A woman who says she was dumped by her boyfriend because she 'too fat to conceive' has gone on to drop 12st 2lbs in just a year.
Alida Dreyer, from Sydney in Australia, says she was overweight even as a young child and when she grew older, and was later diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, she saw her weight creep up and up until she tipped the scales at 22st 11lb.
Her size impacted her confidence and Alida says she didn't start dating until she was 18 and got her first boyfriend at 20.
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By the time she turned 23, Alida decided she wanted a baby, but doctors told her she was too overweight to conceive and a month later her relationship broke down.
Although devastating this acted as a trigger and Alida dropped 6st 4lbs using a combination of diet and exercise - she then had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy and lost another 5st 2lbs.
Alida, 27, said: "I have always been the 'big girl' ever since I can remember. Food was my vice and with it came a passion for cooking and baking.
"I chose a career in counselling to help other people so I could avoid facing my own problems, having suffered anxiety and depression since I was 13. Being overweight lead to extreme bullying in school and it got so bad I didn't attend for up to three months at a time.
"Whilst I could blame having 'fat genes' from both sides of my family or PCOS from aged 13, I was still given the tools to live a lifestyle that would prevent weight gain and chose not to use them. It was my addiction to food that lead to my previous weight.
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"This addiction was fuelled by a difficult relationship with my mother who reminded me I was fat and shouldn't be eating the foods I was. I felt like the only thing I could control in my life was the food I put in my mouth, so to have some control and spite others, I ate what I wanted and when I wanted. Any emotion I felt, I combated by eating. It was a vicious cycle.
"At my largest I was 22st 11lb and wore a dress size 26. In a day I ate about 3,500 calories. Imagine weighing that much and trying to squeeze into an airplane seat, I had to ask for the belt extender and the arm rests dug so deeply into my thighs they left bruises.
"Oh, and I was judged by the air hostess. I couldn't even walk 100m without my calves cramping and getting chafing so bad I bled.
"I was always sweating on hot Australian summer days and being intimate was impossible because your body can't move the way it should.
"Besides my own family calling me fat all the time, other people said things like 'You have a pretty face for a fat girl' and 'You'd be pretty if you lost weight' and people sometimes made 'Thump, thump, thump' noises behind me. I was horrified and ran to the bathroom crying.
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"I hated myself, I was self-harming, I thought about suicide. I didn't want to live. I learnt to act confident and happy by being the person who constantly makes jokes. I felt like no one could love me the way I looked so I became the 'yes girl' who agreed to everything.
"I hated my body and covered it with loose clothing. I wore low cut tops to try and distract people away from looking at my body.
"Since I was six years old, I always wanted to be a mother. When I was 23, I was trying to have a baby and was told that I would not be able to conceive at the size I was. A month later my toxic relationship ended, and my world came crashing down.
"I was stripped to the absolute core and forced to take a look at myself. From that day on I decided I had to learn to love myself."
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But losing weight was only half the battle for Alida, as she was left with excess skin which hung down, ripped and then became infected. She had to undergo three operations to remove the skin.
She added: "My breasts went from a 22JJ to a 10E, of which was all loose skin. My stomach hung so low that it came out of the bottom of my undies. My thigh skin was so bad I couldn't wear pants because the skin got caught when I walked which made it rip. It made exercise impossible.
"I have had three long and painful skin removals. One of which was 15 hours long."
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"I've lost more friends these last few years than in my entire life. As I started to lose weight and love myself, I found my self-worth and I realised I was worth more than people gave me credit for. I started saying no to people, started to grow a backbone and standing up for myself and friends moved away from me.
"Most people are kind about my weight loss they tell me I'm an inspiration and they congratulate me for losing so much. Some people even tell me it can't be me in the before picture. They even tell me I must be lying, and it can't be real.
"I love myself sick now! I am strong, I am confident, and I am worthy. I believe that I'm worthy to live a life that I want to live, a life that I am proud of. When I look into the mirror now, I smile. I love each of my scars, they tell a different story of strength and of overcoming my demons.
"I have chosen to openly share my non-filtered life through Instagram which isn't always easy, but I do it in hopes to even just help one person who is in the same place I was a few years ago.
"I thrive through helping other young people make positive steps in their life. I encourage people to please message me if they need someone to help them get started or just someone to talk to."
Featured Image Credit: Media Drum World