A woman has left TikTok users stunned after sharing her near three-stone weight loss transformation online to help others – overhauling her lifestyle in less than five months.

Stephanie Neto, 25, a content creator from London, had struggled with losing weight since her mid-teens and after her dad’s passing in February 2020 found comfort in binge eating.

While dealing with the tragic loss, she also claims to have been involved in a “toxic” relationship, which led to further bad habits, such as excessive drinking.

At her heaviest, she weighed 12st 5lbs.

In a bid to overhaul her lifestyle, Stephanie decided to change her diet and adopt a healthy workout regime and five months later, she had lost 2st 5lbs.

In a bid to share her progress, she decided to upload her before and after journey on TikTok, with one video racking up 2.3 million likes and over 428,000 likes.

“I felt like I had lost myself completely,” she told NeedToKnow.Online.

“I remember walking up a flight of stairs and being completely out of breath, I knew I shouldn’t have been that unhealthy and unfit during my early 20s.

“I was always pretty confident but after the weight gain, my mental health was at an all time low – I had very low self-esteem.

“Nothing fitted me anymore and I remember trying to find clothes that would hide my figure and arms.

“I remember sitting at a restaurant with my mum and ex, where some girls were gossiping on the other side and talking about how ‘big’ I looked.

“I didn’t get many comments other than that, as I was very absent over social media during this period.

“If I did see people, they were very surprised about [my size.]

"I always wanted to be a ‘gym girlie’ but I didn’t enjoy working out or any sports.

“I decided enough was enough, I had to either get worse and lose myself or turn my life around.”

Previously, Stephanie had tried various methods to help shift the pounds, such as cutting out carbs or junk food and doing endless cardio – but to no avail.

Before, she often skipped meals and used to snack on takeaways, such as McDonald's, crisps, chocolate or popcorn.

Now, she eats porridge with fruit for breakfast, bagels with scrambled eggs at lunch and a lean dinner of salmon with rice and vegetables, with snacks including low-calorie ice cream.

Another method she's adopted to ensure she can still enjoy comfort foods, such as takeaways, is the 80/20 rule, where 80% of her diet is nutritional, home-cooked food and the other 20% made up of foods to satisfying her cravings.

Speaking about her varied diet and new found habits, she said: “I eat more than I ever have, which is crazy to think.

“Usually, people think in order to lose weight, you must eat less – but actually, you have to eat less calories than your maintenance.

“For breakfast, I have a bowl of porridge with a ton of toppings, such as bananas, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and dark chocolate, with honey drizzled on top.

"As I'm a chocoholic, this meant I wouldn't restrict myself completely.

“I keep my lunch and dinner high in protein with lots of vegetables, while also meal prepping, which helps to keep me full throughout the day.

“Snacking-wise, I have lots of little bits, like granola, baked oats, protein yoghurt and low calorie items such as fibre brownies.

“Before, I didn’t really care about eating three meals a day and some days, I used to binge alcohol too.

“I used to eat everything all in one go and had no self control, whereas now, I know how to eat everything in moderation.”

For the fitness influencer, she recalls viewing working out as a chore – but now, she hits at least 10,000 steps per day and follows a workout plan as part of her daily routine.

She weight trains up to four times per week.

She said: “I feel amazing inside and out – I’m invincible.

“I’m the strongest, happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been and it’s so empowering.

“I never knew I’d be able to cure my mental health, but exercise has literally been the best medicine for me.

"I feel more confident wearing so many more things and I don't have to hide my body."

In the viral clip, Stephanie is shown skipping rope while she was a size 14, before the clip cuts to her now at the gym, a size 8.

Apart from rope skipping, she also demonstrates various other exercises and her toned figure.

Users flocked to the comments to share their reactions, with many praising the influencer for her transformation.

“The confidence change,” one viewer wrote.

Another person added: “Beautiful in both shots girl.”

“YES SHOW THEM HOW STRONG YOU ARE,” someone else commented.

One person added: “Omg the confidence difference.” [sic]

“Imagine being this pretty,” another viewer said.

Stephanie said: “I originally started taking views and photos to track my progress, as this helped me keep accountable.

“I felt like if I wasn’t progressing, I could look back to where I started and that was the motivation I needed to keep going.

“Because I was super proud of my transformation, I wanted to share it online and I also hoped I could inspire other women too.

“I’m overwhelmed everyday with the response and I’m grateful for the community I’ve built online.

“It’s the best feeling in the world when someone reaches out to me saying I’ve helped them.”

Stephanie’s top piece of advice? Start small, as you’ll only set yourself up for failure otherwise.

She added: “Don’t go in with all or nothing, as you’ll put too much pressure on yourself.

“Build on tiny habits and you’ll slowly become the person you want to be.

“I now workout because I love my body, not because I hate it."

ENDS

DIET BEFORE:

Breakfast: Skipped meal or cereal
Lunch: Skipped meal
Dinner: Takeaway (McDonald’s, Chinese, KFC)
Snacks: Chocolate, crisps, popcorn, sweets

DIET AFTER:

Breakfast: Porridge with lots of toppings (fruit and chocolate) and a cup of green tea
Lunch: Scrambled eggs on toast or pizza bagels
Dinner: Salmon, rice, avocado or chicken, sweet potato and vegetables
Snacks: Granola, Greek yoghurt, protein yoghurt, fruit, protein bars and shakes

EDITOR'S NOTES: Video Usage Licence:(EXCLUSIVE) We have obtained an exclusive licence from the copyright holder. A copy of the licence is available on request.

Video Restrictions: None.