A man who previously weighed 25 stones has lost almost half of his body weight in a bid to live healthier and achieve his dream of being a runner.
Ben Green, from Rhyl in North Wales, had suffered from a whole load of health issues as a result of his weight and had struggled with obesity since he was a child.
However, the 33-year-old father of two managed to stick with his Slimming World diet and has radically transformed his life for the better.
Ben explained: "I had been obese since I was 11-years-old and have had to deal with health complications for 22 years.
"My mobility was suffering and I had to wear ankle supports all the time. I was in constant pain."
Ben's weight problems were inherited from his family, but a series of childhood events including the divorce of his parents didn't help matters, either.
Under stress from a young age he admits to turning to food for comfort.
He continued: "We were getting passed between parents and getting treated all the time. We didn't ever sit down for a family meal.
"My Nan lost her life because of obesity. She became bed-bound and spent her last year unable to do anything but lie on her sofa because of her mobility and pain."
Things didn't improve much as Ben grew up, in fact, he was the target of bullying throughout his school career.
"I got punched in the face on my first day of secondary school." He said.
"There have been times where people have wound down car windows to shout abuse to me."
Despite the fact that his weight has never been an issue for his wife, childhood sweetheart Elizabeth, a series of accidents and health complications led Ben to turn his life around.
He signed up to Slimming World and, despite some initial misgivings, managed to make the diet stick.
He continued: "You think, as a man, that it's just for women - but as soon as I walked through the doors my eyes were opened.
"There were pictures of men and stories about men who had lost weight - and I wanted to be like them."
Well, fair play to him. He's lost 10 stone 5lbs, 22 inches from his waist, 14 inches from his chest, and is now finally able to fulfil his potential as a runner.
He added: "I always dreamed of being a runner, of crossing the finish line and getting a medal.
"I lost four stone in 10 weeks and that have me a huge confidence boost and I noticed my pain was going.
"When I'd lost six or seven stone I stopped using my ankle supports."
"My ambition was that I wanted to break the cycle of premature deaths in my family because of obesity."
"I wanted to educate my children in healthy eating and how to have a healthy lifestyle.
"Now, they cook with me in the kitchen and they love to help me prepare meals."
Good going, Ben LAD.
Featured Image Credit: MirrorpixTopics: UK News, Interesting, Health