Model Ellie Gonsalves, 27, shares her struggles with insecurities

She’s the stunning model with an enviable physique.

But years before she worked extremely hard to retain her toned body, Ellie Gonsalves admitted she struggled with insecurities when she led an unhealthy lifestyle.

The 27-year-old, who hails from Brisbane, revealed she would avoid eating in an attempt to lose weight – a bad habit she later regretted.

‘I thought years ago before my transformation that if I counted calories and barely ate I’d lose weight. I was so wrong,’ she told Body&Soul.

‘I wasn’t bursting with energy, I was always hungry but I didn’t want to eat, I drank alcohol more frequently than I should’ve, and did not exercise enough.’

Years before she worked extremely hard to retain her toned body, model Ellie Gonsalves (pictured) admitted she struggled with insecurities when she led an unhealthy lifestyle

But after she found ways to love herself, she was able to lead a healthier lifestyle with the right amount of calories.

‘I eat more now than I ever have but it’s the right kind of calories that my body needs to thrive. I work out every day and I look better than I ever have while still being able to indulge with cocktails or a treat meal here and there,’ she said.

Now Ellie is no longer restrictive on her diet, as her typical day on a plate includes between five to six meals.

She starts her mornings with an on-the-go smoothie, packed full of protein, healthy fats, carbs, and frozen fruits.

Her daily routine involves lunch, dinner and around three snacks throughout the day.

Last year, Ellie shared an inspiring post about her incredible body transformation to promote body positive to young women on social media.

‘[It] was the starting point when I decided to change the way I felt about food and exercise. It wasn’t a quick fix, it wasn’t a detox tea diet, diet pills, under eating, calorie counting or over exercising,’ she said.

‘It was a journey I decided to take with my body – that was one of the best decisions I made and as you can see, several years later I am still using these exact same principles. 

‘For me, a real world approach (something that’s realistic and fairly easy day in day out) to some of the very real struggles we as girls can often face with our bodies, was the approach I needed to take.’

The 27-year-old, who hails from Brisbane, revealed she would avoid eating in an attempt to lose weight - a bad habit she later regretted

The 27-year-old, who hails from Brisbane, revealed she would avoid eating in an attempt to lose weight – a bad habit she later regretted

But after she found ways to love herself, she was able to lead a healthier lifestyle with the right amount of calories

But after she found ways to love herself, she was able to lead a healthier lifestyle with the right amount of calories

Sharing a powerful post on Instagram, Ellie made it clear that her before and after body transformation should not be interpreted differently.

‘By no means does this after photo depict how a woman should look or aspire to look like and by no means is there anything “wrong” with looking like the before photo; Everyone is different and has different goals,’ she explained.

‘For me, the change was about how I felt and how I feel. I noticed that when I felt good (because of how I was treating my body), I looked good and this is something that I would like to share with all of you.’

For the past six years, Ellie said she was bombarded with messages from young girls asking her how she stayed in shape and whether she counted calories.  

‘[There are] no secrets, just my own real experiences. I started to appreciate my body and made sure it was running well and looked how I wanted it to,’ she said.

‘I’m so excited to share my journey and to help anyone going through those similar struggles because we all deserve to feel amazing.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk