Meet Becky Collins: 2017's "Biggest Loser"

Becky Collins of Shoreview/White Bear Lake Moms on the Run lost 20 pounds in 18 weeks, making her our “Biggest Loser” of the 2017 summer running season in the Twin Cities. How did she do it? She attributes her weight loss to her triple weekly runs with Moms on the Run, biking, walking, hiking and participating in the new MOTRwell nutrition program.

Becky began her journey with Moms on the Run in 2010. She joined after receiving a flyer in her mailbox the year her daughter graduated from high school. Seven years later, she says Moms on the Run has become her social life and her stress relief.
 
“I have developed amazing friendships through this group,” notes Becky, who works full time as V.P. of marketing for a parking equipment and technology company. “It’s my one time of the day when nobody wants or needs anything from me.”
 
Becky has long struggled with her weight. At one point in her life, she weighed 100 pounds heavier than what she weighs today — a proud 139.
 
She admits her weight was like a rollercoaster — up and down depending on what diet she decided to try next. But it was not sustainable; she felt hungry all the time, which gets old, hard and frustrating.
 
Enter MOTRwell, a nutrition program piloted by Moms on the Run this summer.
 
“The MOTRwell program offered me exactly what I needed: different ideas, taking things to the next level, really learning how to eat better in a healthy way, but most important the ‘why’ — why things work together they way they do,” she explained.
 
Somewhat leery of starting yet another diet, she decided to give it 30 days. A month later, she was hooked. She had a ton of energy and had never felt better. And the bonus? She wasn’t hungry, either.
 
“I feel like now, I eat more than ever and I’m not craving the stuff I did before," added Becky. "Yet, I'm not depriving myself of things either. At my son's wedding last week, I ate a piece of cake. I don’t call this a diet; I call this a lifestyle change.”
 
Becky’s running also has benefited from her increased energy and health. She set out on a 12-mile run this summer, but ended up running 15 — her longest run ever — because she felt so great. She is registered to run the TC 10 Mile and the Monster Dash 10 Mile this fall. And for the first time ever, she bought herself running shorts.  
 
“Will I continue to lose weight?” asks Becky. ”I don’t know. I’m ecstatic where I am. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. I have never felt better. If I lose more, that’s just a bonus.”

For her efforts, Becky received a $150 prize package from Run N Fun at the annual Celebration Banquet on Aug. 25.

BEFORE: Spring 2016 at Stillwater Half-Marathon.

AFTER: At her son's wedding this September.