Teenager sheds half his bodyweight - thanks to Chinese takeaway addiction!

By the age of 16, the Maltby Academy pupil had ballooned to a staggering 28st 11lbs.

A diet of Chinese meals for lunch everyday and a lack of exercise led to his weight spiralling out of control.

But his countless orders to his takeaway led to the Hellaby teenager becoming friends with the delivery man, who happened to be a fitness fanatic.

Takeaway driver Tom Stringer transformed Joseph’s life by giving him dietary and exercise advice.

Now 17 and on a gruelling exercise regime and diet, Joseph, of Kevin Grove, has shed more than half of his body weight and now weighs 14st.

He said: “I remember saying to Tom I wish I was big and muscular and he said: ‘You still can be. It’s not too late.’

“He got me motivated and took me to Ziggy’s Gym in Masbrough. Tom and the people at the gym worked absolute wonders with me.

“If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have been able to do it. Not one of the members made me feel out of place.”

Joseph, now studying at Maltby’s sixth form, said he had noticed he was overweight when he started secondary school. He said he would skip PE lessons and avoid any exercise.

He added: “I used to have a Chinese every lunchtime. It started to really affect me when I was at school but I still didn’t see myself as massive.”

Joseph, who is studying for BTECs in ICT and business, first met Tom in September 2014.

He said Tom would turn up at his Hellaby home at 6am in the morning to take him to the gym or out for a run.

Tom put Joseph on a bodybuilder’s diet and his meals consisted of chicken and rice.

Joseph said: “It has changed my life dramatically. It’s just the little things that are different, like I can go online and order myself a nice shirt without it having to be from a specialist website.

“It’s an amazing change. I never used to get bullied as such but I reckon people used to say stuff behind my back.

“But now I just find it so easy to talk to people and nobody can believe it when I tell them I used to be so big.”

Joseph said he was now considering whether to become a personal trainer as a career.