So the story of my weight loss sort of begins around last summer when I stepped on the scale and it said I weighed 196 lbs. For me that was sort of the "a-ha" moment. I'd never weighed so close to 200 lbs. in my life and for me that was just a big "no-no.”

My whole life I was always the "chubby" kid more or less and it never really bothered me, but as time went on and I got older, my metabolism slowed, as it does with age, and I just kept gaining weight without changing my habits. By last summer and my "scale moment" I realized that I was just really tired of feeling uncomfortable in my own skin. I would get tired just from walking, and to me that was super unhealthy, so I decided one day to start changing some things in my life.

I began exercising as often as I possibly could. I joined Undisputed Boxing Gym and found exercise to be so much fun. As my exercise carried on I found myself wanting to eat healthier in order to not put back on all the calories I was burning every day, so I made the choice to eat a completely Vegan diet. This just helped eliminate some of the sources of fat I was consuming and narrowed my choices for a healthier diet. I have lost about 65 lbs. total and am just trying to maintain a healthy weight and tone a little more with the classes at UBG. I love the 9am classes, and Butts and Guts as well. Also, through UBG I have also recently found my love for running and always show up to class early just so I can jog the three miles to Whipple and back before class.

I have kept the weight off for about 9 months so far, but plan to keep doing what I'm doing in order to maintain it. My advice to anyone trying to lose some extra pounds is to just keep at it. Take the necessary plunges if you want to see a change and where there is a will there is a way! But also remember that aside from exercise, diet plays a big role in your metabolism and weight loss and you can't continue to eat your daily cheeseburger and expect the scale to change. Eat more veggies in your diet and you'll notice how different your energy level is right away! Something I tell myself in my meditative jogs before class, is to "just keep going" and "you can do it.”

Thanks for the acknowledgment...it's really rewarding to know that people can see the hard work I've put in and it makes me feel like it was worth it!

-Laurie Light