Kim Bensen Talks About Losing Weight

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Kim Bensen, author of Finally fit, talks about how she struggled with her weight throughout her life.

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Kim Bensen Talks About Losing Weight   Diet tips   Finally Thin   Kim Bensen   losing weight   losing weight problems   losing weight tips   Parents TV   ParentsTVKim Bensen Talks About Losing Weight   

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Juli Auclair: If you've ever struggled with your weight, trying one diet after another and feeling completely frustrated, you will be truly inspired by this story. She lost 212 pounds and 14 dress sizes and has kept off the weight for 5 years. Kim Bensen is sharing her success story in her new book, Finally Thin, and she's here today to tell us how she did it. So glad to have you in the studio. Kim Bensen: Thanks. It's really good to be here. It's like a dream come true for me. Juli Auclair: Your story is so inspiring and you say in your book that your weight problems really started when you were a little girl. First starting Weight Watchers when you were 9 years old. Kim Bensen: I know. I remember that day. My mom said would you like to try something new? A new way of eating and I was like, Sure. Juli Auclair: And then it continued, though. You dieted, it worked at times but by the age of 40, you were 350 pounds and you said life continued to be extremely difficult. Tell us about some of those painful times, what you remember. Kim Bensen: Well, some of the things I remember the most clearly, one of them was we were flying to Europe and we were sitting in a seat, my husband and I, and fortunately, the arm of the seat moved up because I was half into his seat, but the problem was I couldn't get the seatbelt to go around me and I didn't know about seatbelt extenders and I didn't want them to kick me out of the flight. I was really panicked. So, I had, of course, stretch waist pants that were the outfit, the uniform I wore everywhere, and they were the only thing that fit and I tucked the end of the seatbelt into my waist and hope to goodness she wouldn't asked me. Juli Auclair: Would notice. Kim Bensen: Yes. Juli Auclair: Speaking of stretch waists, you have these. Kim Bensen: I know. Oh. Juli Auclair: These were when you were at your biggest? Kim Bensen: These were at my biggest and they were the highest size in the store and I remember thinking, I knew I was still gaining daily. What am I going to do next? What's next for me, but this is about two months before I started my diet the last time, so. Juli Auclair: And you keep them as a constant reminder of the struggle-- Kim Bensen: I do. Juli Auclair: And what it was like for you. Was it difficult to write about some of the painful memories because you really were sort of re-living it? Kim Bensen: It wasn't difficult. It was very cathartic but right at the end, somebody offered to proofread my book. I wasn't thinking ahead and they offered to proofread my book and I said, Oh, no, then you'd know all the awful things, because it's a very honest book. Juli Auclair: Uh huh. Kim Bensen: There are some hard things in there and it didn't occur to me other people were, I mean, I know it sounds really dumb, but Mark said, You know, Kim, Random House has paid you to write a book and I think that they want more people than just you and I to buy-- Juli Auclair: You have to get over it. Kim Bensen: You've got to get over it. What do you want? Juli Auclair: So when people do read it, what do you hope they take away? Kim Bensen: I hope the whole reason I did this, I want people to know that it doesn't matter how long you've struggled, it doesn't matter how old you are, how much you weigh, you can still grab it and turn it completely around. There's always hope. You got to keep trying. Juli Auclair: You do have to keep trying and that's what you say throughout the book and it's not a weight loss program. Kim Bensen: No. Juli Auclair: It's actually a motivational book that's broken up into three sections. Tell everybody how it works. Kim Bensen: Well, the first section of the book is my story and I hope that that motivates people and encourages them. I wanted them to know that I knew what it was like to be grossly obese, morbidly obese. Three hundred fifty pounds. But, you know what, today, I still struggle, you know, I work at it and I struggle with those five pounds, I know what's it like to try to live on maintenance, too. Juli Auclair: So the first step work. Kim Bensen: It is. You know, you've got to pay attention or you get the yo-yo. Juli Auclair: Uh huh. Kim Bensen: It's one or the other. So, the first section is my story. The second section is ten steps on what I did different this time which was the number question everybody asked me and then the last section is some great recipes that I wrote when I was losing my weight. Juli Auclair: So let's talk about what you did different because you say you were like a junkie addicted to food but in October 2001, everything changed. Why then, how, what did you do? Kim Bensen: Well, it was a lifelong never stopping. I was always trying. I was always trying again but it wouldn't go along and then that inevitable fall of the diet and everything. So, a lot of