Kirsten Vangsness is a prominent American actress and writer. She is also best known for her drastic weight loss program, spanning three years. Let’s find out more about her weight loss journey, personal life, and more.
Quick Bio
Kirsten Simone Vangsness was born on July 7, 1972, in Pasadena, California. She was born to Errol Leroy Vangsness and Barbara Mary. She is of Norwegian-American descent. She spent her early childhood in Porterville, California, and later moved to Cerritos.
Education
Kirsten graduated from Cerritos High School in June 1990 and then attended Cypress College, in Cypress, California. In 1996, she graduated from California State University, Fullerton.
Personal Life
She was first engaged to her girlfriend Melanie Goldstein, an editor, until 2013. In a 2011 interview, she introduced herself “as queer as a purple unicorn singing Madonna.” In 2015, Kirsten announced publicly her engagement to actor Keith Hanson. Although she has been engaged to both a man and a woman, Kirsten doesn’t identify as bisexual. Surprisingly, she is not even sure about her sexuality.
Career
She was involved in acting at a very young age to overcome her shyness. She rose to fame after appearing on the CBS drama series Criminal Minds as an FBI Technical Analyst, Penelope Garcia.
Her Notable Works
- Criminal Minds
- In My Sleep
- The Chicago 8
- Kill Me, Deadly
- Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
- Phil of the Future
Remarkable Weight Loss Journey
Kirsten Vangsness shed 50 pounds from 200 pounds in just three years. She was overweight since her childhood and faced many issues. After appearing in her first show, she decided to work on her health and reduce some extra pounds. She has been following a vegetarian diet for more than 20 years. Her diet is devoid of meat, chicken, and protein shakes as well. She also advised everyone to drink a minimum of eight glasses of water every day which she rigorously followed throughout her weight loss journey. According to Kirsten, hydration is essential for flushing out toxins from the body.
She also maintained a good eating schedule for weight loss. At 7 a.m., she had breakfast involving avocado toast along with a cup of green tea or black coffee followed by a quarter cup of Bengal gram. She used to have fruits in between breakfast and lunch. She ensured that by 7 p.m. dinner would be finished.
Apart from her diet, she incorporated a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise into her daily routine. She also practiced some breathing exercises. Her daily workout involved a variety of exercises like Russian twists, crunches, dumbbell exercises, leg raises, and more. Ultimately, patience and perseverance played a crucial role in her weight loss journey.
Kirsten As a Writer
Kirsten Vangsness has co-written many television series. Her work has been published in the Los Angeles Times. She has co-written four episodes of “Criminal Minds” since 2014. Kirsten has co-written “Nelson’s Sparrow,” “A Beautiful Disaster,” “Spencer,” and the Criminal Minds series finale with executive producer, Erica Messer.
Net Worth
As of 2024, Kirsten has amassed an estimated net worth of $3 million from her career in acting and writing.
Is She Active On Social Media?
Yes, Kirsten Vangsness is very active on social media. She has an account on Instagram under her name, where she has 1.4M followers. Apart from Instagram, she also owns a profile on X.
Conclusion
Kirsten Vangsness has achieved fame and success as an actress and writer. She became an inspiration for those who want to lose weight but lack determination.