42-year-old British man drove himself to lose 3.5st after van of men threw chips at him

A 42-year-old man whose physical and mental health suffered after a period of weight gain is on course to get his personal trainer qualifications after diet and exercise helped him lose three-and-a-half stone.

Justin Macleod, from Stoke-on-Trent, says doctors warned him that his weight was exacerbating an existing spinal condition, He said he would overhear comments from strangers whenever he was eating at restaurants, while the tipping point came when a van full of men threw a bag at chips at him as they drove past. At the time, Macleod was regular eating a bucket of fried chicken for lunch and takeaways for dinner, while doing little or no exercise, but he has since gone from 17st 12lb to 14st 5lb after changing his approach to both diet and fitness.

Justin before his weight-loss

“I suffer from Lumbar Spondylosis and the extra weight pushing down on my spine was causing me greater pain," says Macleod, whose initial weight gain came after a failed investment caused him to 'lose everything' and his mental health suffered as a consequence.

“My doctor would respond to every problem I had by telling me I was overweight and it had left me feeling too tired to do things and unable to move much. “The worst thing that ever happened to me was a van full of lads drove past me one day and threw a bag of chips at me and shouted ‘There you go, fatty’.”

Macleod began training under the guidance of Xercise4Less instructors following that incident, while also adjusting his diet to replace unhealthy takeaway foods with homecooked meals and more fruit and veg. He expects to qualify as a group exercise instructor, something which he says will allow him to pass on the input that helped him turn things around - something which has also allowed him to spend more time being active with his daughter.

He is due to qualify in March this year

“My Les Mills instructors Jordan and Lucie have supported me all the way. Their motivational chats and helpful pointers have been amazing," he adds.

“The Les Mills team at Xercise4Less showed me that I could achieve anything if I put my mind to it and they ensured I had their full support so that I didn’t give up. “They have the attitude that nothing is too much trouble and I want to pay that back to other people.”

The contrast between Macleod's diet before and after the weight-loss can be seen below: Before: Breakfast - croissant with bacon Lunch - KFC bucket Dinner - takeaway meal or homemade sizzling beef in butter with full fat chips After:  Breakfast - two weetabix with strawberries and 150ml semi-skimmed milk Lunch - chicken, mixed salad, noodles and boiled egg Dinner - butternut squash chips (cooked with frylight in a Phillips air fryer ) homemade 5% fat burgers with mushrooms, bed of spinach and broccoli Catch up with this week's episode of 888sport Football Friday Live