Meet Mary @ A Small Loss

It's my honor to introduce Mary from A Small Loss. She's an Inspirational World Changer. She's been working on her health and fitness plan and she's made some amazing changes in her life. Here's her story...

In July 2010, I was 23 years old and weighed 345 pounds. I realized that I needed to make some major lifestyle changes - I had just finished grad school, and decided that I needed to nourish my body the way I had with my mind.

So, I started eating better, eating less, and moving more - it started with walks around my neighborhood because it was all I could do, and my first weight loss goal was to lose enough weight to be able to use Wii Fit. I walked a few 5/8K races, and after losing 50 pounds, I started C25K. Since running my first 5K in January 2011, I have ran several other 5Ks, a few 8 and 10Ks, and completed my first half marathon in January 2012.

I lost 150 pounds in exactly 1 year, and maintained the loss for over a year while transitioning from life in Chicago to living in a much smaller city in California. After a year, I relocated back to Chicago to be with (my now husband) Matt, who has also lost nearly 100 pounds.

My biggest hurdle with weight maintenance came when Matt and I found out we were expecting in late summer 2012. Nothing tasted good to me! I ate a lot of plain pasta and crackers, and the weight came back on. By the time I delivered our son in May 2013, I was up nearly 100 pounds.

Since then, I've been fighting to get back to where I was pre-pregnancy, especially since I still had about 30 pounds I would have liked to have lost! Relosing the weight is frustrating - I saw these numbers already once! - but I know it is absolutely worth it. I want to be a healthy wife and mother, not to mention that I want to feel my best just for my own good!

I have been diligently tracking my food on http://www.myfitnesspal.com/oh_mg">MyFitnessPal

, and after a busy few months of being a new mom, moving from Chicago to South Carolina, and starting a new job, I've started working out again. Slowly but surely, I'm getting back to where I was - I'm within 5 pounds of my 100 pound weight loss milestone, and feeling very excited and determined to reclaim that!

Thank you Mary!! Keep up the great work!! You are making it happen!!! 

Check out Mary's blog and follow her amazing progress!!!

Have a fit day!!