Kimberly Glover, 51, weighed 476lbs at her heaviest and couldn't even go to the shop to get her lunch - which she says left her feeling depressed. The high school teacher, who is religious, says at that point she asked God to put her "on a path to either wellness or an early grave".
Now, after turning her life around Kimberly, from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, weighs a happy 188lbs. Recalling her darkest moment, the mum-of-four said: "One day at work I needed lunch, but I couldn't walk over the street to the cafe to get it.
"That was when I weighed my heaviest, around 476 pounds, and life felt like it wasn't worth living. But thankfully, in 2019, God gave me an opportunity through weight loss surgery, and I'm happy to say, I took it."
Kimberly first started to gain weight in her early teenage years, although admits she'd always been a "large child." She was ill-disciplined with her diet and did little to no exercise, which resulted in her gradually putting on the pounds as she reached adulthood.
Kimberly had her first child at 20, and her last at 39. But in between that time she struggled with post-postpartum depression and a difficult relationship.
She also lost a friend to pancreatic cancer in 2013, sending her into a downward spiral - and it was then she first surpassed the 400lbs mark. Kimberly was eating five meals a day, including McDonald's for breakfast every day, followed by fried food and cheeseburgers for lunch.
She'd tuck away family packs of pasta in one sitting for dinner, along with bread, biscuits and danishes - and wash it down with wine and spirits each night. Her struggle with alcohol also largely contributed to her size, but she says she was unable to stop drinking or eating - no matter how hard she tried.
Kimberly, who works as a chemistry teacher, said: "I'm five foot ten and have always been a large build, so I put weight on easily. A few things happened in my life which triggered me to eat more and more, and it got to the point where I could barely walk or do things with my kids.
"My kids' friends would come round and ask why I'm so big, and people would stop, point and stare in the street. Going to Walmart was a struggle as I always had to find a parking place close to the door, and by the end I couldn't even find clothes that fit.
"Being a teacher I became more and more self-conscious at work, which would just lead me to eat more to comfort myself. That's when I started praying at my desk for God to put me on a path to either wellness or an early grave, as I couldn't carry on the way I was."
In January 2019, Kimberly was an enormous 476 pounds - her heaviest ever weight. She then started looking at weight loss surgery after a religious experience - although was originally told by a surgeon she wasn't mentally strong enough.
She was upset, but she didn't stop looking, and eventually found another surgeon in Raleigh, North Carolina - two hours away from where she lived at the time. The surgeon told Kimberly she needed an intestinal bypass, and after receiving her preoperational clearance, she underwent the life-changing surgery in May 2019.
Thankfully, it was a success, and despite feeling ill and depressed after the operation - she lost over 100lbs in eight months. Kimberly immediately gave up alcohol and swapped carbohydrates for protein - while bringing her daily calorie intake down to a healthy figure.
Her breakfasts changed to include eggs, lean ham and grilled chicken and for lunch she'd have lunch meats with vegetables and no bread. Kimberly gave up coffee as well as booze, and would only drink water and unsweetened tea if she was thirsty.
A year and a half after the surgery, she'd lost 150lbs, and was able to walk and do activities with her kids again - including bicycle rides and roller skating. She started running on the beach multiple times a week, and regular exercise combined with her new diet meant she successfully kept shedding the pounds.
Kimberly now weighs an incredible 188lbs, which she says is 13lbs off her optimum weight. She said: "After the surgery I couldn't eat for hours, and food was my only friend.
"I felt I had lost a large part of my life that comforted me, and that was one of the hardest things to get over. But I managed to stop eating bread and drinking alcohol, which was really the start of my weight loss journey.
"I began consciously thinking about everything I ate, and whether it was worth the calories I was putting in my body. At first it was painfully difficult, but if you stick to something long enough, your body will get used to it.
"One trick I do now is fill myself up by drinking a bottle of unsweetened tea before meal time and it helps me eat less because I feel less hungry. Over the past three years, I've been on a diet which works for me, and I can now do all the things I haven't been able to do since I was a child - like cycling and running.
"I'm now confident and can talk in front of people - I don't care what they think anymore. If someone said four years ago I'd tell the world what I weigh, I would have laughed and said you're crazy.
"175 pounds is my target, although I may never get there because of my bone structure - but as long as I'm under 190, I'm satisfied." Since reaching a healthy weight, Kimberly has also opened up her own cleaning business alongside her career in teaching.
She wants other people who are struggling to read her story, and inspire them to embark on their own weight loss journeys.
