it. But I had absolutely NO HOPE. None……
When I read about KK–I realized that the “diet” was very similar to what I was told to eat with the LAPBAND. It mirrored, what I had to eat with the LAPBAND–the band doesn’t tolerate many carbs, it can get clogged, etc. So I logged on. I had a “flicker” of hope. It was a small “flicker”, but it was a “flicker”. And, you know what I did from there.
Over the months, that “flicker” turned into a “spark”, then a small fire. The pounds started dropping and my hope and confidence started climbing.
Fast forward—the controversy. I read and I listend. I researched. I talked to my WLS surgeon and my family doctor. My focus was on the plan…not what Heidi (Kimmers) did, may have done, was accused of doing…etc. Quite frankly, after reading and listening…I came to the conclusion that I am not the judge or jury on that one. It will be decided in a court of law. But, I did think…what if the worst case scenario, she was the person that she was accused of being. How did that affect me? It didn’t. At that point, I had no contact with her whatso ever. I even responded to the BBB complaints, because here is what I believe….in ever business…internet based or not….you will have folks who may handle business matters in a manner that we don’t agree with. I don’t know if she did or didn’t…like I said, that’s for a judge and/or jury to decide. What I do know is that I paid $60 for a membership to a site. The site delivered what I needed. I have been promised something by EVERYONE in the weight loss industry. They can help. I have been lied too….How many pills promised me results….when I got the bottle home…the promised results (in small print) with a diet and exercise program. Well, heck…if it was as easy as diet and exercise…I’d have done it a long time ago. My focus was….is this working for you, can you do it, how do you feel. The answer was yes, yes, yes.
Then I considered the side effects….hair loss, muscle loss, etc. Well, that’s a side effect of most every weight loss program, when you are losing the amount of weight that I am trying to lose. It was a side effect of WLS—I knew that I needed to work out. I knew that I needed to be mindful of vitamins, etc. And that’s what I did. I got so interested that I ordered study material to become a personal trainer and I will be testing for that in June.
I undertsood when people left the program…I was approached by one and asked to “join” another site for a small fee. That made me question motives. Some I believe truly left because of their concerns about health. But some…well, I don’t believe that everyone had the same agenda, even though many used the same “cloak”.
I do respectfully disagree, that if that site is going to crash and burn, it can do it on it’s own. The people who are there, will either be successful and feel good or they won’t. It’s no one’s job to educate everyone with their PERCEPTION of the program. That is truly still a controversy that even the medical community does not agree on. So individuals need to be responsible for their own choices…the word is out there to be found without sabotaging the site. And, if there is such a passion to “save’ folks, many more folks can be saved for other great causes.
For me…..I use to be on all kinds of drugs for diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and depression. I take nothing now. My blood sugar levels are perfect as is my blood pressure and cholesterol. Amazingly enough, when I started feeling good about myself, the depression lifted. And, I learned to deal with life.
I’m sorry, I didn’t want to mention names here, but I will…….no…I won’t…But some of the folks posting in your blog are involved.
The first one….a few weeks ago…..I was in chat….and someone that I really admired. Someone who had lost a considerable amount of weight and had talked to me about it, came into chat and blasted the program with a link to the Mike & Juliet show….she acted like she had never seen it before, when in fact, she had and we had discussed it and she dismissed it because the program was working for her. Our only response was “old news” and she left…only to never be heard from again at KK. I even emailed her and said that I missed her….no response.
Second, I came to the site one night looking for support. It was late at night and I was having a rough spot because of a personal relationship. When I am feeling blue, I like reading posts from all the positive folks that I have met there. What I found was someone hi-jacking every post in every thread, including my personal journal. So…when I was low, the people who I had always admired and looked to for support basically dumped right in my lap. Did I take it personal…you bet I did. This was my site for support. If it’s not for you…great….I encourage everyone to find what is best for them..we all need that. Was this person considering my needs. Heck no….they had something to spout out not caring who got hurt in the collaterol damage…not considering someone who was just there to find some serenity.
Finally, another…who had lost a considerable amount of weight is quoted out here as well. She and I emailed within the past couple weeks. I was on some threads with her. She was inspiring, a beautiful person inside and out. I really enjoyed chatting with her. Then…BAM, she is out here slamming the program. But…she has been in chat since then…so, I may have sent her an email telling her how disappointed I was before I had the facts. If I did, I’m sorry. But her words are out here and what she was telling me was that she was getting pressure from the “outside”.
