World Class Athlete Helping Md. Woman Keep Her Promise To Shed Weight

PIKESVILLE, Md. (WJZ) -- A university study shows more than 90 percent of people who made New Year's resolutions have stopped keeping them.

Mike Schuh shows us a world class athlete who is helping a young woman keep her promise to herself.

Raven Gossweiler grew up overweight. Food gave her comfort right up to the point when it didn't.

"I woke up one morning and said, 'That's it, I'm done. I'm tired of being obese. I'm tired of being unhappy,'" said Gossweiler.

Today, she has a new routine. Today she is happy.

"I work out five days a week an hour at a time," she said.

She reached rock bottom two and a half years ago. At nearly 300 pounds, Raven walked into the gym, walked up to one of the country's best athletes, and asked for help.

Eddie Hall is a personal trainer. Here's what his training has accomplished:

"We are at 162, which means I went down another pound," said Gossweiler.

Thumbs up indeed. The before and after: 115 pounds and counting.

"I don't even recognize that person anymore. It's a mental and a physical, emotional change," Gossweiler said.

Eddie Hall is ranked third in the country by U.S. Yoga. He works Raven hard, but what makes him successful is also what changed her life.

"Just because she really wanted it. She wanted it more than she wanted anything else," Hall said.

"It did take a lot of work on forgiving myself for getting as big as I did," said Gossweiler.

Food is no longer a comfort. There is no quick fix.

"As horrible as it sounds, most people in my life wouldn't even look me in the eyes," she said.

Those who remember Raven before don't recognize her now. She hopes someone can learn from her.

"You know when it's your time. If you're planning on waiting till New Years or next week or whenever you've convinced yourself you're going to start, you're not ready," she said.

Raven's goal is to shed another 20 pounds. In three months, Hall will compete in the U.S. Yoga Nationals.