I grew up on a dairy farm outside of a small town called Seaforth in Ontario, Canada. Despite physically working hard since I was little on the farm, I was overweight my entire life. While I did plenty of labor feeding animals and helping in the fields, I never played sportsor watched what I ate.

As I got older, my weight continued to climb. Most of my life I stayed away from the scale. The heavier I got, the harder and more distant any weight-loss goal seemed. When I went away to college, I was scared, nervous, and really missing home. As I made friends in my program, life became easier. But we routinely went out for drinks, food, and partiedall pretty standard ingredients for weight gain.

One time when I was back at home for a holiday break, I snuck away to weigh myself. I remember stepping on the scale and seeing 300 pounds. I felt so hopeless and lost. I wasnt sure of how to even tackle that amount of weight. Id tried many times throughout my life to diet and exercise, but it never stuck.

Things changed for me when I met my amazing boyfriend (now my fianc!) in April 2013.

I was at my heaviest weight, but he loved me for me. Three years later, in August 2016, we finally decided to sign up for a gym membership together.

At first, I was clueless as to where to begin. I had been living the opposite of a healthy life, so this was uncharted territory. I started working out with cardio machines like the stair stepper because I didnt know the gym very well. And I started eating lots of whole foods .

Initially, I was doing great. By December 2016, Id lost about 40 pounds. But then we decided to make Fridays our cheat day. Friday turned into Saturday, and Sunday, and then I was back at square one by Monday. This unhealthy roller coaster made me want to give up. I put the weight back on.

In March 2017, I decided to start fresh. This time felt different. I was ready to commit to a healthy body, mind, and soul.

While I had many moments over the years in which I felt I would change my lifestyle, I truly believed that this time was the real dealbecause I wanted it for myself. I was ready to put my everything into a healthier future, and I wasnt going to rely on someone else to do it for me. At this point in my life, I had my career set, and I was in love and had my fianc beside me, so I was ready for a change that was solely focused on me.

I set a goal to lose 100 pounds by my birthday on January 8, 2018.

I also got serious about fitness and started working out six days a week.

Like with any lifestyle change, I knew I had a lot to learn, but I stuck with it. For every workout, I did about one hour of cardio plus a few exercises on weight machines. I spent a lot of time watching and absorbing as much as I could from online videos and other gym-goers.

As I learned more and gained more confidence in the gym, I started using free weights. But eventually my knee began to bother me, so I turned to low-impact HIIT workouts so I could continue on my journey to a healthier life.

I also learned about nutrition. For me, understanding macros was a game-changer.

When I learned about macros, aka macronutrients, I decided to start tracking the ratio of proteins, carbs, and fats I was taking in. I found a online and set my starting point.

When I wasnt seeing results, I tried lowering my carb intake. Ultimately, I started losing weight with a low-carb, high-fat, high-protein diet keto .

Heres what I eat on a typical day:

• Breakfast: One egg, a cup of egg whites, an avocado, green tea, and coffee with cream
• Lunch: Tuna salad (a can of tuna, pickles, mayo, and parmesan cheese) and a side Caesar salad
• Snacks: Hard-boiled egg with turkey bacon, a protein bar, or parmesan crisps with guacamole
• Dinner: Grilled salmon and a mixed greens salad with avocado

By October 2017, Id lost 100 pounds. Id reached my weight-loss goal three months earlier than Id expected.

I felt unstoppable. By January 2018, Id lost another 27 pounds. By April, Id lost a total of 138 pounds. At this point, Ive lost 141 pounds, and now I just want to maintain my current weight and gain muscle.

These days, Im still going strong with regular workouts and a healthy diet. I love low-impact HIIT workouts, with weight lifting mixed in. I feel like I finally took control of something Ive struggled with for so many years. I am strong, unstoppable, and most importantly, happy and healthy.

Ive learned that weight-loss is never linear.

When I struggled to lose weight, I tried to look at it as a learning opportunity and ask myself why. Its important to be ready to roll with the punches and make changes when things arent working.

Early on, I found the thought of wanting to lose over 100 pounds daunting, so I made it a point to shift my focus to the day in front of me. Id do my best that day, and if I didnt track everything perfectly or eat perfectly, I would take that in stride and commit to doing better the next day.