Less Is More At The 2011 Valley Business Expo & Health Fair

She used to have problems getting into her car if someone had parked next to her.

She used to eat more between meals than some people eat all day.

She used to weigh over 350 pounds and wear a size 32.

Key words: “used to”

Shelton resident Kim Bensen has a long and storied struggle with obesity. The lessons from that struggle, and the business that grew out of her efforts to lose, and keep off, more than 200 pounds was the basis for her keynote speech to kick off the 2011 Valley Business Expo and Health Fair yesterday, May 25.

Bensen has made weight loss her business. She has a newly released book entitled “Finally Thin!”, a weekly newsletter with more than 30,000 subscribers, a whole slew of healthy recipes and a line of light bagels (only one Weight Watcher point!) that can be found in Stop & Shop grocery stores all across the country.

“We thought she was a natural,” said Bill Purcell, president of the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce. “[The expo] was the fusion of business and health and she represents both.”

The expo showcased approximately 50 companies and restaurants from all over the valley across a range of services, with a focus on healthy living, according to Purcell.

Bensen spoke not just about her dietary troubles, but also about the financial troubles she and her husband faced as they were starting her business; making their way into the food industry with no experience whatsoever and a marketing campaign that consisted of simply calling every “Curves” fitness facility in the area around the Stop & Shop locations in which her bagels were being tested.

Bensen ended her speech with “Working is hard. Not working is hard. Choose your hard.”, a modification on her slogan, “Dieting is hard. Being fat is hard. Choose your hard.”

According to Bensen, almost 90 million people in America are on a diet, but only 5 percent will hit their target weight loss goal, and only 2-3 percent will keep it off long term.

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