34-year-old Victoria Holmes made the decision to change her life in order to care for her new puppy.
The office worker weighed 253 pounds at her heaviest, due to her stressful office job, partying, and her tendency to relax with sweets and booze.
"I worked in an office and would do the pasty run for the lads at lunch," she said. "We ate so badly as the job was quite stressful and we didn't really get a lunch break."
"I was [sitting down] all day so didn't really get any exercise," she continued. "I couldn't wait to get home so I could crack open a bottle of wine, sit on the sofa and watch TV."
However, everything changed for Holmes when she and her husband brought home their new puppy. "My husband and I had just bought a puppy and I was out of breath just taking it for a walk," she said, "and I knew I couldn't continue like that, so I started exercising more as well."
Soon, Holmes managed to drop 97 pounds after joining a gym. She completed a marathon and has now decided to compete in professional bodybuilding competitions.
"Bodybuilding appealed to me because I wanted to get rid of all the excess skin and flab I had left and turn it into muscle," she said.
Holmes is now the owner of a gym and plans to open another one next month.
