After making a Starbucks run every day for 116 days on her way to the hospital to see her ex-husband, Carol Lott saw that 116 venti white chocolate mochas had taken a toll on her waistline.

Photo by Lesley Young Carol Lott started working with a personal trainer to lose weight for her daughter's wedding, but soon she rediscovered her love of running. She completed her first half marathon last December. "It was so cool," Lott said.

"I got on the scales at one time, and I weighed 140 pounds," said Lott, 50, president of the Memphis Area Association of Realtors. "I'm a 105- to 110-pound kind of girl. I was like, 'Oh, my gosh. I have got to do something."

The extra pounds and a looming deadline her daughter was set to be married in less than a year got Lott moving.

She hired a personal trainer and began working out three days a week for 30 minutes at a time.

Over time, those workouts turned into hourlong sessions and increased in frequency to five or six times a week until Lott achieved her goal.

"I was where I wanted to be for the wedding," she said.

But something else happened along the way.

Not only had Lott made fitness a part of her life, but she also rediscovered her love of running.

"In high school, I ran track and really enjoyed it," she said. "I just took a 30-year sabbatical from it."

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Success story: Goal of trimming down evolves into new lifestyle