PEEKING around the door dressed in a bright floral bikini, Krystal Gordon took a deep breath and stepped out into the light.

It was the first time she had owned a two-piece and as her husband's gaze lingered, he offered up the the greatest gift he could - acceptance.

"And what's wrong with that," he said

A sentiment echoed by the couple's three-year-old son Nate.

"Mummy, I love your swimmers. You look beautiful."

Bouyed by her family's support, Krystal then posted a photo of herself in her bikini to Facebook and was overwhelmed by the response.

In less than 24 hours more than 1200 people had seen and liked her photo, offering up stories of their own body image battles.

The response stirred something inside Krystal, who has battled her weight most of her life.

"That moment of vulnerability was totally worth it because it made someone else think about loving themselves," she said.

"One woman told me she had never swam in a pool and I burst into tears."

A chubby child, Krystal's weight woes continued into her teens and adulthood, with the last 10 years a roller coaster of fad dieting hits and misses.

"When you're in that position that you don't like the way you look, you become desperate and you often look to the media or marketing for that quick fix," she said.

From Jenny Craig to shakes, blood type diets and juice fasts, Krystal says she has tried it all.

Then there were the binges.

Hidden from her husband because "who wants their partner to see that?", Krystal would go the shops and buy a packet of biscuits, some chocolate and a tub of ice-cream and finish the lot in one sitting, often making herself feel sick.

In 2009 Steven and Krystal decided to start trying for a baby.

When, three years later, nothing had happened, Krystal joined up to Michelle Bridges' 12-week transformation and started exercising properly.

"Lo and behold we fell pregnant. I couldn't believe it ... it was surreal," she said.

Krystal gained 23kg during pregnancy and, terrified she would lose the baby, gave up on exercising and focussed on the joy of being pregnant.

It wasn't until Nate was one that she started taking her health seriously again.

Her weight continued to yo-yo, and by January 2016 she was back to 95kg.

"It was disappointing. I was like, 'you idiot, what have you done. You worked so hard'."

Then, six weeks ago, everything changed.

She realised that any long-lasting change had to come from within and she enlisted the help of wellness coach Dr Tammy Hume.

Now, instead of berating her appearance, each day Krystal focuses on one body part she is grateful for.

Recognising that the person she is now deserves to be loved has been the biggest lesson.

"Up until the start of this year it was always about weight loss and even up to a couple of months ago I thought the key to being who I wanted to be was losing weight, getting fit and being positive," she said.

"I deserve to love, accept and appreciate myself today, the way I am.

"This journey that I'm on is nothing to do with weight loss. It's about being healthy and happy and that comes from within."