A woman has shared her inspirational story after managing to lose 12 stone, following various health problems and struggles to get pregnant.
Alida Elizabeth Dreyer, who lives in Sydney, Australia, has suffered a number of health issues during her lifetime such as PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), insulin resistance and poor mental health.
She believes that these, along with a history of obesity in her family, contributed to her weight gain - but became determined to shed the kilos.
Alida was bullied over her weight from a young age, and began to skip school as her mental health deteriorated - later being diagnosed with depression at the age of 12.
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She admitted her diet was 'very poor' and she would consume up to 5,000 calories per day.
Alida, who now works in professional services, said: "I gained my weight steadily over the ages of 6-23. At the age of 10 I weighed 82kg [12.9st]."
At her heaviest, Alida weighed 145.1kg (22.8st). She added: "I was eating six slices of toast for breakfast with a hot milo, and then would have a carb-heavy lunch such as pasta or Mac and Cheese.
"Dinner would be meat, vegetables and carbs such as rice or pasta again and my portions would be extremely big."
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She and her boyfriend at the time tried for a baby but struggled to conceive naturally, with doctors warning her weight and other underlying health conditions would make it increasingly difficult to get pregnant.
Two days after visiting a fertility clinic, Alida ended her unhappy relationship. She also began to feel more and more ashamed about her appearance, and decided to radically overhaul her diet and exercise routine.
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She also has gastric sleeve surgery in March 2017, which she says helped her to control her portion size.
Alida continued: "I was at a very low point in my life, at the age of 23 I was morbidly obese and unable to do the basic things that anyone should be able to do. I couldn't walk more than 100m without being sore."
She has since maintained a health weight of 68kg (10.7st), and now follows a vegan diet.
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Alida has also signed up to compete in the World Beauty Fitness and Fashion competition next year in the transformation division, and has even set up an Instagram page called Half of Alida, where she shares her weight loss journey with her 6,000 followers.
As well as having a gastric sleeve fitted, Alida has also had a breast lift and a subsequent revision, along with reduction and implants, a lower body lift with a FDL (Fleur de Lis), plus a back lift, two arm lifts and thigh lift, liposuction to her calves, revision of a scar and a second thigh lift.
Hoping to inspire others, Alida said: "My biggest tip is that it is okay to slip up and make mistakes, we are human and that is normal."
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She added: "I never understood how much I was missing out on when I was obese. I thought it was natural and normal to feel sore and tired all of the time. Now I have so much energy and I don't just survive, I thrive!"
Featured Image Credit: Jam PressTopics: Weight Loss, World News, News, Australia