Lisa O'Connor says she has struggled with her weight for a few years and watched on as the scale went up and down.
However, it was when the Covid-19 pandemic hit that Lisa took a good look at her health and decided she needed to make a big change.
"I was just after having my daughter and Covid had just started," she told RSVP Live.
"It was very scary, everyone was afraid of this unknown virus and everywhere in the news, it said all the fat people were ending up in ICU. I was like, 'What kind of mother am I if I end up really, really sick because I'm fat?"
Lisa had experience losing weight before, but was unable to keep it off.
"I had lost weight before when I had my son, but then I piled the weight on - I was sick, I had a really stressful job. But then there was really no excuse."
Lisa started off by counting her calories and eating within a calorie deficit.
"I didn't want a 'get slim quick' thing," she explained. "I wanted to be able to do something that I could do long term.
"It takes a couple of weeks to get your head around calorie counting but then it's second nature."
Lisa lost a total of four and a half stone, which is a huge amount. She says she feels so much better for it.
"My energy levels are out of this world," she said. "I look younger.
"I love going to buy clothes because I used to go and buy big jumpers to hide everything. But I have a small waist now, so I'm going to show it off!"
Lisa shared her advice for anyone in a similar position who wants to lose weight but doesn't know where to start.
"I think the first step for anyone is, you have to be ready," Lisa said. "It doesn't matter what the diet is. It's all about the willpower. If you're not in it, it's just not there.
"But everybody can track what they ease. Get familiar with recording what you're eating. And sometimes when you see the amount of calories in things, you naturally start to cut down or choose the healthier option."
Lisa has an Instagram account full of food inspiration anyone who is on a calorie deficit and you can check it out here.
