Shape Up Vashon marks three years on the island this month with a new leader, a sponsored film at the Vashon Theatre and a goal to reach even more islanders in its effort to promote healthy eating and regular exercise.

Islander Laura Wishik recently took the reins of Shape Up Vashon (SUV) as its new coordinator. An attorney and school board member, Wishik comes to the volunteer position armed with what she’s learned on her own recent journey to health.

“I’ve become so passionate about nutrition, and I want to be sure people get good information about that,” she said.

Wishik, also a mother of two, has struggled with weight for most of her life. Like many, she said, she has dieted and lost weight, just to put it back on again.

“It got to the point where I was really feeling disabled,” she said. “I wasn’t able to walk very far. I couldn’t do a lot of things. I was uncomfortable and in pain.”

In 2011, Wishik found success with islander Kathy Abascal’s popular anti-inflammatory nutrition program, which involves refraining from certain foods, including sugar, sugar substitutes, alcohol and wheat. She lost 90 pounds in 11 months. But when she added certain foods back to her diet, she began to gain weight again. Wanting to understand why, she decided to do some of her own research and dove into reading about metabolism, nutrition and the science behind weight gain and loss.

“I learned some amazing, cool things,” she said. “How metabolism works, what sugar does, about addiction and how the brain becomes addicted to certain substances.”

Wishik shared what she learned in a talk at her office at the City of Seattle. The talk prompted her boss, the city attorney, to replace the bowl of candy on his desk with almonds and apples.

She got involved with Shape Up Vashon as a member, and eventually began to offer her own nutrition class through the group.

Now, as Shape Up Vashon begins its third year, Wishik is taking over for Dr. Kathleen Davis as the group’s coordinator.

“Since (health) has become such a central focus of my life, it seemed like it was a good reason to want to see SUV continue,” she said.

Shape Up Vashon has done well in its first few years, Wishik said. It now has 250 members, and its fitness challenges have drawn especially large numbers of participants.

“They get people motivated to get out and do something,” she said.

But SUV could still reach more people, Wishik said, and to that end she is looking at how she and other volunteers can grow the program. For instance, cooking classes have attracted around 25 people each, but Wishik would like to see them be more hands-on and to follow themes people may be interested in, such as vegetarian cooking or sugar-free cooking.

“I see SUV broadening its membership and becoming more involved in the whole gamut of nutrition and healthy exercise issues around the island,” she said.

Next week, the group will sponsor its first movie screening when SUV and Island GreenTech bring “Fed Up” to the Vashon Theatre. Produced by Katie Couric and Laurie David of “An Inconvenient Truth,” the documentary explores the obesity epidemic in the United States and the food industry’s — and the government’s — role in it. The film, narrated by Couric, follows four teenagers as they try to lose weight, explores sugar’s role in weight gain and explains why losing weight isn’t as simple as cutting calories and exercising.

“I think it’s really powerful information,” Wishik said.

Wishik’s own class, called Food for Life, begins again next month and will meet every two weeks through February. She emphasized that Food for Life is not a weight-loss group, though the information presented could lead to weight loss. When the class portion is over, it will evolve into a support group for those who wish to continue meeting.

“It’s basically a class about how to have a healthy approach to food, and it’s for a lot more than people who want to lose weight,” she said. “People could have other issues they want to address.”

Wishik would also like to bring some of what she’s learned to the Vashon School District, where she’s been a board member for several years. Vashon’s public schools adopted a new school lunch program a couple years ago, she noted, and the cafeterias offer nutritious meals. But if SUV offered classes for parents, it could help ensure children eat well at home as well. She’d also like to see the district pass new policies around sweets in the classroom, and Superintendent Michael Soltman recently announced the school board will take that task on.

“To me it’s inappropriate to use sweets as a reward,” she said. “It just sets up a bad pattern.”

For her part, Davis said she is pleased that Wishik, who approached Davis about taking the reins, has stepped forward.

“It’s time for new blood to come in and take it to the next step,” she said. “It is time for me, and it is time for the organization.”

“Fed Up” will play at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the Vashon Theatre. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

The Food for Life class begins in November. Watch the calendar section for more information.