Erin Akey
Erin Akey
Erin Akey spent most of her life overweight. She grew up in a traditional New Orleans family where love was expressed through cooking and eating big family meals. Learning to be a great cook came from that family, but also brought with it some bad eating habits that could have lasted a lifetime. Even as a child, Erin remembers having to shop in the Husky department for her clothes. To her, a regular P.E. class was a dreaded event.
As a teenager, her weight issues got worse as did her self-esteem. By the time she was 30 years old, Erin was the mother of three boys and was also morbidly obese. With the birth of each child, Erin added more weight to her six- foot- tall frame and also added more stress to her inactive body. An activity as simple as a walk around the block would leave her breathless.
In 2005, Erin’s life changed dramatically when she lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. At that time she resided in Bay St. Louis, MS and has written a book, After the Rain , detailing her experiences. Erin and her boys found a renewed chance at life when she transferred to Mobile, AL and met and married her husband Ben. With the man of her dreams and their children, Erin and Ben founded a hurricane relief charity, Eyeofthestormrelief.org , and life was almost perfect.
One thing was still missing in her life – control over her weight. Erin decided she owed it to herself and her family to address this issue. She had tried every known diet and could always lose 30-40 pounds, only to regain the weight and then some. Every failed attempt at weight loss left Erin feeling like a failure. She knew that the body is supposed to be a temple, but hers was being treated like a garbage dump.
In the fall of 2008, after much research and discussion with her primary care physician, she and her husband made the decision for Erin to have gastric bypass surgery. On January 14, 2009, her new life began. Four hours after surgery, Erin got up and began walking in the hospital halls and never looked back. She read everything she could get her hands on and was determined to make the most of this gift. As soon as she was released by her surgeon, six weeks later, Erin began working out regularly and started a walking program.
She and her husband developed great-tasting recipes with the nutritional needs of a bariatric patient in mind. Erin shared these with those in her bariatric support group. She quickly discovered that she loved helping and working with others in her situation. After losing more than 130 pounds, Erin set out on a mission. She decided to become a runner. One of her friends persuaded her to join a running group and, after a few weeks, she knew she loved the sport.
Within three months, Erin did her first 5K with her husband by her side. They then decided to train for a half-marathon; and in January of 2011, Ben and Erin Akey completed the Walt Disney World Half-Marathon. This brought Erin full-circle in her journey and solidified her desire to work with others and help them achieve their dreams.
Erin and Ben Akey founded their company, The Bariatric Guru, in an effort to help others gong through the journey of permanent success after weight loss surgery. Their educational series, The Bariatric Breakthrough Challenge, will be travelling to 25 cities across America in the next year.
Erin is a member of the Obesity Action Coalition and The Weight Loss Surgery Foundation of America. She hosts a weekly radio show about health, nutrition, and life after bariatric surgery called “Fit Living with Erin Akey” on 106.5 FM. The show airs on Sundays from noon-1pm central time and is also streamed live on the station’s website FM Talk 106.5. Erin is the author of After the Rain , as well as the soon-to-be-released What Does it Take?…..My Bariatric Journey to Health and Fitness. She lives in Mobile, AL with her husband Ben and their children.
Erin Akey FNC, LWMS
Founder- The Bariatric Guru
Yes you CAN beat obesity forever! Yes you CAN be a Bariatric Guru!
erin@bariatricguru.com
251-366-2631
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