If someone felt like KK was not for them…I have never done anything but encourage them to find what works and find the support that they need. It’s not for everyone and I know it. Am I perfect? Far from. I have posted some things that I am not proud of. I get to the end of my ropes with folks sometimes for different reasons and more often than not….not related to KK. Everyone is looking for the easy way out or the quick fix. That doesn’t exist. But if you read my journal, you will see, there has been nothing easy or quick about this for me. I have had to face some real demons and journaling has helped.
What I believe….this is the program that works for me. It has saved my life. If someone made $60 along the way….great. I’ll give you $60 any day of the week for my life. Heck…I’ll give you $60 along the way for anyone’s life.
I believe that there are people who are “haters” on both sides. I believe that tempers have flared on both sides. I believe that people have acted inappropriately on both sides. But…I’m not the judge of that. I can only judge my own actions and I can only chose what’s best for me.
The only reason that I looked outside the site this time for answers as to who is doing what to whom is because people keep coming back into the site and trying to undermine it. If they are successful….have they saved my life. Absolutely not. In fact, it will back track me and I can only hope that it won’t send me all the way back. So…if the person that keeps saying that she wants to “save” just one life, destroys another (mine), has she really succeeded. I guess maybe if the other life is worth more than mine.
I was proud to be on the Front Page of Kimmers. I am proud of my progress. and you know what…for all the successes that I have enjoyed in life…this was my most proud moment. I have shared it with others, including a person of interest..who had never seen my before. I shared it with him, because I was proud. Do you know that when I saw those pictures side by side…that was the first time…I realized that I’m doing it. I saw the movement on the scale, but never really gave myself credit for the results. Then…I saw those pictures side by side….and I’m doing it. and I’m proud of it. And, I wasn’t ashamed to share it with a man who wouldn’t have given that girl in the Thanksgiving Day Race the time of day. I’m not the same person and it’s thanks to KK.
Someone even posted about “changes” in the program. Yes, every diet program changes as it ages. Look at the Weight Watchers diet of the 1960’s and that of 2008. They aren’t even close to the same. I would imagine that they are always looking for ways to improve every program out there.
I support ANYONE on ANY weight loss journey. My hope would be that others respect my decision for me and do the same. I didn’t so much feel respected with the hi-jacking of my home site.
Finally, I would end this with..the reason I signed my full name, age and hometown was because of the comments. If you go on any site out there, there are multiple folks that for multiple reasons…some maybe good…some may be bad…use different screen names or even change their screen name. Just spend a little time on MYSPACE and FACEBOOK. Anywhere that I met people on the internet, I look at it the same way that I did when my daughter was a teenager and I let her sign on. I really don’t know who they are unless I have met them. I chat with them. If we click we click and if we don’t, we don’t.
As for the lawsuit…which I have no real personal knowledge of….I would only say…I work in Litigation across the country. All of our courtrooms are clogged with cases. Cases of true trauma and despair are being delayed because of frivilous lawsuits. In my humble opinion, this one falls in that category. I see children that have been mauled by dogs, kids that have lost parents in auto accidents, and parent who have lost children.. And, if the soul purpose is to keep someone from having a “smug” look on their face. It’s taking court room time and resources away from folks that need to have cases heard. I have lost a lot of money and relationships to people who still have smug looks on their faces. In the end of these kind of suits, the only ones that don’t end up with smug looks on their faces, are the attorneys, who are smiling all the way to the bank. In all honesty…let’s assume that Heidi did everything that she is accused of (remember there are two sides–normally the truth lies somewhere in the middle). But if she did everything. What will be enough? She has apologized. (What was in her heart when she apologized is on her….what is in everyone elses heart–is on them–only the man upstairs knows for sure.) I believe that refunds were given if requested. What….blood? Because no individual will see a penny, even if there is a civil verdict against her…the attorneys and expenses will consume it all. That’s how it works.
That’s the honest Dee. That’s all I am….someone who is working her way through this weight loss journey and finally, FINALLY, being successful. I’m just a working stiff. Just a person. Just a mother, Just a grandmother. Just DEE.
I guess, I’ve said all I can say…it’s not a plea for anyone to believe in KK or return. It’s just a request for respect of the website that I am proud to call home. If there is an error in my choice…it will be revealed to me. But, not by anyone disrespecting me and my choice, it will be by my own experience.
Thanks for giving me the chance to say what I needed to say.
Guess there’s really no need for me to return to the blog, because I want to respect your decision, just like I have asked that you respect mine.
Good Luck on your weight loss journeys….because we all deserve it.
Dee (no need to post it all–you know who I am….LOL)
I went to the herb store and talked to Doctor who works there. He also does many studies on the latest in herbs and so on.
Try not to be affected too much by the drama and focus on, and trust what you feel is best , and works best for you.
