Justine McCabe, 31, went from 310 pounds to 124 pounds, and recorded the process by taking a selfie a day.
Faced with the turmoil of losing her husband, one California woman decided fight her grief through an incredible weight loss.
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Justine McCabe told InsideEdition.com that she decided to take a selfie-a-day as a reflection on her journey as she shed pounds and coped with her loss.
Little did McCabe know, the video compilation of dropping 180 pounds would go viral, inspiring women around the world.
The 31-year-old said her entire journey started when her mom died in 2013, and her new husband died just over a year later.
"I wanted to feel better about myself, and feel like I was doing something," McCabe told InsideEdition.com. "I needed to choose to live, and to do something that was for me."
Her friends encouraged her to go to the gym, if only to get her mind off her heartbreak.
But one thing still felt uneasy to her. McCabe, who weighed 313 pounds at the time, said she felt like the person in the mirror was not who she was. So she decided to take a picture every day until she looked the way she felt.
McCabe said she went to the gym more and more, finding it a helpful tool to help get her through her grieving process.
But as a hairdresser, McCabe said her clients often posed questions about her late husband. It was hard at first, but she eased into the idea of opening up and blogging about her process through weight loss and grief.
"I realized this might help other people that are in my same shoes and don't feel like they can get through their bad days," she said.
Slowly but surely, her lifestyle began to change. Instead of staying at home and watching TV with her kids, 9 and 12, she started taking them outside more. Her meals went from elaborate to simple, and McCabe has motivated herself to go to the gym every single day.
Finally, in a timelapse video of every image she took of herself in more than a year, McCabe shows off how she went from 313 pounds, to just 124 pounds.
"To now look back on it and be like, 'Holy crap I did it," she said, "it just blows my mind."
But, she said the video is more than her journey with weight. It also demonstrated her mental growth.
"I was only showing my best friend," she said. Her friend then pointed out that she looks happier and happier in each photo. "Her and I would mostly talk about the expression in my face. We wouldn't really even talk about my body."
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The video now has more than 240,000 views, and the fitness guru says she's not turning back.
"I'm so far now," McCabe told InsideEdition.com. "I am never going back. This is the life I want to live."
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