Tips for Successful Weight Loss

Juli Auclair: If you’ve ever struggle with your weight trying one diet after another in feeling completely frustrated, you will be truly inspired by the story. She loss 212 pounds and 14 dress sizes and she’s up to wait for five 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 like a dream come true for me. Juli Auclair: And your story is so inspiring and you say in your book that your weight problems is really started when you are a little girl, first starting weight watchers when you are 9 years old. Kim Bensen: I know, I remember that day my mom said would you like to try something new and new way of eating and it’s like sure. Juli Auclair: And then it continue though, you dieted at work at times but by the age of 40 you we’re 350 pounds and you said life continued to be extremely difficult. Tell us about some of those painful times what you remember. Kim Bensen: Will some of the things I remember them most clearly, and one of them as we were fying to Europe and we we’re in a sit my husband and I and fortunately the arm of the sit moves up because I was half into his sit. But the problem is I couldn’t get the seatbelts to go around me and I didn’t know about the seatbelt extenders and I didn’t want to keep on the plate, I was really panic so I have of course stretch waist pants that over the outfit, the uniform I wore everywhere and they all the thing that fit and I took the end of this seatbelt into my waist and hope the goodness she wouldn’t asks this. Speaking of stretch ways, you have this. Juli Auclair: I know, oh these were going at your biggest? Kim Bensen: This are my biggest and then with highest size in the store and I remember thinking I knew I will still gaining daily, what I am going to do next? What’s next for? 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 and what it was like for you was it difficult to write about some of the painful memories because you are really sort of reliving it. Kim Bensen: It wasn’t difficult; it was really cathartic but read at the end somebody offers to proofread my book. I wasn’t thinking ahead and they offer to proofread my book and I said oh know then you’d know all the awful things because it’s a very honest book and there is some hard things in there. And it didn’t occur to me other people were I mean it sounds really done but Mark said, you know Kim random house is paged to write a book and I think that they want a more people than just to you and I to buy. Juli Auclair: And you get over it? Kim Bensen: You got to get over it, what do you want? Juli Auclair: So when people do read it, what do you help 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 weight you can still grab it and turn it completely around, and there is always hopes you got to get 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. 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 and I wanted them to know that I knew what it was like to be grossly obese, morbidly obese 350 lbs. But you know what today I still struggle, you know I work at it and I struggle with those by pants up in downside and nobody its like to try to live on maintenance too. Juli Auclair: So at first that’s works? Kim Bensen: It is, you know you’ve got to pay attention or you get the yo-yo that’s one or the other. So the first section is my story, the second section is 10 steps on what I did different this time which is the number one question everybody asks me. And then the last sections are 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 junky addicted to food but in on October of 2001 everything change. Why then? How? And what did you do? Kim Bensen: Will it was a life long never stopping, I was always trying I was always trying again but it wouldn’t go along even that I never fall off the diet and everything. So a lot people think that I was just like a so strong and it’s so much self control and it is ready to go again and that’s can be for truth, I just broken on my knees crying out to god and I know I was eating myself to death. And you know I stood up from praying a day and the thing that I was given was courage to try again, to try one more time and I put everything I had in me and to it. Juli Auclair: And how long did it take you to reach the goal weight and tell us what that moment was like because it had to be incredible. Kim Bensen: It’s still incredible, I feel like Cinderella when I wake up every morning and sleeping to a pair of jeans. It was an amazing moment, my sister had flown out from Minnesota, my grandparents are driven down for Maine and everybody is all went to me at weight watchers meeting with me and it took me two years to loss it and when all when on that final day— Juli Auclair: And you wait less than you thought you are going to way. Kim Bensen: I did, and I was getting like really obsess and weighing myself all the time and my scale had broken and I didn’t weight my self and I had no idea how much I weight and went through that morning and they were playing music and there was flowers and there are people taking pictures it was just, it was amazing I just— Juli Auclair: And you want it just hold on to that, will you look absolutely fantastic and your story is motivational inspiration and I’m so glad you came in. Thanks for sharing it. Kim Bensen: Thank you so much. Juli Auclair: And for more great advice, stories and recipes you can pick up a copy of Kim’s book at bookstores now, you 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: You’re watching Parents TV, email us at ideas.parents.tv. Kim Bensen: Welcome back, I have two little friends joining me right now and my second actually is my son, my second grader Andrew and my fourth grader Allen and we have a pop quiz for you. One is the recommended number of fruits and vegetables are children should be eating each day. Well if you answered five you absolutely right and believe it or not this is something that even your really young children can grasp and understand. Here is the pan tool that I will be use with each of my boys to help then get the fiber day content. This is a 8 ½ x11 and that’s downloadable from my website, kimbensen.com. and when you printed out you can laminate it or not laminated but with laminated some of our pieces and Andrew is working on them right now, you cut them out right? And why you are doing this right now. Andrew: Sticking the magnet on the back. Kim Bensen: And they are magnetic and we’re going to stick them on our refrigerator and each child can have his own fruit basket and put his name on it and then every time you got fruit or vegetable what do you do Andrew? Andrew: Put it in the basket. Kim Bensen: Put it in the basket and stick it right on refrigerator. Well that’s great if your little guys love there broccoli and they long for the come clots here all set but what if they don’t like anything I have for children and three of them have no problem with getting in there fiber a day and then there is Allen. I mean Andrews favorite snack is run that mix in carrots but Allen doesn’t really enjoy fruits and vegetables at all but now there is times an Allen knows what his just have to eat but it’s really nice to try to make fruit eating upon experience. So Allen and Andrew and I have device a wonderful new recipe right? And Allen is going to show you how to do it. He cut up some banana here and we are going to put all rate in the blender right Allen? Go ahead and pop it right in and then his going to put a cup of ice and this is a fun thing that you’re kids can do with you. And this is a great way to get the fruit and vegetable then if they don’t like it. Just jump it all there and then we’ve got a teaspoon of vanilla and a little bit of sugar or sugar substitute and then Allen like chocolate shakes so we’re going to add a little bit of sugar free chocolate sauce and put to lead on and go ahead and start the blender there right here on there end and put add the milk in, a cup and half of milk and we got the ice chop up and now we’re adding our milk the 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 and we’re going to put right in and if your child prefer vanilla and you don’t have to add the chocolate sauce but in here they’ve got a great cup of that free milk and delicious banana. Here you go boys. Andrew: Thank you. Kim Bensen: Help your kids to make there food experiences really enjoyable but most of all moms and dads be a good example for them, help them learn and remember that 5 day concept as they grow and grow and grow. And don’t forget to check out our kimbensen.com website for more tip, recipes and healthy eating ideas for you and your family. For Parents TV I’m Kim Bensen.