MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – We’re almost through the first month of 2016 and fitness experts agree only 10% of people can be considered successful when it comes to their diet and exercise resolutions.

However, there are always success stories that defy the statistics, News13 met one resolutioner still at it two years later, even if the start took a little longer than expected.

“It was a News Years resolution to lose weight but it was February when I saw the ad in the paper,” said Finola Jacobucci.

At the time Jacobucci was 197 pounds at only 5′ 2″, “gastric bypass was just around the corner,” she said.

Beyond the medical implications, Jacobucci says she was embarrassed, ” I couldn’t clime stairs, when I bent over I would feel like I was getting sick; so I knew I had to do something.”

Do something she did, losing 70 pounds with a little help from Morgan Beaudry, head trainer at Anytime Fitness.

“At first I thought, ‘she’s young, she’s beautiful, I have nothing in common with this woman,'” said Jacobucci.

It only took one session for them to make a connection and a commitment to start her fitness journey together.

“I could not be where I am today without Morgan. She encourages me everyday, I just owe where I am to her,” said Jacobucci.

The feelings go both ways, “she’s changed my life as well,” said Beaudry as she was tearing up.

It’s emotional because of how far Jacobucci has come and because Beaudry says so few resolutioners actually reach their goals.

“We’ve found that 85% of people who start a diet or exercise routine quit after 3 months,” said Beaudry.

She did offer three tips that can change those odds, “take a class to get out of your comfort zone, make a friend a the gym, and work with a trainer.”

Jacobucci is proof that putting that into advice one day at a time, can lead to real results over time.

“And the more you go the better you get; and you see results which keeps you going which keeps you motivated. You have higher energy levels and eventually it becomes a part of your life,” said Jacobucci.

Trainers say going to the gym with a partner or spouse will more than double your chances of success.