Meet: Kim Bensen
Age: 47
Occupation: Owner, Kim’s Light Bagels
Where she lives: Connecticut
Pounds Lost: 212
How long it took to lose the weight: 2 years
How long she has kept it off: 5 years
When I first read about how Kim lost 212 pounds, I wanted to know more! As we chatted, she told me the aging process seems to have started going in reverse for her – she feels better and better as she gets older, now that she doesn’t weigh 350 pounds. Keep on feeling younger, Kim – you definitely look younger! Here’s your Weight Loss WooHoo! – Just FatFighterTV’s fun way of celebrating healthy weight. 
How Kim gained the weight:
“I was always a little bit chubby, but with activities and cheerleading I was able to keep my weight at a normal range in my young years. I started dieting and wanting to lose weight – just like that 10-15 pounds – in high school. That’s kind of where the yo-yo’ing started. In college, the spread of pounds grew to 30… then 40.”
“I was a really great dieter and I tried all the diets out there. And I was always able to get to a somewhat normal range before kind of feeling good enough and going back to my old way of eating.”
“Right after I got married (25 years ago) my weight got up over 200 and I couldn’t believe it! Basically for the first 10 years of my marriage I struggled in the 200 pound range, always increasing. Then for the second 10 years of my marriage – in the 300 pound range.”
Turning point:
“A lot of people think I was this strong woman and I was ready to do it again, and nothing could be farther from the truth. I was broken. I was eating myself to death and I knew it. I basically cried my heart out to God. And I was just begging him to save my life. And I really feel that in this brief moment of prayer one morning, God gave me the strength to try one more time. Two days later, I signed up for Weight Watchers.”
How she shed the pounds:
“I did Weight Watchers and I loved the program. But this time, I approached things completely differently. I put more time and more effort into what I was doing than ever before. A lot of people want to get out of the kitchen – they don’t want to think about food; they want to think about it less. What I found was the more I focused on it and put into it and planned and cooked and lightened things up, the better I did and the more excited I got about it, and that kept me motivated. I made it a priority in my life.”
Weekly workouts:
“Okay, you had to ask that, right? I’m still a work in progress. Exercise has really been hard for me. When I was a year into losing my weight I said, ‘Man, I gotta do something about these flabby arms.” And I got down on my knees and I tried to do a girly pushup and I fell on my face and I couldn’t get up again! So I tried and tried and I worked myself up to a little routine of 20 guy pushups and 100 crunches and I do that every morning. And I’ve added to it some walking. But I do great for a few months and then I blow it, so I’m still working on it.”
Diet Philosophy:
“Enjoy the journey. I learned to find the things that I liked that I really enjoyed. Because if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you will not live it and you’re going to yo-yo.”
Daily Challenge:
“Right now my weakness for food is in the evenings. So I’m having a cup of Chai tea latte and it’s almost like a dessert – it’s a new recipe I came up with that has really helped.”
Tips from Kim:
“The only way you’ll never lose weight is if you stop trying. So if you don’t succeed this time and you’ve kind of fallen off and you’re not liking it, the only thing you can’t do is give up. You’ve got to keep trying. If I hadn’t tried that last time I don’t know if I’d be here today. So keep trying!”
Favorite healthy recipes:
Cream of Broccoli soup
Kim’s Weight Loss WooHoo!:
“I can finally buckle up in a car, I can cross my legs, I can hop out of bed in the morning and my feet don’t hurt. I sleep through the night without sleep apnea and I don’t have nine sizes – one size clothing is the best! Out of all that, the biggest WooHoo would be – my husband can put his arms all the way around me.”
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Oh, that just gave me chills!
Now, remember how Kim said she’s all about lightening up recipes? She told me she’s always loved bagels but didn’t want to waste 300+ calories on one, so she came up with her own 110-calorie recipe. Her friends convinced her to market it and that’s how Kim’s Light Bagels came to be – find out how to win a bag of each of the six flavors here.
See more weight loss success stories on the Weight Loss WooHoo! Wall of Fame.
If you know of someone who deserves this honor, just let me know – send me an email at sahar [at] fatfightertv [dot] com
Great blog! Very inspirational to hear the weight-loss stories of different people and what they went through, what they did, and how they felt. The recipes on the links are great, too!
Of course she saved herself and that’s wonderful! Perhaps she has some ideas on how to be preventive.
What a great story, and what an amazing accomplishment!
Kim, you’re awesome! And if I understand correctly, you lost most of the weight doing Weight Watchers?–that’s particularly inspiring to me because I’m doing the WW program currently.
Also, what you said about spending more time in the kitchen rather than less rings true to me. This is pretty much my first time on the weight-loss train when I’ve actually been cooking a few of my own meals every week, instead of relying almost solely on frozen meals, etc. And it feels good to be “in charge” of my own food, somehow.
Thanks for stopping by, Liz! Yes, Kim is definitely awesome. And I agree – when you cook your own meals, you do feel a lot more in control.
Yes, Dr. J – she totally saved her own life.
Like Lori said – amazing!
And thanks for stopping by BridesMadeFit! The stories are inspiring, aren’t they?
Oh my goodness. She looks fantastic! What an inspiration! Thanks for sharing her story. I’m totally going to order some of her bagels too, even if I win them!
What a great site and a wonderful write up. Thanks so much Sahar! And thanks to you great bloggers. I found the more I talk about weight loss, share my story and hear other share theirs, scout out great sites like this one — the more I’m able to be successful in my maintenance. It’s work, but so worth it! Nothing tastes as good as thin feels, right?!
Kim
PS Yes Liz, I did WW. Great program isn’t it? I still do it every day.
kim,
when i read your story, i truley admire you, you are an inspiration to all.
i am 61 years of age, i never had a weight problem however now i do, and i find it so hard, i am a positive person, and like to help other’s.
i was in nine eleven lost my company and survived three cancer’s and what hit me , i lost my beloved husband in 2004 at the age of 60.
as positive as i am i turn things around, i am so blessed to have two wonderful son’s and two healthy and wonderful grand daughter’s and daughterinlaw and friends, but most of all i never give up,however this time aroung i find it so hard to conquer this weight, i had lost 42 pounds by weight watcher’s, but gained it all back and more so, i do not feel good , i want to again lose this weight and this time for good, however as i mentioned this time i find it so difficult.
please help, me turn this around again as i always do, i would so appreciate it,
thanking you in advance, again you are my inspiration. thanking you for being you.
sincerely faye lazear