A mum told how she lost a whopping 12st after a woman hurled abuse at her in front of her children.
Tara Brown, 39, reached boiling point after the stranger cruelly called her a "fat ****" in front of her kids and their friends.
She told how the comment spurred her on to drop from a size 34 to a size 16.
Having always struggled with her weight, Tara once tipped the scales at 28st and decided "enough was enough."
She had already lost 5st when the woman made the vile comment and said it "lit a fire" within her like she had never felt before.
The mum-of-six, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, went onto lose a further seven stone and slim down to 17st 5lb in less than two years.
"The struggle for me was learning how to eat again," she told Derbyshire Live.
"From the age of 13, I’d go all day and not drink or eat a thing until it got to night time. Then I’d just eat crap foods.
"My family have been incredible. My husband has also lost two stone and counting and my children tell me all the time how proud they are of me or how good I look.
"But they still get told that I’m fat by other children in our village which saddens me."
In her incredible weight loss journey, Tara hopes to lose another 4st but her excess skin weighs 3st.
The mum also has a hereditary nerve condition which means she struggles with her mobility.
She recalled the difficulties she faced before losing 12st on her own, without the help of a slimming club.
What's more, she told how she turned down gastric bypass surgery twice over the years and instead, managed to lose the weight naturally.
"For a decade up to 2021, I’d have a coffee in the morning then nothing until the evening," Tara said.
"Even then it would be something unhealthy most of the time or a takeaway, a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar – a big one at that.
"So getting out of those habits was definitely the hardest thing for me."
Tara, who has been married to her partner Shaun for 12 years, believes the key to losing weight is consistency.
"Make a plan and stick to it," she insisted.
"Do some walking. It may only be 50 steps the first time and that’s fine, but then next time walk 70 steps, then 100, and before you know it you will be going daily and walking miles.
"Foods now are always home-cooked healthy meals and believe it or not extremely tasty. A recent favourite is no butter chickpea and chicken curry."
The mum said her weight loss has not only given her a massive confidence boost but also "changed everything about me for the better."
She explained: "New hobbies are cooking daily which I couldn’t do before, being able to shop in any shop and not have to worry, and going out with my husband on a regular basis for a meal which we never did before."
Tara is now a size 16, but her bottom half is still a size 18 due to the overhanging excess skin.
The excess skin on her stomach forces her to wear uncomfortable control clothing, causes her back pain and has also led her physical relationship with her husband to dwindle.
But the surgery Tara needs is unavailable via the NHS, and she therefore hopes to raise £10,000 to have the procedure done privately.
This, she says, will transform all aspects of her life and spur her on to live it to the full.
Tara, who is mum to Bailey, 20, Jayce, 17, Harley, 14, Ethan, 13, Colebie, 10, and Lillie, eight, said: "After all the hard work, literally blood sweat and tears, I have over 3st of excess skin that I will never be able to get rid of without surgery.
"Unfortunately this kind of surgery is not available on the NHS. The excess skin that I’m now left with is quite incredible, it is massive.
"Therefore, I’m trying to raise the funds needed to be able to pay privately to have the excess skin removed from my tummy which is my largest area.
"But hopefully I’ll be able to also have the skin removed from my arms and thighs too."
Tara has so far raised more than £800 towards her £10,000 goal via her fundraising page here.
