Becky Motton, 29, ballooned up to 21 stone and was wearing size 24 clothes when she realised she had to make a change.
She wasn't eating much throughout the day but would sip on two huge bottles of sugary drink Dr Pepper throughout the day.
Then at night she'd snack on crisps, cakes and sweets because she'd not eaten real food all day.
"I would just go through the fridge and cupboards and eat what I saw," Becky, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, told The Mirror.
The stay-at-home mum's unhealthy habits took hold when her partner suddenly died in March 2014 - and she fell into a deep depression.
"I wasn't in a good place for years with my mental health. I was binge eating and not looking after myself," she said.
But, with her kids in mind, Becky bravely managed to battle her demons and ditched her unhealthy habits. She gave up Dr Pepper and started walking everywhere to get plenty of exercise.
And before she knew it, the weight began to fall off her.
After completely changing her lifestyle, Becky has shed nearly 10 stone and wears size 12 clothes.
The mum-of-two is proud of her achievements, but underneath her slinky silhouette, something has left her a bit self conscious.
Becky's phenomenal weight loss has left her with saggy skin around her torso, which she reckons weighs another stone and a half.
She said: "In clothes I look fine and get loads of compliments from people telling me I look great but they don't know what is underneath."
The mum added she has to think of ways to hide the heavy skin in her clothes when she goes out.
"My belly hangs down and I hate it. My personal trainer says my muscles are completely split and useless, no exercise will ever repair the damage. I need surgery.
"I hate how it looks and how it feels. If I bend down I can feel how everything falls out.
"My boobs slip out of my bra. My back kills me carrying this extra stone and a half on my front. I am not a shape that clothes fit nicely anymore."
Becky described how she bakes in the heat during the summer because she wears long sleeves and trousers to hide the skin.
"Sometimes I wish I'd stayed big," she said.
Now, she's decided to do something about the skin and is fundraising for £8,500 to pay for private surgery to take it away forever.
She said: "I am asking for this money as a last resort because I can’t bear staying like this.
“I was actually approved for surgery on my breasts when I was 15 because they have always been really uneven.
“I didn’t have the surgery at the time because I was scared but now I really need the help and I can’t get it.”
After everything she's been through, Becky is gutted she can't enjoy her incredible new frame because of the excess skin.
"It has taken a long time for me to get strong for my kids but it has been so worth it. Now I feel happier in my life but this skin is the only thing really getting me down," she said.
"I feel anxious and want to hide my body away. It's hard to be so uncomfortable and hot in public.
"I feel guilty that I'm not wanting to do exciting things with the kids out of the house because I have so much shame about how I look.
"Now I will do whatever it takes to get this surgery and I won't stop fighting until my kids have the happy, carefree mum I am trying so hard to be."
