Chocaholic who shed four stone in a YEAR after losing her job charts her transformation in a series of candid Twitter selfies (and now she's pursuing a career as a fitness model)

Vikki Kinge, 28 from Milton Keynes, has dropped 4 stone in just a year
The beautician piled on the pounds after a string of bad relationships
Comfort eating and binge eating chocolate saw her soar to 17 stone 5 lbs

Published: 12:01 GMT, 25 February 2017 | Updated: 13:14 GMT, 25 February 2017

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A makeup artist who once ate McDonald's for breakfast and 'comfort ate her way up to over 17 stone 5lbs' became so stressed about her appearance that she lost her job.

Vikki Kinge, 28 from Milton Keynes, was so down about her weight it started having a serious effect on her mental wellbeing and she lost all confidence in herself.

However, she's now turned her life around after dropping to 13 stone 7 lbs in just a year - while documenting her progress in a series of selfies on Twitter - and now hopes to become a fitness model to inspire others.

Vikki says a string of bad relationships, which ended in messy break-ups, led to her gaining a 'severe' amount of weight as well as skin problems which contributed to her stress.

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Gym bunny: Vikki has gone from 17 stone 5 lbs to 13 stone 7 lbs, which has seen her drop two dress sizes and she now wants to use her story to inspire others

Progress: Makeup artist Vikki Kinge, 28, from Milton Keynes, has charted her weight loss transformation on social media after she dropped 4 stone in just a year

At her heaviest, the 'chocaholic' would binge on junk food in a bid to feel better about herself and lived on a diet takeaways and ready meals.

'Throughout my early twenties I had some very unpleasant relationships,' Vikki told FEMAIL.

'This made me turn to comfort eating, and over time I just piled on the pounds without realising.

'The experience in relationships had broken me down, and I ended up losing all my self-worth, confidence and purpose. I suffered from bad skin conditions, lost my job and became ill due to the stress and anxiety I had.

Shrinking: Vikki has dropped two dress sizes (pictured in December 2015, left, and January 2017, right) after ditching McDonald's breakfasts and chocolate for a healthy diet

'I gained a lot of weight once I had lost my job due to stress and feeling insecure after my break up. Food was my comfort.'

Vikki says she was conscious of her weight from the age of 10, when a cruel bully told her she had 'double knees' - which led to her avoiding clothes that would show her legs above the knee.

After losing her job in sales, Vikki decided to do a course to become a makeup artist, and when she saw unflattering pictures of herself online she finally decided to make a drastic change.

Vikki took these photos of herself at the start of her weight loss journey to track her progress. She signed up to her local gym in January 2016, which 'felt like a different world'

The makeup artist shows off her abs. Vikki is aiming to become a fitness model but doesn't want to be 'that woman who looks different in the magazines or wants to be a size 6'

VIKKI'S DIET BEFORE

Breakfast McDonald's

Lunch Cheesy pasta then chocolate and crisps

Dinner Ready meals

Exercise None

WEIGHT 17 stone 5 lbs

...AND HER DIET NOW

Breakfast Egg bagel or Weetabix with a banana

Lunch Chicken wrap

Dinner Chicken, rice and vegetables

Exercise Five-six gym sessions a week

WEIGHT 13 stone 7 lbs

'There were pictures that the girls were taking at makeup school while I was working, as well as group shots at the makeup school,' Vikki recalled. 'I hated the way I looked in pictures.

'I wanted to change my lifestyle after seeing pictures of myself and being unhappy every time I looked in the mirror.'

In January 2016 she joined her local Xercsie4Less gym, which she says felt like 'another world', and gave her diet a drastic overhaul, ditching her cheesy pasta and chocolate for lean meat, rice and vegetables.

'I binged on chocolate, I was a chocoholic,' said Vikki. 'I still have a few cheat days where I have a few tablespoons of Nutella to fulfill a craving.'

Transformation: Speaking of her weight loss Vikki said, 'I feel so much happier now, and am starting a blog this year to help inspire, along with an Instagram page'

Vikki, pictured in the gym with a friend, felt self-conscious after a boy said she had 'double knees' - which led to her never wearing anything that would show above the knee

Time for change: It was after Vikki completed her makeup course and began seeing more pictures of herself online that she decided to make a drastic change