Mary Ann before and after losing 103 pounds

Photo: George Burns/Harpo Studios (right)

4 of 7
Mary Ann
Mary Ann says she has always been 20 to 30 pounds overweight. But when her best friend Lyn was diagnosed with terminal cancer five years ago, Mary Ann says she turned to food for comfort. "I was just in so much pain, I didn't know where to put it. So I would just eat," she says.

Mary Ann's aha! moment came while she was watching Dr. Phil talk about uncovering the real reasons for overeating. He had said, "If you're not real about what's making you eat, you'll just keep pushing it down and it will keep popping back up. It's like pushing a beach ball underwater in a pool."

That's when Mary Ann decided to take charge. She signed up for a triathlon, trained, got into shape and lost 103 pounds—and inspired her daughter Michaela to lose weight as well!

Meet Mary Ann's 11-year-old daughter Michaela who lost 50 pounds