TORONTO -- In 2014, Lindy Cellucci made a life-changing decision.
鈥淚t鈥檚 time,鈥� she said aloud to herself as she stood at the top of the stairs leading down to the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick.
Weighing more than 299 pounds at the time, Cellucci watched as her thinner friends made it down the nearly 500 steps to the ocean floor for a close-up look at the towering rock formations.
鈥淭hey were laughing, taking selfies and I was up top and I was feeling very sorry for myself. I was ashamed,鈥� she told CTV鈥檚 Your Morning on Wednesday. 鈥淚 said 鈥業t鈥檚 time.鈥� I can鈥檛 do this anymore. I鈥檓 missing out on life and I鈥檓 not going to see my kids have kids.鈥�
Soon after, Cellucci signed up for Weight Watchers, bought a Fitbit, and began an incredible weight-loss journey 鈥� one that would eventually save her life.
A year and a half later, the mother of two had lost 82 pounds and was turning around her health. That is, until she received some devastating news around Christmas.
Cellucci had just come inside from a walk on a cold day and placed her hands in her armpits to warm them up when she felt a lump in her breast, which she said she wouldn鈥檛 have been able to detect had she not lost the weight.
The Toronto woman was diagnosed with Stage 2A breast cancer and began six months of chemotherapy and radiation. Because of the steroids she was taking as part of her treatment, Cellucci gained back all of the weight she had lost.
Despite the setback, Cellucci was determined to shed the weight again.
In January 2017, she was given the all-clear from her doctors and she went right back to her Weight Watchers program, walking, boot camp, Zumba, and aqua swim classes.
鈥淚 just said 鈥榊ou鈥檙e going to live. This is all done. Let鈥檚 just get on with it,鈥欌�� she recalled. 鈥淎nd I just started again.鈥�
Now 60 years old, Cellucci has lost 150 pounds, or half her body weight. Her remarkable transformation has even attracted the attention of the editors of , which featured her on the cover of the annual 鈥淗alf Their Size鈥� issue in January.
And while she鈥檚 embracing all of the positive feedback she鈥檚 received, Cellucci said she鈥檚 still in the process of forgiving herself for gaining that much weight in the first place.
鈥淚 need to forgive her because I don鈥檛. I still don鈥檛,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚鈥檓 still working on forgiving her because I was a good person, even though I was fat. I was a good mom, and generous, and funny. I was just fat.鈥�
