You’ve seen the side-by-side. On the left, a girl who looks uncomfortable, perhaps a bit lost. On the right, Mari Llewellyn—the fitness mogul, the face of Bloom Nutrition, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.
But photos lie. Or at least, they don't tell the whole story.
Social media makes it look like she woke up one day, decided to lift a dumbbell, and suddenly became a multi-millionaire. The reality? It was messy. It involved a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), a heavy reliance on medication, and a total collapse of her mental health during her senior year at Drexel University.
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Mari Llewellyn before and after isn't just a story about losing 90 pounds. Honestly, it’s a case study on what happens when someone hits a wall so hard they have no choice but to reinvent themselves from the molecular level up.
The Rock Bottom Most People Miss
In 2017, Mari was 250 pounds. She’s 5'11", so she carried it in a way that maybe didn't scream "health crisis" to a stranger, but inside, she was falling apart. She was failing her classes. She was partying too much. The "before" wasn't just physical weight; it was a heavy, suffocating mental fog.
She was diagnosed with BPD. For those who don't know, Borderline Personality Disorder involves intense emotional instability and a skewed self-image. It’s not something you just "workout" away. She was on a cocktail of medications that, in her own words, made her feel like a zombie.
Then came the turning point.
Most people wait for a sign. Mari realized no one was coming to save her. She moved back into her parents' house, quit her medications (which she advocates doing only under medical supervision now), and started walking. Just walking.
How the Physical Shift Actually Started
The "after" didn't happen in a CrossFit box or a fancy Equinox. It started in her dad’s attic and on the local trails.
Mari often talks about her first trip to GNC. It’s kind of a legendary story in her community now. She walked in looking for something to help her journey and realized everything was marketed toward men. Huge black tubs with names like "Extreme Muscle Blast." There was nothing for the girl who just wanted to feel better and maybe reduce some bloating.
That gap in the market eventually became Bloom Nutrition, but before the supplements, there were the PDF guides.
The $5 PDF That Changed Everything
When she first posted her mari llewellyn before and after photo to her 900 followers, she didn't expect it to go viral. But it did. People weren't just impressed by the weight loss; they were obsessed with her honesty about her BPD and her struggle with self-worth.
She created a $5 workout PDF at a Kinkos.
She sold thousands.
Then she started selling resistance bands out of her dad's house.
She and her now-husband, Greg LaVecchia, were hand-writing shipping labels on the floor.
It was a grassroots movement born out of a genuine need for a female-focused fitness perspective.
The Training Philosophy: Weights Over Cardio
If you look at Mari’s routine now versus the early days, the core remains the same: heavy lifting.
A lot of women are terrified of "bulking up." Mari is the living antithesis of that fear. She focuses on compound movements—squats, deadlifts, presses. Muscle is metabolically active tissue. By building more of it, she changed her resting metabolic rate.
But it’s not all iron and sweat. She’s shifted toward a more holistic "wellness" approach lately. Her current routine often includes:
- Morning "sexy water" (Bloom colostrum, electrolytes, and glutamine).
- Red light therapy.
- Walking her dog.
- High-protein breakfasts (think sourdough, farm-fresh eggs, and berries).
- Pilates to supplement her heavy lifting.
She’s also very vocal about the "invisible" side of the after. She manages her BPD through strict discipline. For her, a routine isn't a chore; it’s a survival mechanism. If she doesn't move her body and eat well, the mental darkness starts to creep back in.
The Controversy and the Reality Check
Success brings critics. As Bloom Nutrition exploded—becoming the best-selling greens powder on Amazon—Mari faced the typical influencer backlash. Some fitness purists argue that supplements are "expensive pee." Others claim her transformation is unattainable for the average person who doesn't have 24/7 access to a home gym and high-end nutrition.
Mari's response is usually pretty transparent. She acknowledges she has resources now that she didn't have at 250 pounds. But she also points out that she did the hardest part—the first 50 pounds—when she had nothing but a pair of sneakers and a commitment to not give up on herself.
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What You Can Learn from Mari's Journey
If you're looking at your own "before" and wondering how to get to an "after," there are a few actionable takeaways here that don't involve buying a single supplement.
- Stop searching for motivation. Mari talks about this constantly. Motivation is a feeling, and feelings are fickle. Discipline is a contract you sign with yourself. You do it because you said you would, not because you feel like it.
- Learn your macros. She didn't use a fad diet. She used MyFitnessPal to learn what a "macro" even was. Understanding the balance of protein, carbs, and fats is more sustainable than any 30-day juice cleanse.
- Start with the mind. You can't fix a body you hate. Mari had to address her mental health and BPD alongside her physical fitness. If the internal dialogue doesn't change, the "after" photo will just be a thinner version of a miserable person.
- Ownership is everything. Her mantra was "save yourself." Stop waiting for the perfect trainer, the perfect partner, or the perfect time.
The mari llewellyn before and after story is still being written. Recently, she’s been open about her fertility journey, IVF, and how pregnancy is changing her relationship with her body yet again. It’s a reminder that "after" isn't a destination. It’s just the next chapter.
To start your own shift, don't look for a 100-pound loss. Look for a 10-minute walk. Start by tracking your water intake or hitting a protein goal for just one day. The empire comes later; the effort starts now.
Next Steps for Your Own Transformation:
- Audit your environment: Remove the foods and influences that trigger your "before" habits.
- Identify your "Why": If it’s just about looking good in a swimsuit, you’ll quit by February. If it’s about mental clarity and longevity, you’ll stay the course.
- Track, don't guess: Use an app to track your movement and nutrition for one week to get an honest baseline of where you are.