Mara Schiavocampo knows a lot of about reinvention and rebirth. She penned a book about weight loss called THINspired: How I Lost 90 Pounds: My Plan for Lasting Weight-Loss and Self-Acceptance. In the book, she talks about a plan that helped her lose 90 pounds. In an interview with the Women’s Eye Radio Show, Mara spoke about the details in her weight loss book, “The feedback has been so wonderful. People have been able to connect and relate to what I’ve been through and my journey and it seems to be helping a lot of people. That was all I ever wanted so I’m happy with that. It was important for me to do it honestly. There are so many misconceptions about weight loss that are often repeated that just aren’t true. We are constantly being fed bull on how to lose weight.”

In the book, Mara spoke about a family member who was very hard on her for her weight when she was growing up. The woman was referred to Aunt Shirley, a figure that Mara hopes other women don’t have in their lives, “I hope not! Often, it’s just the voice in our head. I was a little chubby growing up, and a family member I call “Aunt Shirley” was hard on me as a kid. She forced me to diet and have weekly weigh-ins. If I lost weight, I would be rewarded with food, which was twisted. If I gained, then I’d be punished. That really set up a very complicated relationship with food for me that lasted to this day. I think a lot of us have complicated relationships with food and a lot of us are battling some voice in our head, whether it’s our own voice, or an “Aunt Shirley,” but a lot of people have to deal with that mental aspect.”

Mara had a conflicting and complicated relationship with food. Her eating made her shameful of her habits. She referred to her eating as her dirty little secrets. She was too embarrassed to share anything about her eating behavior to anyone including friends and family. No one even know what she was going through until the book was published. Her shame forced her to eat in private. She did not want anybody watching her as she ate and indulged in her habits. She found a safe place where she could eat in peace without anyone bothering you. She is now proud of what she went through because she believes it’s the challenges that make people the way they are. She feels that her past is what makes her the woman she is today.

She now no longer hides behind the shame of her experience. She is trying to make positive change by sharing what she learned from her lessons with other women. She realizes that weight and body image issues are a huge problem in society for women. She wants other women to know that she is there for them and has experiences that will be valuable for them to learn about.

Personal Life

She is married and resides in Harlem with her husband, daughter, and her two rescue dogs. She is a globetrotter, having visited almost all the continents around the globe. She has resided in Italy, Philippines, and also Somalia for some time.

She has enjoyed a very balanced life because of her career. She is very grateful for her husband who takes care of their child when she has to work busy days and nights away from home. Without her rock of a husband behind her, she doesn’t think she would be as stable as she is now.