Sometimes, it takes something very weird to motivate us to make a big change. Maybe hearing a beautiful piece of music is what inspires you to learn a musical instrument, or watching a travel documentary might convince you to give up your day job and go backpacking around the world. And when it comes to losing weight, making that transition sometimes means you need a kick up the butt to get you started.

For nurse Jen Howard, the thing that convinced her to shed half her body weight, and go through gastric sleeve surgery was the fact that she was unable to fit into some Victoria's Secret lingerie. In March of 2017, after strolling past the underwear store, Jen felt dismayed that all the sizes were too small for her. Jen had always been chubby as a child, but after giving birth to the children she had with her husband Gary, she became obese after scoffing high-calorie fast food every day. However, after travelling to Mexico and spending $5,000 to shrink her stomach, Jen now looks completely different.

An image of Jen Howard before and after her weight loss. [[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

Commenting on her dramatic weight loss, Jen stated: "I was always a plus-size girl, even in school, but the weight just kept piling on throughout the years, as I loved food and had no idea how to eat healthily. I had my first child Brooke, 12, when I was 21, followed by Kaiden, nine, after meeting Gary in Washington when I was 18. While on my mum duties I was also studying to be a nurse, meaning my life was so hectic I barely thought about eating healthily or exercising. As a result, before I knew it, I had ballooned."

She added: "I was so happy that I lost the weight, I felt like a brand new person. I know some people think getting the surgery was almost like cheating, but I needed that extra push to help me, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have managed it alone ... I was a much smaller size and could easily walk into Victoria’s Secret and fit in their underwear, but I didn’t want to try on anything until I got rid of my excess skin."

"I managed to get a breast augmentation and tummy tuck all for $10,000 (£7,800) in Mexico again. I was way more nervous for my plastic surgery than my gastric sleeve, as this time, everyone would be able to see the immediate visual results, so I prayed that it would all go smoothly."

Jen Howard with her husband Gary. [[imagecaption|| Credit: Press Association]]

"I took so many selfies and shocked my husband when I sent them to him as he stood outside. It was the first time I truly felt good in my own skin. I always wanted comfort food, because I didn’t like my body. It was a vicious cycle that I couldn’t get out of. Now I’ve finally changed my life, I’ll never go back. And I’ll never stop taking selfies in my VS underwear!"

It's pretty cool that Jen was able to slim down to her ideal weight, and personally, I wish I could do the same. Unfortunately, I don't happen to have five grand just lying around. Shame really.

Nurse who weighed 20 stone has stomach removed to fit into Victoria’s Secret lingerie