Michele Rice-Nelson lost 100 pounds and is now telling others they too can take control of their weight and circumstances.
Before the transformation, Rice-Nelson, who is featured in the new issue of People as one of the magazine's "Beyond the Scale" success stories, was diagnosed with prediabetes and suffered from spinal degeneration.
At the time, she was also caring for her mother, who was in the late stages of Alzheimer's disease, and her 6-year-old son.
As she gained more weight, her mobility started to get compromised to the point that she had to rely on a cane to move around.
The circumstances also limited her world. Rice-Nelson told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday that it was during an unhappy period of her life.
"This picture represents a very sad period in my life, when things were really out of control for me," she said.
MORE: Mom who lost 100 pounds and became a champion powerlifter shares how she took control of her health"I was the caregiver to my mom, who suffered from Alzheimer's dementia. I am a person who lives with disabilities," she said. "I have spinal degeneration, which has caused paralysis in my right hand and my right foot so I don't have full functionality on my right side. I have low vision. But I had to care for my mom because she needed me. And I'm also an older mother to a young child and during the pandemic I had to homeschool him. So all of these factors combined created the perfect storm for me to gain the weight and to be depressed."
But Rice-Nelson said she began to turn her life around after she received a prediabetes diagnosis.
"The turning point actually was when I was diagnosed with prediabetes. Both of my parents had been folks with diabetes. My father died due to complications related to diabetes. So hence my weight loss journey," Rice-Nelson said.
Rice-Nelson started with the help of Nutrisystem and committed to walking, regardless of the circumstances.
"When I gained the weight, I first considered bariatric surgery. When I thought long and hard about the long-term complications, I said no. Nutrisystem was there. It seemed easy. With my chaotic life, it was a program that fit right in because I did not have to think about anything. I was already thinking about everything for everyone so the food was delivered to me. I had breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, everything was set out. That was good," Rice-Nelson said.
She also said she continues to walk every single day, no matter the weather.
"I walk rain, sleet, shine. It does not matter," she said. "I know people think I'm crazy when they see me but I walk. That's part of what I do daily. It's like oxygen, food, water, oxygen. This is something I need."
Rice-Nelson is now encouraging other people to believe in themselves and persevere through adversity, regardless of the situation they're facing.
"My advice to others is, if you fall down, don't stay down. Persevere through adversity and believe in the power of you to make those changes," she said.
"Beyond the Scale" is featured in the latest issue of People.