Alexandria Sundstrom developed an eating disorder when she was 18, during which time she would obsess over every calorie she ate.
At her lowest weight she was 13st 12lbs and a UK size 18 and felt miserable in her own skin.
She said: “I felt incredibly alone. All I thought about was food. Just waking up was time to think about every calorie I’ll be eating.
“If I had a single fry at lunch, I would plan how many jumping jacks I need to burn it off.
“Everything was filled with so much guilt and shame constantly swirling in my head.”
With her self-esteem at an all-time low Alexandria decided to see a therapist who helped her learn to love and embrace herself regardless of size or weight.
“When I began realising that I could love myself no matter what I weighed, my whole view changed,” said Alexandria.
“Training my brain to stop fixating on the calories and the guilt or shame that came with food. Sometimes I still get that feeling of guilt with dessert or a burger, then I remember how damn good they taste.”
The 27-year-old, from Texas, USA, is now happier and more confident than ever and weighs 23st 2lbs and wears a UK size 28.
She has made it her mission to share body positivity on her Instagram page Chubby Struggles.
Alexandria describes the site as: “A crazy fat girl's chronicles of life, love, and the pursuit of pizza toppings.”
“I know so many women in my life who don’t realise how beautiful and amazing and incredible they are. I wanted them to see themselves the way I see them and myself,” she added.
The curvy beauty has already raked up 16.1K followers on the social media site and has some of her scantily clad snaps have already gone viral.
She recently posted a sexy underwear snap and alongside it she wrote: “I am lumpy. I am bumpy. I am squishy. I am squashy. I jiggle, I shake, I flop, and I flap. But I'm still human. I'm still me. This is my body.”
Although the plus-size industry has been taking off on Instagram, Alexandria thinks the industry still has some way to go in the mainstream.
“I shouldn’t get teary eyed when I find my size at a regular store or see a love interest on TV with a body like mine. That should be normal,” she said.
“Now, I eat what my body needs. I have PCOS, so I eat low carb part of the time because it makes me feel better. But if I want pizza or a cupcake, I’ll have it,” she added.
“I won’t feel guilty but I also won’t binge. I just enjoy it.”
For more information see instagram.com/chubbystruggles
