One Woman Shares the Real Key to Her Dramatic 115-Pound Weight Loss

Losing weight — especially a substantial amount — can be an overwhelming task. You're told to cut all of your bad habits, transform your diet and adopt a hard-hitting fitness routine. Even if you accomplish all these things, the pounds don't just drop off instantly.

Jessica Metzger knows this struggle well, as she's been there multiple times before. Once 280 pounds, she realized it was time to take control of her health and managed to lose 115 pounds!

Above all, Metzger wants others to know that even with hard work, the weight doesn't drop off. The true key to weight loss, she says, is realizing you're in this journey long term.

In a recent Instagram post, she shared an impressive before-and-after photo of her transformation, along with some inspiring words for followers.

You don't have to go from 0 to 100 overnight when getting started on this journey. It's okay to take baby steps, it's okay to cut back on one bad habit at a time, it's perfectly fine to start being more active by taking a walk every day. You don't need to go from eating junk & fast food every day to following a strict 'clean' eating diet -- or from being completely sedentary to spending hours in the gym. You can (& SHOULD) take your time learning new healthy habits that you can maintain LONGTERM. I started on this journey but cutting back on liquid calories (soda, juice etc), drinking more water, eating smaller portions of foods I enjoyed and working out (heavily modified) to DVDs in my living room. & guess what? That's pretty much exactly what I'm still doing 5+ years into this journey. I workout at home (using Beachbody DVDs), I make healthier choices in the kitchen & chug my water. It doesn't happen overnight. It takes patience and dedication to yourself. It's not easy, but it's well worth it...♥️. •••DON'T FORGET! My next DietBet is starting in 13 days!! Link to play is in my bio!!•••. #transformationtuesday #myjourney #transform #weightloss #healthy #fitspo #goals #100poundweightloss #motivation #samegirl #newmindset #healthy #lifestyle #getfit #change #youcantoo

A post shared by 👋🏼Hi, I'm Jessica Ann (@join_jessica_xo) on Sep 19, 2017 at 2:55pm PDT

"You don't have to go from 0 to 100 overnight when getting started on this journey," she said. "It's okay to take baby steps, it's okay to cut back on one bad habit at a time, it's perfectly find to start being more active by taking a walk every day."

She debunked the myth that you have to completely transform your lifestyle from day 1 to see results. "You don't need to go from eating junk & fast food every day to following a strict 'clean' eating diet — or from being completely sedentary to spending hours in the gym."

Metzger also opened up about her own impressive journey. "I started on this journey [by] cutting back on liquid calories (soda, juice, etc.), drinking more water, eating smaller portions of foods I enjoyed and working out (heavily modified) to DVDs in my living room."

It's been five years and 115 pounds later but Metzger says she still follows this same plan to maintain her weight loss. Now, she rocks through Beachbody videos and tries to make healthier choices in the kitchen, all while chugging her water each day.

We all want results overnight. We wanna see immediate payoff for our hard work. But unfortunately, that's not the way anything in life works & that includes your journey to becoming healthier..💙. This is YEARS of TRYING. Perfect? No. Determined to get back up and keep pushing forward even after royally fu*king up? Absolutely. If losing weight is easy for you, then you can consider yourself lucky. It's not easy for me, never has been & probably never will be. Learning new habits has been HARD. I lost 100 pounds & gained every single pound back. Just to find myself at 280 pounds again, feeling hopeless, like I was just 'meant to be fat forever'. Trust me, I fed myself excuses to the point I believed what I was saying..😰. I wish I could tell you I had an 'ah-ha' moment to help you find yours, but for me it didn't exist. I just knew that if I wanted to LIVE, like really really LIVE, not just EXIST, something needed to change. It started with just wanting to change my body•••but I've changed more mentally than anything else along the way..🙌🏼. Easy? No. Worth it? Absolutely..🖤. Believe in yourself••that's number one. YOU CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO, promise!..👊🏼👊🏼💥. #transformation #transformationtuesday #weightloss #myjourney #losingweight #fitspo #igfit #fitchick #goals #motivation #change #ig_transformations #beforeandafter #strongnotskinny #strongwomen

A post shared by 👋🏼Hi, I'm Jessica Ann (@join_jessica_xo) on Jun 20, 2017 at 5:26am PDT

Her advice to others who are contemplating their own journeys is to start today, but take your time.

"It doesn't happen overnight," she encouraged. "It takes patience and dedication to yourself. It's not easy, but it's well worth it."

Photo credit: Instagram / @join_jessica_xo