A schoolboy has undergone an amazing transformation to halve his bodyweight using the most simple slimming drink of all - water.
"The key for me was drinking water, it was such a big part in the process of losing weight. I would drink up to two litres a day," Elliott Hulse, 17, told the Liverpool Echo.
"At school I'd go and raid the vending machines and eat the brownies and cookies out of it. Then when I got home I'd root around in the fridge and find something to eat before and after tea."
Credit: Liverpool Echo
Advert
When he started college in Aigburth, Liverpool, Elliott was a 50 inch waist and weighed 22 stones: now, a year on, he is a 32 waist and just 11 stones.
His motivation was pretty typical of a teenage boy: "In my head, I didn't think that I was that big and I didn't see myself for how I really was. It was like I was looking at myself through one of those mirrors you see at the circus and I thought I looked good, but it finally clicked.
"I had been to an all boys school but when I moved to sixth form it was mixed, and it was that which made me realise I needed to do something."
There were some downsides to such a swift body transformation. Before he lost the weight, Elliott only really wore trackie bottoms, but as his size decreased, he began to wear jeans again.
Advert
"I went from a 50inch waist to a 40, then down to a 36, 34 and now I'm a 32." Elliott went through 20 pairs of jeans in one year," he said.
Credit: Liverpool Echo
Progress was slow at first, but eventually paid dividends.
Advert
"For months people didn't realise that I was losing weight. I didn't tell anyone about it but half way through the year a girl in school said that I was looking well," he said.
"I don't think anyone wanted to say anything because I think they didn't want to sound mean."
Alongside drinking plenty of water, Elliott starting going to the gym and cutting down on sugar, as well as using apps to track how well he was doing.
For Elliott, the road was hard but the results were worth it - and far more rewarding than having surgery.
Advert
"I only ever thought about surgery. For me, I'd never really want to go through an operation because I knew that I could lose the weight on my own, and surgery can actually be more damaging," he added.
"I know that people give up if they have a couple of bad days, but that shouldn't make a difference.
"You never gained all the weight in a few days and you can definitely lose it."