F
alen Bonsett is like any typical 28-year-old. She loves fashion, is a huge music fan and enjoys relaxing at local hangouts with her gal pals. Unlike other late 20-somethings, however, she talks to thousands of people daily as part of one of the most popular morning shows in the Twin Cities. Her motivation of making it big in radio has brought her to her dream job at KDWB, whose studios are located right behind The Shops at West End.
Bonsett has struggled with her weight since as far back as she can remember. Her move to Minneapolis in 2012 brought her weight to the forefront in a very public way. A few local Twin Citians found numerous social media outlets to make it known. Instead of heeding the advice to ignore the posts by fellow on-air talents, she decided to read the blogs. Falen’s KDWB BLOG ENTRY: People in MN were not nearly as forgiving of my weight as people in Indiana and Nevada were. People let me know how fat I was ... constantly. At first, I would sit at my computer, read the comments and cry. I was in a new town, I didn’t have my family or friends, and I sabotaged myself reading filth about myself. I decided I didn’t want them to be right. I was happy that most of them were judging me for my weight and not for my talent because weight was something I could change. “When you’re in the public eye, you’re expected to be thin,” said Bonsett. “It felt
Falen Before
Photos supplied by Falen Bonsett
After an extended on-and off-air interview process, Bonsett landed the job and quickly made the transition from her gig in Reno, Nev. to the Twin Cities. When she arrived in this market, she was excited to get on air. She loved exploring the city and meeting new people in the market. However, what started as a dream for this beautiful young talent quickly turned into a nightmare. While she loved her job, her co-workers and the Twin Cities, she quickly realized how brutally vocal a small segment of a community could be – not about her voice or her personality, but because of the way she looked. Specifically, her weight.
like people needed to find some reason not to like the ‘new girl.’” Bonsett had a period of time in her life when she felt she was doing something about her weight. In high school she was very active in sports and ate pretty healthily. It wasn’t until after high school that her challenge with diet and weight management took a toll. FALEN’S KDWB BLOG ENTRY: College is when things went south. I began eating fast food, and our dorm didn’t have a stove, so cooking wasn’t really an option. I stopped playing sports, I got cable TV, and I started drinking alcohol. I gained about 10 lbs a year for the next four years. By the time I went to Reno, NV in early 2010, I hit 200lbs. I never in my life thought I could or would ever hit that mark. I remember thinking, “this isn’t ok.” I knew I was uncomfortable, but for some reason, I really didn’t think I was THAT big. I look at photos now, and I can’t believe I let myself get that out of control. I joined Weight Watchers that day. I got down to 167, and I started celebrating. At the end of 2012 and a half a year in Minnesota, Bonsett was approached by a weight loss program to use their system. She embraced it and was ready for a real transformation. Through structured eating and a dedicated fitness routine, a dramatic change occurred from November 2012 to mid-January 2013, she lost 20 lbs – her
I’m realistic. I know I’ll never be 110 lbs. And I understand that I can’t rely on a doctor’s scale to classify me as overweight. Falen BONSETT
lowest weight since her freshman year in college. And she felt good emotionally. A challenge dieters face when they begin a program is knowing what weight is healthy for them. Bonsett says the weight loss program she’s on has set two goals for her. The first is her personal goal, and the second an optional goal to be the lowest they would allow for her body type.
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