'I'm a different person!' Woman dropped 9st and 7 dress sizes during incredible weight loss transformation

During her transformation, Valentia Luciano, 33, also dropped from a size 26 dress to a healthy size 12 to 14.

Valentia first piled on the pounds as she used food as a comfort whenever she felt sad or stressed.

She said: “I’ve always struggled with my weight. I once went to a fairground and I couldn’t fit on one of the rides. The first thing I did was go to the doughnut stall.

“Takeaways were my addiction, whether I was happy or sad. Everything revolved around food for me.”

Despite trying new workouts and diet plans, Valentia struggled to achieve any real weight loss results.

She said: “At my heaviest, I was 22st 7lb. I was weighed at a Slimming World group and I just walked straight back out. I didn’t know where to start. I had been counting calories since I was 13.”

The hairdresser had to completely change her diet plan to achieve her results.

Most important for Valentia was learning to not rely on food for comfort.

She said: "I didn’t know how to make myself feel better [without food]. I used to comfort eat so afterwards I couldn’t comfort myself.

"Now I’m focusing on self care and I’m happy with my size."

As well as a healthy diet, she opted for gastric sleeve surgery, which she had done at Weight Loss Riga in Latvia.

A gastric band is a weight loss surgery for those who are extremely overweight and it involves a band being placed around your stomach.

It can help slimmers to feel fuller and therefore eat less, but the decision to do this should not be taken lightly.

Britons should make sure to do their research before going ahead with weight loss surgery.

The 33-year-old explained she has felt more confident, as well as healthiest, since her transformation.

“I feel a lot better with how I look. I was always told I would be so pretty if I just lost weight," she said.

“Deep down I was never happy. I just accepted this was the hand I had been dealt, but I was never happy.

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“Now I feel like a different person. I’ve noticed I get a lot more attention now. It’s these little things I’ve never had as a fat girl growing up.

“It was the best decision I didn’t know I needed to make. My health is the best it’s been in my entire life.”

The diet added she has managed to keep the weight off and feels better than ever.

Valentia added: “When you’re big you feel worthless, like you don’t matter. Now I know my life is worth being a healthy, happy one. I feel beautiful, healthy and sexy.

“Three years ago I was nearly 23 stone. Now I’m ordering size 12 gym clothes."