Lost weight, beat addiction with help of family

After years of taking weight off and putting it back on again, Kim Bensen lost 213 pounds. She's maintained her weight at 134 for two years and attributes much of her success to the support of her husband, Mark. Kim's story is highlighted in the July issue of Prevention magazine. Amy O'Connor, deputy editor of Prevention, visited “Today” to discuss Kim's story. Here's an excerpt of the article:

They lost megapounds, quit smoking, and more, with support from family and friends
by The Editors of Prevention

Getting a scary diagnosis might inspire change:

Several arteries in your heart are nearly closed. Catching a sidelong glance in a shop window may do the same: Look how fat that woman is ... Good Lord, that's me! But research suggests that when people make a change and stick to it, they often have the guidance, example, or support of family or friends behind them.

“The more people care about you and help you attain a healthy goal, the more likely you'll be successful,” says Dean D. VonDras, PhD, an associate professor of human development and psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay who has studied behavioral change in-depth. “Knowing that others want you to do well is a very powerful influence.”

Here are six people who found motivation — in friends, family, even strangers — and provide plenty of inspiration if you're looking to make a change, too.

Losing 213 Pounds

Kim Bensen, 45
Her Inspiration: Husband Mark Bensen, 45

The Challenge
Kim Bensen, author and mother of four, used to have a tough time shopping for clothes. She could barely squeeze into size-32 pants. And at 5-foot-5 1/2 and 347 pounds, “I needed to pick a path in the store with enough space at every point so I could fit,” says the Huntington, CT, resident. Afterward, if someone had parked too close to Kim's car, she'd have to wait until they pulled out so she could get in her door.

“There wasn't a single day my weight wasn't on my mind,” she says. Her size caused severe back and knee pain; she had trouble walking, sleeping, and breathing; and her cholesterol was through the roof. Her doctor couldn't even weigh her; his scale didn't go above 300 pounds. He'd simply mark her as OTC — “off the charts.” Her girth hindered her family fun, too. “When I was on a trip to Massachusetts with the kids, I simply wasn't able to keep up,” Kim says. “My family suggested I rent an electric cart to get around. It broke my heart.”

Kim has always loved food. “Even as a little girl, I was never satisfied with one dessert,” she says. But thanks to her youthful metabolism and a life filled with physical activities like softball, her weight didn't become an issue until she went off to college, stopped exercising regularly, and started making all her own food choices. “It was junk all the time,” she remembers. Instead of the usual freshman 15, Kim struggled with 4 years of 15- to 40-pound weight shifts.

Things got worse when she married, shortly after graduation: “The only dishes I could cook — macaroni and ground beef, cheesy casseroles, fried rice — were filled with fat,” she says. Kim quickly broke the 200-pound mark, but not without a fight: “I tried everything to lose weight — over-the-counter pills, fad diets, even those shakes Oprah lost a ton with.” Though Kim could stick to a regimen long enough to drop as much as 70 pounds, she'd always gain more back than she lost. Through it all, however, her husband, Mark, stood by her: “No matter how I looked, he always told me I was beautiful.”

The Moment that Changed Everything
In 2001, when Kim was at her heaviest, Mark, an insulin-dependent diabetic since childhood, contracted an infection that nearly killed him. Surgery saved his life, but the experience shook Kim. “Mark took such good care of himself — giving himself insulin shots twice a day and watching what he ate despite my bad habits; he wanted to stay strong for our family,” she says. “Having him so sick finally made me realize that I should be doing the same.” So with Mark's encouragement, Kim signed up for Weight Watchers for the 10th time — but with a new sense of determination.

She stuck to the food guidelines and made diet versions of her favorite recipes, and all the while Mark helped her dodge temptation. “He cleaned up after dinner because he knew that I'd eat the leftovers,” Kim says. And he always helped her find healthy alternatives. “Once when we were visiting friends, they bought me a veggie lasagna thinking it was healthy, but it was loaded with calories,” she says. Without missing a beat, Mark got back into the car to find his wife a diet-approved meal. He even learned the Weight Watchers Points system. “He'd always say, ‘I know you can do it,’ despite the fact that he'd never seen me do anything but fail the whole time we'd been together,” Kim says. As Mark puts it: “I think I believed in her more than she believed in herself.”

Her Results
“Two years into my new lifestyle, I felt a scary lump on my side, so I had Mark touch it,” Kim says. He did, chuckled, and told her to check her other side — she'd find another just like it. “It was my hip bone!” Kim recalls. “I hadn't felt it in so long, I forgot it was there.” By October 2003, Kim reached her goal: 134 pounds, which she has maintained ever since. “My feet even shrunk a size and a half,” she laughs.

An amusement park trip showed Kim how far she'd truly come. Three years earlier, she couldn't fit on the rides. This time, she rode all she could: “Mark even piggybacked me over to my flip-flop, which had fallen off while I was on a roller coaster!”

Today Kim is a Weight Watchers leader and has self-published a book filled with her own healthy recipes. “I couldn't have done any of this without Mark,” she says. “He's taught me that having unconditional support can truly make a difference.”

— Maura Kelly

Beating Alcoholism and an Eating Disorder

Mecah Welch, 38
Her Inspiration: Support group member Jennifer Torio-Hurley, 33

The Challenge
In 2001, after a decade long addiction to alcohol, Mecah Welch was finally able to label herself a recovering alcoholic. But she was still battling full-blown bulimia and had told no one. “I felt so much shame, embarrassment, and pain,” says the San Diego native. “I felt like a fraud that I couldn't beat this addiction.”

The Moment that Changed Everything
When Welch heard fellow support group member Jenn Torio-Hurley share her story of alcoholism, anorexia, and recovery at a meeting, a lightbulb went off. “Eventually, I revealed to her my obsession with being fat and gaining weight. She understood my fears like no one else ever had,” Welch says. Torio-Hurley gave her strict marching orders. “She started insisting that I eat three meals a day. I was horrified! I said, ‘I can't look in the mirror; my husband won't love me.’” And Torio-Hurley made Welch call her daily. “Knowing that Jenn was waiting for my call kept me on track,” Welch says. “She made me responsible for my wellness and accountable for my actions.”

Her Results
Welch hasn't had a bulimic episode in more than a year, and Torio-Hurley couldn't be happier: “Every time I work with Mecah, I feel stronger. The more I help her, the more solid I become.” When Welch feels the old tension building within her, she steps outside herself. “I'll take a walk or call Jenn, of course. She's my mentor in health and life.”

— Amanda MacMillan

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