( CNN ) -- The phone call was short , and not at all sweet . `` Do you weigh more than 160 pounds ? '' the voice on the other end asked Karyna Douglass . `` Yeah , I know I do , '' she replied . And that was it . Douglass ' call to the local Navy recruiting center lasted less than five minutes . `` I felt horrible , '' she remembers . `` I thought maybe I could change that . I did n't realize how big I actually was . '' It was on a whale-watching trip to celebrate her 22nd birthday that Douglass first toyed with the idea of joining the military . She noticed her fellow passengers on the boat were really enamored with the Coast Guardsmen patrolling nearby . At the time , Douglass was working a part-time job in Portland , Oregon . She was n't having any luck getting student loans to go back to school and was having serious issues with her family . To deal with it , she turned to food , eating fast food during the day and binging on candy when she got home at night . Chocolate was her drug of choice . Sometimes with a side of ice cream . `` I was realizing that the people who you thought were going to be there for you were n't at all , '' she says . `` I felt trapped . '' The 5-foot-7 22-year-old weighed 300 pounds . After the painful phone call , Douglass started running every night around her neighborhood . A few months later she went to the Navy recruiting center in person . As she was about to enter , an Army recruiter from the next office over called out to her . It was the first time Douglass had ever seen a soldier up close . `` I just sort of stared , '' she says with a laugh , as the recruiter told her about their morning workout program for potential enlistees . She dragged a friend to the first training session . They started by running laps , then moved on to push-ups . Douglass left shortly after the warm-up . `` It does n't sound like much now , but at that point , oh my God , it made me throw up , '' she says . The friends went to get milkshakes to make themselves feel better . It was two weeks before Douglass gathered the courage to go back . No one from the Army called her . Her friend did n't push . `` I just thought , if I 'm really serious I have to give it a shot . '' She worked out with the group every day that week , Monday through Thursday . It was hard , but she realized she could do it . Douglass started waking up at 4 a.m. every day to take a bus to the group 's morning workout . They run 2.5 to 4 miles , and then she heads to the gym before going to work . On Tuesdays and Thursdays she takes the bus back for an afternoon workout of jumping jacks , mountain climbers and push-ups . She also overhauled her diet , cutting out fast food , fried food and soda , and limiting her candy intake . Every week she tries a new diet to keep it interesting -- one week she avoids carbohydrates ; another week she skips meat . A year and three months later , Douglass has lost 110 pounds . She was sworn into the Army on December 12 . `` I fell in love with their world , '' she told CNN affiliate KPTV . `` I fell in love with the bonds that I created with these people . I fell in love for what they stand for . '' It was n't always easy . There were days when she would call Sgt . Cody Baker , the Future Soldier Leader , and quit . `` I would go months without losing weight . It was so frustrating , '' she says . `` I remember ... just saying , ' I ca n't do this . I 'm never going to be small enough . ' '' But Baker never gave up on her . Neither did Douglass ' friends and roommates , who encouraged her to stay on track . Today , Douglass is `` literally a walking Army billboard . '' Her clothes , her room and her accessories are all advertisements for her new family . She 's looking forward to basic training , and plans to drop another 20 pounds . Her advice to others who want to lose weight ? Lie to yourself . `` You love this feeling . You love being tired . You love being sore . Because in the end , you will . '' Mission complete : 100 pounds gone .
Karyna Douglass wanted to join the military but did not meet the weight requirements . In a little over a year , she has lost 110 pounds , and hopes to drop 20 more . Douglass was sworn into the Army on December 12 .