Kelly Gibson: Owner at Kelly Athletics LLC

About Me: From Childhood to Career

When I was a little girl, I would spend most of my free time outdoors, from sledding down the winter hills in our snowy backyard to running through the sprinklers in the summer. Born and raised in Erie, I grew up in the 4 seasons of Pennsylvania. My favorite childhood memories include playing softball and basketball, then achieving “all-star” status and athletic awards.

For a long time, I dreamed of becoming a professional athlete and I continued my joys of playing softball from elementary school all through college. Over the years, I tried basketball, cross country, snowboarding, and anything else that got me moving! To me, exercise was fun and sports had a positive impact on my life as a kid and teen. Then, something shifted.

Once I reached adulthood, I started to struggle with my weight. As of 2005, I became an adult and started taking on unhealthy drinking and eating habits. I quickly gained 25 pounds, and couldn’t keep it off. With restrictive dieting – which led me to indulging and yo-yo dieting, I couldn’t make sustainable progress. Ultimately, I created a vicious cycle that was unhealthy for my body.  My weight would go up and down, and I couldn’t stay consistent.  Any time I was in the “off season” for softball, I gained weight.

By 2007, I finished collegiate sports and got wrapped into my studies so much that I rarely made time to exercise. School stress made it even more difficult to exercise and eat healthy.  Interestingly, I dreamed of finding a cure for human diseases, which is why I studied biological engineering at Penn State University.  Little did I know, poor diet and exercise habits are the leading cause of most chronic diseases in the United States! Looking back, I should have studied nutrition and kinesiology in college.

Mid-2010, I graduated from Penn State University and met my husband shortly after. By 2011, I was expecting my first son and I started to get very concerned about my health.  I was gaining weight too rapidly, and needed to figure out how to get it under control. After doing some research, I quickly transitioned to a plant-based diet and started a workout program in hopes of losing weight the healthy way. Once my son Vincent was born, it became a priority for me to stick to a workout program to get rid of my excess baby weight. Surprisingly, I lost weight very quickly with my newfound knowledge of diet & nutrition, and that led me to the decision of becoming a Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach!  Truly, I wanted to spread my message and teach others how to do what I did.

But, it’s not that simple. You can know everything about diet and exercise but until you have the drive and dedication to apply it, nothing changes. Unfortunately, I gained over 50 POUNDS during my first pregnancy in 2011. By that point, I was ready to commit to getting the physique I always wanted.

After I took several months to study nutrition on my own, I successfully transitioned to eating a plant based diet for weight loss. Through my research, it seemed like the most successful weight loss diets required eating less meat, less dairy products, and less cholesterol.

Since dietary cholesterol is only present in animal-based foods, I stopped eating animal products as they could hold me back from my goal. The highest quality foods for weight loss were my focus – which happened to be all plant-based, while I avoided the lower quality foods that contribute to weight gain.  At this point, it was pretty clear to me what I needed to do to get fit and healthy – go vegan!

Like many of you, I got tired of reading misinformation online, tired of restrictive diets, and getting nutrition advice from bloggers who make health claims with no credentials.  Deep down, I wanted to stay healthy for my newborn son and didn’t want to rely on diet pills or procedures. So, I learned about plant-based nutrition from reputable doctors including Dr Barnard, Dr Gregor, and Dr. Campbell.

In addition, I read numerous nutrition books and watched educational videos such as “Forks over Knives” and “Food Inc”. I saw plenty of video footage of how animals are raised for food and how food is made in factories, including the processing of meat, dairy, and poultry.  After becoming educated, it was easy to transition to veganism as my new lifestyle of health, compassion, and fitness.

Alas, a whole foods plant-based diet helped me lose weight and feel great! I’ve never been healthier. Starting in January 2012, I spent most of my free time learning new vegan recipes, reading food labels to find vegan products, and learning about fitness and nutrition.

During this transition I lost 75 pounds in 10 months, then started my business in September 2012. With Kelly Athletics, I was finally able to help other women lose weight like I did! After a year of maintaining my weight loss, I was featured in many places like the local news and magazines. Indescribably, I was thrilled to share my story with millions of viewers.

Since I have a long history as an athlete, I love doing athletic workouts that mimic sports training. I like to incorporate sports performance exercises into my clients’ fitness programs to make working out fun and enjoyable, for active adults and former athletes! To help people feel young again, I make diet and exercise more fun as a Vegan Nutritionist and Personal Trainer.