When Mary Hudson began her weight loss endeavor in September of 2012, she weighed 206 pounds. Since then she has lost 38 pounds and now weighs 168 pounds; just 13 pounds away from her goal of weighing 155 pounds by her 60^th birthday in April. Though she admits that she was “tired of being tired and looking terrible,” there was a more compelling, and even frightening, reason that Mary finally decided she had no choice but to lose weight and begin living a healthy lifestyle.

“I would say fear of getting old and sick was the biggest reason for finally doing something,” said Mary.

Her fear stemmed from a visit that Mary made to her local health clinic in order to have some blood work done. The results of her blood work revealed the hard truth about Mary’s health.

“I went to a health screening and got a series of tests done. I was facing some major health issues,” said Mary. “My cholesterol was considered high, and my glucose levels were considered pre-diabetes. The scary one was the C-reactive protein (CRP) results. C-reactive protein is a protein in the blood that shows the presence of inflammation when the body responds to injury or an infection; a high risk count is 3…mine was 10. Having an elevated CRP meant I was at increased risk for coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease and type 2 diabetes. This scared me tremendously! ”

In light of her test results, Mary consulted her personal physician about how she could combat her alarming health concerns and avoid having to take medication to control them.  Her doctor believed that if Mary were to change her lifestyle and lose weight it was possible to reverse some, or perhaps even all of the health concerns that her blood work exposed.

“My doctor recommended that I lose weight, decrease my carbs and add weight-bearing exercises,” said Mary.

But it was going to take work, discipline and patience from Mary to make these changes to her health. Moreover, it was going to take a life-long commitment, and it had to be something that Mary had to want for herself. She would have to be able to see the bigger picture and the rewards that would come with persevering.

“I will turn 60 in April, and I know that I want to look and feel fabulous for my birthday, as well as the rest of my life,” said Mary.

So Mary began doing what many people have done…she tried one fad diet and gimmick after another to the point of frustration. Also, Mary had not been exercising.

Eventually, Mary found her first taste of success when she simply began watching her calorie intake and adding exercise into her daily life. She started off by walking for 20 minutes every day, but she knew that she would soon have to do more and add in the weight-bearing exercises as instructed by her doctor.

But Mary was concerned.

“Not having exercised for years, I wasn’t sure where to start, and injuring myself was a concern,” said Mary. “I have had hip, knee and ankle injuries. So I decided to sign-on and start working with a personal trainer, and it was by far the best thing I have done for myself in years!”

Now Mary has confidence, energy and a new-found excitement for life. She has discovered her own personal fountain of youth, and she is doing more now than she was years ago.

Follow Mary’s story to find out more about how she lost the initial 38 pounds, and what it will take for her to lose the final 13.

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