Losing weight is something every girl wants to do throughout most of her life. At some point, you finally realize it’s time. But there are so many tips and tricks out there. Where should you start?

First, it’s important to realize a few things. You must know that bodies are different and what works for your best friend won’t necessarily work for you. It’s important to try lots of things and to do your research so you know what you might want to try. Committing to being healthier is a big deal and might not be something you want to think about 100% of the time.

Next, you should realize that the number on the scale really doesn’t matter much. Many people find it helpful to choose an article of clothing for a goal instead. For a lot of people losing weight, what they’ll accomplish is toning which can actually mean a gain in weight. So, instead of being sad about the weight you haven’t lost, be happy because you finally fit into that gorgeous dress you love.

Remember, mental health is a big part of becoming healthy. Yes, I know the goal is to lose weight here, but if you’re under immense stress or not getting enough sleep you are not being healthy at all! Your mental health can make all the difference.

Now that the basics have been covered, I’ll tell you exactly how I did it.

It’s important to know a brief health history of mine because this is a big part of why it worked for me.

So, to begin with, I was obese. Before starting my new weight loss plan I was almost 240 pounds. For someone taller than me, the weight wouldn’t have been as noticeable, but I’m only five foot five inches tall, so it was definitely an issue. I haven’t been overweight all my life though. My weight gain started around the time I hit puberty and just got worse over time. Before going on my diet, I ate virtually constantly, and my only exercise was very low-intensity cheer practices. This new diet has been a complete lifestyle change for me.

Once I decided I wanted to lose weight, I gathered information. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in the summer, and my doctor told me one of the only ways to lose weight, due to the way my hormones work, was to exercise at least some and eat low-carb. He also put me on birth control to help regulate my weight and other PCOS symptoms.

I followed my doctor’s instructions (mostly).

Upon starting my freshman year at Miami University in the fall I began getting active. I didn’t go to the gym, that seemed like too much work. Instead, my exercise was walking to and from class. On such a big campus, my daily commute to classes from my dorm had me walking two miles or more! So, the exercise was covered, and I didn’t even add anything other than what I do on a daily basis!

The next step was going low-carb. Yuck.

Seriously, who doesn’t love cheesy bread, pasta, potatoes and anything with sugar in it?! It was basically all I ate before starting my diet. This was the most difficult part of losing weight, but just because I was low-carb, didn’t mean I didn’t have cheat days. Honestly, every day was somewhat of a cheat day. Usually I would have rice with a meal and always had at least one super sugary drink from Starbucks.

Other than those little cheats, I ate mostly low-carb. I didn’t count after the first week because it began to drive me crazy. Also, some of the carbs I was counting really weren’t bad for me. It was much more useful for me to steer away from high-carb foods than to stay below 60g of carbs every day.

I’m in college, so sadly the choices aren’t great, and a lot of what I ate at first was salad. Over time, I found ways to eat low-carb that wasn’t just a salad for every meal. In some places, you can just ask for no pasta. That’s a whole lot of carbs already taken away! The other thing I did was take the low-carb food off of the carbs. In other words, I take the cheese and meat off a slice of pizza and leave the entire crust. Mildly wasteful, but this is college and I do NOT have the will-power to just eat salad every day.

Anyway, I did that for three months. Minimal exercise and slightly low-carb, but still, I lost 30 pounds.

The “trick” was being consistent. I didn’t have an entire day of cheating and I didn’t skip out on class (and therefore my exercise).

This article has been in past tense, because yes, it’s what I did to lose 30 pounds. But it’s not only past tense. I’m continuing the consistency. This isn’t just a diet to lose a couple pounds. It’s a life commitment for me.

Losing weight doesn’t have to be the horrible chore that it feels like. Remind yourself that you’re getting healthy. The number on the scale isn’t always the most important thing. Sometimes it’s much more important how you feel. That is the key to becoming healthy.