Michaela before and after losing 50 pounds

Photo: George Burns/Harpo Studios (right)

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Michaela
As Michaela's mom was eating as a way to cope with the loss of her best friend, 11-year-old Michaela became her mother's eating partner and began using food as a coping mechanism herself. "I didn't have many friends, and I didn't fit in," Michaela says. "Food, basically, was my only friend."

Watch Michaela talk about her friendships before and after losing weight   

After watching her mother cross the finish line at her first triathlon, Michaela was inspired to lose weight as well. "The day I saw my mom cross the finish line, I made the decision that night to ask her for help," Michaela recalls. "I felt, well, since my mom did this, then I can do this too."

To help her daughter, Mary Ann started with the basics: portion control, reading labels and exercising. To date, Michaela has lost 50 pounds, and both mother and daughter are having fun with fitness. "We bike, we run 5Ks," Mary Ann says. "She beats me!"

Meet Angela who lost 114 pounds