Izzy Dropped 114 Pounds. How Will You Reach Your New Year's Weight Goal?

(This comes from the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties)

Each New Year seems to bring new resolutions and second attempts at resolutions gone awry.

With only one-third of resolution-makers seeing success, is there hope for the two-thirds that may not? Israel “Izzy” Perez thinks so.

After beginning his weight loss journey in April 2012, Perez has lost 114 pounds. He says the most important change has been to his attitude. By resolving to improve his life, he’s improved his eating habits by packing healthy lunches for work, cutting out sugary drinks, walking from work to ride a cycling bike at the Tacoma Center YMCA and in turn, he found a place to belong. He had tried other gyms, but says, “None of them provide the services and care that the Y does.”

Perez didn’t make a New Year’s resolution, he made a lifetime resolution that has changed his outlook on wellness, forever.

“I no longer let myself make excuses for why I can’t go to the gym or find reasons to eat unhealthy,” Perez says.

So, maybe there is hope for resolution-makers out there; it’s not about a new year, it’s about a new you and finding the right place to make your resolution a reality. Thanks to Perez, we can be reminded that losing a person (114 pounds) can help you gain a new life.

Area YMCA branches

Gig Harbor Family YMCA

Lakewood Family YMCA

Morgan YMCA

Mel Korum YMCA

Sumner YMCA