people think that I was just like a so strong and had so much self control and I was ready to go again and that couldn't be further from the truth. I was broken. I was on my knees, crying out to God and I knew I was eating myself to death, and, you know what, I stood up from praying that day, and the thing that I was given was the courage to try again. To try one more time and I put everything I had in me into it. Juli Auclair: And how long did it take you to reach your goal weight and tell us what that moment was like 'cause it had to be incredible. Kim Bensen: It's still incredible. I feel like Cinderella when I wake up every morning and slip into a pair of jeans. It was an amazing moment. My sister had flown out from Minnesota. My grandparents have driven down from Maine. Everybody took off work and they all went to my Weight Watchers meeting with me, and it took me two years to lose it and we all went on that final day and-- Juli Auclair: And you weighed less than you thought you were going to weigh. Kim Bensen: I did. I got on the scale. My scale had broken and I was getting like really obsessed and weighing myself all the time and my scale had broken and I didn't weigh myself and I had no idea how much I weighed and I went there that morning and they were playing music and there was flowers and there were people taking pictures. It was just-- it was so amazing. I just-- Juli Auclair: And you want to just hold on to that. Well, you look absolutely fantastic. Your story is motivational, inspirational. I'm so glad you came in. Kim Bensen: Thank you so much. Juli Auclair: Thanks for sharing it, and for more great advice, stories, and recipes, you can pick up a copy of Kim's book at bookstores now. You've got to do it. And coming up, Kim is going to show us how to make one of her delicious recipes from her new book so stay with us. Female Speaker: You're watching Parents TV. E-mail us at ideas@parents.tv. Kim Bensen: Welcome back. I have two little friends joining me right now and my second; actually, they're my sons. My second grader, Andrew, and my fourth grader, Allen, and we have a pop quiz for you. What is the recommended number of fruits and vegetables our children should be eating each day? Well, if you answered five, you're absolutely right and, believe it or not, this is something that even your really young children can grasp and understand. Here's a fun tool that I've used with each of my boys to help them get the five-a-day concept. This is an 8-1/2 X 11 that's downloadable from my website, kimbensen.com, and when you print it out, you can laminate it or not laminate it, but we've laminated some of our pieces and Andrew's working on them right now. You cut them out, right? Andrew: Yep. Kim Bensen: And what are you busy doing right now? Andrew: Sticking the magnets on the back. Kim Bensen: And they're magnetic and we're going to stick them on our refrigerator and each child can have his own fruit basket, put his name on it, and then every time Andrew eats a fruit or a vegetable, what do you do, Andrew? Andrew: Put it in the basket. Kim Bensen: Put it in the basket. Stick it right on the refrigerator. Well, that's great if your little guys love their broccoli and they long for their complots, you're all set, but what if they don't like anything? I have four children and three of them have no problem with getting in their five-a-day, and then, there's Allen, right, Allen? I mean, Andrew's favorite snack is ranch dip mix and carrots but Allen doesn't really enjoy fruits and vegetables at all. But now there's times when Allen knows he just has to eat what he has to eat but it's really nice to try to make free eating a fun experience so Allen and Andrew and I have devised a wonderful new recipe, right? And Allen's going to show you how to do it. He's cut up some banana here and we're going to put it all right in the blender, right, Allen? Go ahead and pop it right in. And then he's going to put a cup of ice and this is a fun thing that your kids can do with you. And this is a great way to get the fruits and vegetables in, if they don't like it. Just dump it all right there now, and then we've got a teaspoon of vanilla and a little bit of sugar or sugar substitute, and then Allen likes chocolate shakes so we're going to add a little bit of sugar-free chocolate sauce and put the lid on and go ahead and start the blender there, Al, right here on the end. Just add the milk in, a cup and a half of milk. Here we got the ice chopped up. Now we're adding our milk, one of the most important parts there. Okay, go ahead and start the blender. Good job. The banana and the ice make it nice and thick. We're going to pour it right in and if your child prefers vanilla, you don't have to add the chocolate sauce, but in here they've got a great cup of fat-free milk and delicious banana. Here you go, boys. Andrew: Thank you. Kim Bensen: Help your kids to make their food experiences really enjoyable but most of all, moms and dads, set a good example for them. Help them learn and remember that five-a-day concept as they grow and grow and grow, and don't forget to check our kimbensen.com website for more tips, recipes, and healthy eating ideas for you and your family. For Parents TV, I'm Kim Bensen.

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