A teen who had used to obsess over crash dieting and over exercising has now become an Instagram hit after ditching the diet and embracing her curves.
Courtney Black had punished herself with dangerously low-calorie diets and over-exercising for years.
But after dropping to under seven stone and realizing how miserable her life had become, she decided to finally ditch her dreams of becoming super-skinny.
Courtney, 19, who was previously trolled for her bony physique, is now so proud of her figure she flaunts her body in a skimpy two-piece as a fitness model.
And the body positive youngster has become a hit after posting her journey on Instagram , where she now boasts nearly 100,000 fans.
At her skinniest, the 5ft 3ins from East London weighed a worrying 6.9 stone.
She now weighs 8 stone 5lbs and is a size 8 after embracing a healthier approach to diet and fitness.
Courtney’s inspiring fitness story have won her almost 100,000 followers on social media.
Accounts clerk, Courtney, from East London, who now works part-time as a personal trainer, says: “When I was younger, I just wanted to be as skinny as I could. I loved long skinny legs and tiny little waists.
“I lost so much weight that people would comment on my Instagram saying that I looked like I was dying.
“I love my curves now and I’m truly ashamed of how I used to eat and exercise.”
“I want to show other people how unnecessary it is to starve yourself or cut out certain food groups from your diet,” she continued.
“Put your health first and worry about your image second.”
As a child, Courtney was a healthy, happy child who excelled in ballet and tap dancing.
But at the age of seventeen, after giving up dancing and feeling insecure about her weight, Courtney decided go on a diet.
Courtney says: “After giving up dancing, I felt a bit chubbier. I just didn’t feel confident in my shape anymore and wanted to lose a few pounds.
“It was harmless initially but soon dieting became an obsession. As I continued, I began to think the super skinny look was gorgeous and I strived to be stick thin.”
Lusting after a skeletal body, Courtney then embarked on a dangerously low-calorie diet and exercise – skipping dinner and working out twice per day.
She explains: “On a typical day, I would wake up at about 5am and go to the gym before work for an hour session. I would run at least 8 miles and then do an excessive amount of sit-ups and crunches.
“I would eat a small pot of Greek yoghurt and berries for breakfast and then go to the gym again at lunch for another hour cardio workout.
“Lunch would consist of a chicken breast with vegetables for lunch. I wouldn’t have dinner but I would snack on an apple or low-fat yoghurt if I was really hungry.
“Honestly I don’t know how I had the energy to exercise on such a poor diet. I honestly believed I wasn’t skinny enough.”
Courtney’s obsession with dieting started to negatively affect her relationship with family and friends.
She was also trolled for her withering figure on social media.
By summer 2015, Courtney decided enough was enough. She began reading about healthy exercise and nutrition and gradually overhauled her lifestyle.
“At first, it was a slow process as I was scared of certain foods and it was terrifying to see how I was putting on weight.
But as I got over my fears, I slowly reduced the excessive amount of cardio exercise that I was doing, began to introduce carbs into my diet and upped my calories.”
Now, Courtney enjoys a healthy diet of five meals alongside a workout regime.
She has oats and berries for breakfast, protein pancakes for a mid-morning meal, chicken and vegetables for lunch, another chicken with sweet potato for a mid-afternoon meal, salmon and cauliflower rice for dinner. For a snack.
Courtney has a protein shake with peanut butter and banana added in.
She says: “I’m quite a big eater now and I try to make all my meals as big as possible. And I train at the gym 5-6 times per week simply because I love it! I split my sessions into muscle groups rather than just cardio.
“I’ve embraced my curves now and realize how attractive they are.”