Anastasia Chiarello, 25, from Sydney, weighed 170 kilos before she embarked on a drastic mission.
As well as undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, she followed a dedicated new diet and exercise regimen which saw the weight fall off.
Specifically, she said that eating tuna salad daily helped her edge closer to her weightloss goals.
Now, two years after her mission began, she has celebrated a milestone – losing half her body weight.
But despite her incredible achievement, the young Australian tells New Idea that life isn’t always rosy.
‘Let's talk about weight loss for a minute - the real parts about weight loss,’ she says.
‘All that fat, all of those extra bits of random fat, how my thighs are so squished together, how my stomach hangs over my thighs and how much weight hangs over all of my bones and organs.
‘Where did you think all that skin was going to go? The skin that's been pulled and stretched to its limits every day and has been holding all that fat. It stays - right there.
‘And as the fat disappears the skin just sticks around. It makes me look bigger than I am and most days I hate the fact that I don't have the body I've worked so hard for,' Anastasia admits candidly.
‘But then I remember I'm happy, healthy and I, even with all that extra skin, look and feel better than ever.
‘If I had that part of me surgically removed I would be at my ultimate physical and weight goals.
‘But it's just not that simple. So, we do what we can - focus on the positives and the only thing that gets me through the day is the fact that even though it may not look so good, it shows how hard I've worked.'
