Real Weight Loss: Beth Kozik

Beth Kozik, before and after. Photos provided

Name: Beth Kozik
Age: 39
Hometown: Newtonville
Weight lost: 40 pounds

Beth Kozik’s story is familiar: The academic counselor found herself working long hours, and sacrificing nutrition and exercise in the process. Weight gain followed.

So when she moved back to Boston last year to begin work at Harvard Business School, she decided to make a change. A friend convinced her to try Orangetheory Fitness‘ bootcamp-style workouts in July— “the first time I went, I thought I was going to die,” she says—and, slowly but surely, the weight began to come off.

Today, she’s lost about 40 pounds and plans to lose roughly 25 more. And though her workout buddy has now moved away, Kozik says she’s found the motivation to keep going by herself.

“I feel better and my mood is improved when I do exercise frequently,” she says. “My back feels better when I exercise. It’s also just being able to see the difference. Every day there’s a little bit of a different motivator.”

Here’s her real weight loss plan:

Fitness:

Kozik goes to Orangetheory classes, which involve cardio drills on treadmills and rowing machines and strength training exercises, five or six days a week.

“I’m really dedicated to it,” Kozik says. “It’s a mix of cardio and strength training every single class, and every class is as challenging as you want to make it.”

On nice days, she says she also tries to get out for a half-hour walk during lunch or after work.

Nutrition

Though she’s tried Paleo and low-carb diets, Kozik now doesn’t follow a strict eating plan. Instead, she says she focuses on watching carbs and sugar, portion control, eating more fruits and vegetables, and finding healthy snacks, like almonds.

“I’ve found that, for me, I just need to watch my portions,” she says. “I’m not one of those people who can totally go without carbs or without sugar.”