“I kind-of went into a fear of if I keep getting bigger I’m not going to be able to buy any clothes,” she says. “And I didn’t know what I’d do then.”

Bethany, 39, says she weighed close to 130kg at the time, and now, five years on and following extensive surgery to remove excess skin, she weighs around 60kg – less than she did when she was 11.

“I’d always been big,” she says. “I wasn’t eating well or exercising. I lived off prepackaged or frozen foods, takeaway – anything that was quick and easy.

“I also wasn’t happy and I didn’t like myself, and I always knew I would make a change when I felt the time was right.”

Bethany says her first step was going to see a personal trainer, Mike at Mike’s Metabolic Madness, who was recommended to her by a friend.

“I knew that whatever I did to lose weight would have to be sustainable in the long term – and I’ve continued to see Mike to this day,” she says.

“I lost 8kg in the first eight months through exercise, because I didn’t settle to a consistent diet during that time.

After trying a few different eating programs and combining them with exercise, Bethany says that after two years she had lost 50kg.

“I always needed to alter and reassess as I went along, but essentially I stopped drinking diet drinks, moved away from processed food and cut back on gluten and sugar.

“I also rewarded myself for every 5kg I lost along the way – but never with food.”

But after losing the weight, instead of feeling better Bethany says she got sick.

“I felt angry because everyone said that if I lost weight I’d feel amazing, but I was sicker than I’d ever been in my life,” she says.

“My immune system was depleted, I caught everything that was going around, I had a random rash and no doctors could tell me what was going on.

“I started seeing Natasa Zaric, at Mura Pathway to Wellness, who explained that toxins are stored in fat cells, so when you lose weight, the fat cells collapse and the toxins run free in your body. If you’re still eating chemically laden food, the body can’t cope. She helped me with emotional support and remedies for detoxifying the body.

”It has been really important for me to find ways to support myself through all the physical changes.”

Using a combination of organic juices and a clean eating, paleo-style diet Bethany began to slowly feel better.

“I realised that the pesticides on my fruit and veg, and the quality of my meat make a significant difference to my wellbeing,” she says.

“It’s not the case for everyone, but for me it’s important and I think it’s about listening to your body and working out what it needs – that was a huge part of my journey.

“For me good quality, organic meat was important so now I always go to Griffith Butchery who use local suppliers and so I know where the meat is from and that it’s of good quality.

“As food was such an integral part of my weight loss, it’s been important for me to find places I can easily eat out, especially when I’ve not done prep work and have to buy lunch.

“Although I’m not 100 per cent paleo, I find that the foundations of paleo eating work well for me, so I go to the Paleo Café in Braddon a lot and it has safe food for me.”

The next step for Bethany was deciding to have the excess skin caused by weight loss surgically removed.

“I hadn’t really thought about the excess skin at the start, but it was an important step for me to accept that the loose skin was a reflection of what I’d achieved; a battle scar, so I wanted to make peace with that before surgery.”

After a year of keeping the weight off, Bethany was eligible for skin-removal surgery and underwent three separate operations on her tummy, legs, arms and breasts, under Dr Alastair Taylor at the CAPS Clinic.

Dr Taylor says that for people who have lost a significant amount of weight, the only option is to remove a large amount of skin.

“We always start in the centre with the abdominoplasty, then after six months we will do the bilateral breast reduction and brachioplasty together,” he says.

“Then we will move to the lower body a few months after that and do the medial thigh lift.

“With the increase in gastric sleeve surgery, it’s not uncommon to have requests for this type of surgery, but it depends on the body type how many surgeries will be required.”

Bethany says her surgeries were spaced out to allow time for healing, although she did initially want it all done at once.

“The first surgery, the tummy tuck, was the most daunting and nerve-wracking because I’d never had an operation before,” Bethany says.

“Recovery was tougher than I imagined, even though the CAPS clinic gave me all the information beforehand – somehow you don’t really take it in until you’re in that situation. It was hard to sit or stand up, and I was surprised at how tired I felt.

“However, it made a massive difference, not just aesthetically but I also found I didn’t have to keep rearranging my loose skin and felt so much more comfortable.”

Seven months later Bethany had excess skin removed from her arms and a breast lift.

“I had recovered well from the first surgery, so I was expecting this one to be the same, but I actually found it a harder recovery – you really use your arms a great deal and it was more painful,” she says.

“Adjusting to being back at work was tough and it had more of an impact on me.”

Bethany says the surgery she wanted the most was the loose skin removed from her legs, because it was so uncomfortable.

“It was more about how it felt to me – I was incredibly self-conscious about my legs and the feel, look and sound of the skin there was distressing,” she says.

“I used to wear bike pants or tights all year round to bind them and keep the skin contained.

“This is the first summer that I’ve been comfortable without wearing extra layers to prevent my skin from rubbing.”

Bethany says she’s feeling proud of how far she’s come.

“I’m feeling more comfortable in my own skin and I’m happier,” she says.

“The scars don’t worry me at all and I prefer them to the loose skin. Before losing the weight I didn’t like myself very much and didn’t value myself enough to care what I ate. It’s very different now. I eat well, I’m more active and I don’t have to park in the closest spot to the supermarket because walking isn’t such an effort now. I can fit in aeroplane seats and in chairs with arms.

“One downside is that I feel the cold so much more – my GP explained that I’d lost 50kg of insulation so it wasn’t surprising. At least I can cope with summer now.”

Reactions to her dramatic change have been mixed, she says, with some friends not even mentioning her weight loss, others saying it’s hard because they can’t lose weight themselves and others being supportive throughout.

“The flip side to the people who have struggled with my weight loss has been the number of people who have told me I’ve inspired them, whether it be to get healthy, lose weight or just change something in their life,” she says.

“It’s been very humbling.”

And at a size 10-12, she has no issue finding clothes that fit.

“I like clothes now – things fit me properly, particularly with being more proportional,” she says.

“I do still battle with my weight and have to be conscious of the choices I’m making. My weight crept up through complacency post-surgery and I’m still in the process of getting back to where I want to be.

“I don’t believe in regrets though, as I think we all learn something and I believe this is the journey I was meant to have. This has taught me that I have strength and determination, and I’m capable of achieving a lot.”