Morbidly obese man ditches 14 STONE and his XXXXL clothes to become a buff pin-up
Ross Gardner was given just three years to live if he didn't cut out back on his calorie intake and start exercising
A MORBIDLY obese man, who was forced to buy two aeroplane seats, has ditched his 15,000 calorie a day diet and now looks unrecognisable.
Ross Gardner, 39, has dropped from a whopping 28 stone to just 14 stone after he ditched fast food and became a gym junkie.
After consuming six times the recommended daily amount for the average male Ross struggled to squeeze into size XXXXL clothing.
On a luxury trip to the Bahamas, Ross was left red faced after he was stopped at the airport and forced to pay double the price for two seats due to his size.
Doctors then warned Ross that he had less than three years to live, so in a desperate bid to turn his life around he ditched his daily diet of pizza, burgers and Jack Daniels.
The super slimmer shed half his body weight in 10 months and after undergoing surgery to remove 6lbs of excess skin, he now has his life back on track.
Ross said: "My belly button was down by my knees and I had to tuck my skin into my shorts to hide it, it was humiliating.
"The surgeon removed 6lbs of excess skin from around my torso and after the long and difficult recovery I felt like a new man.
"I went to the gym six or seven times a week, and still do now, and because of this I didn't have to have surgery on my arms or legs which was a great relief.
Ross, a chiropractor from Florida, said: "I didn't recognise the person staring back at me in the mirror, I was absolutely huge.
"And I was left completely humiliated when I was forced to buy two plane seats on a flight from Ohio to Miami.
"I would drink nearly a litre of Jack Daniels every evening and then binge on food until 2am before I went to bed so I wouldn't be hungover in the morning.
Related stories
"I didn't take my shirt off once in 6 years in front of anyone, I was too ashamed of my bulging belly.
"I now feel like a new man and I want to encourage others that it is never too late to turn your life around."
Ross worked as a waiter in a large restaurant chain and, over the course of five years, piled on 14 stone "I wasn't a fussy eater, I would eat it all, you name it and I would eat it,” he added.
"My clothes were a size XXXL and I had to wear slip on shoes as I couldn't reach my feet to tie my shoelaces.
"My uncle recommended I see a doctor so I took medical leave from work and went to see a weight loss specialist.
"The doctor did a series of tests and told me that if I carried on with what I was doing I would be dead in three years.
"Straight away I quit alcohol and smoking and attended behavioural therapy to figure out why I was using food to make myself feel better.
"In the first week I lost half a stone and from there the weight just kept falling off, it actually got to the point where I struggled to stop losing weight and I had to higher my calorie intake to maintain a healthy weight."
Now weighing a healthy 14 and a half stone, Ross is determined to help others.
Ross said: "I went back to medical school and I have just qualified as a Chiropractic Physician, I now help others and want to prove that it is never too late to turn your life around."