Obese 22st lad who had never HEARD of calories goes from bulge to buff after taking up bodybuilding
Danny Mabley battled with depression before he was convinced to go to the gym
A 22-STONE man who was bullied because of his size has proved his critics wrong by becoming a personal trainer and social media star.
Danny Mabley, 21, transformed his body through some gruelling weight lifting sessions, shedding around ten stone.
During his teenage years, Danny claims that he was never really educated about calories, mindlessly munching chips and fizzy drinks throughout his childhood.
He explained: "I didn't know anything about food so would eat anything that tasted good - I didn't even know what calories were.
"I used to sit and eat chips and all day.”
As he piled on the pounds, Danny was inundated with cruel comments from his peers.
He said: "Everyone knew me as the fat guy, when you're big you're reminded of it all the time.
"I was bullied so much in high school I skipped half a year.
"It was mainly verbal but there was a time when kids would fight me too.”
Danny, from British Columbia, Canada, also battled with sleep apnoea and depression.
He remembered: "The doctors had warned me I needed to lose weight and I wasn't happy.
"I was always very tired and just wanted to be in bed, I didn't feel good at that weight."
It wasn’t until he got a job after leaving school that Danny was able to change his life.
Inspired by one of his co-workers, Danny began hitting the gym give times a week, where he fell in love with weight lifting.
Without realising, Danny realised he was losing 10lbs a month, losing around five stone in half a year.
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Remarkably, the buff 21-year-old has managed to shift around 10 STONE, weighing in at a lean 12 stone.
He revealed: "I simply fell in love with weight lifting and with that came the need to eat well.
"I started flexible dieting. I ate what I wanted but I ate clean most of the day.
"I tried to avoid soda and candy and the weight was coming off and it really kept me going."
It’s not just Danny’s weight that has changed since he’s taken up weightlifting.
He confessed: "I'm a completely a different person from two years ago.
"I am more confident, more driven and I no longer feel the need to try and fit in - I'm more comfortable in my own skin.”
Since seeing Danny’s incredible transformation, some of his former classmates have even reached out to him on social media.
He said: "I've had people message me saying they are proud of me and they apologise for how they treated me at school."
Now, Danny, who has attracted over 68,000 followers on his Instagram account Danny_getsfit, hopes to inspire others to get healthy.
He explained: "I documented the whole journey from the beginning online. Firstly for myself to have a record but also because I wanted to be held accountable.
"Now I am a personal trainer and it's great to be able to inspire other people."