LaKeisha Shurn, a self described “overweight” “member of the 300 [pound] club,” spent 100 days working out and documenting her journey on YouTube. The resulting time-lapse video shows a depressed, insecure woman growing into someone who’s comfortable showing off her dance moves and stretching her leg up for the camera.
Karen Cheng, the editor of the video, posted LaKeisha’s story on Reddit, and then LaKeisha made her own Reddit account, LoveThySelf365, to respond to the overwhelmingly positive comments.
“I’m NOT done just yet,” she wrote on Reddit. “The next 100 days will show just how far I’ve come. And, the next 200 days will prove just how strong I truly am. … Hopefully, this will open a door for others who are trying and can’t seem to get anywhere. It happens. There’s nothing wrong with you. You have to push through it.”
The video is certainly motivating, but for a different reason than simple weight loss. Part of me wonders how much her improved mood and outlook on life has to do with losing weight and how much it has to do with setting goals, being active, and becoming part of the supportive gym, r/fitness, and YouTube communities.
As someone else wrote in the comments, “Far and away I think the most obvious change from the beginning to the end of the video is how happy she looked.”
Screengrab via Give it 100/YouTube