A lad has lost over half his body weight in less than a year, after becoming 'tired of being fat.'
Twenty-two-year-old Andy Albertson was bullied throughout his time at school due to his weight, which he began piling on from age 11.
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He said that the torment of being picked on by other students made him turn to food for comfort, which, in turn, made him gain weight. He regularly ate fast food, with his favourite meal being a seven-piece fried chicken meal with fries, biscuit and a large soda.
Speaking to Today.com Andy remembers one occasion when a teacher, who would reward kids with sweets, refused to let him have one and then mentioned his weight in front of the class. She said: "Andy, do you really want that?
"I thought you were telling me that you were trying to lose weight."
Credit: Facebook/Andy Albertson
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He told the Daily Mail: "I think I first became aware of my weight in fifth grade. That's when the bullying started and continued throughout school.
"I knew I could no longer keep up with my teammates and eventually dropped out of soccer and baseball.
"I hated the way I looked and the way I felt. I hated the idea that people were looking at me and judging because of my size.
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"I would tell myself that I didn't care about my weight or what others thought about me but that was a lie. It was a coping mechanism.
Credit: Facebook/Andy Albertson
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Andy weighed over 22 stone (144kg) at his heaviest, but since deciding to lose weight he has managed to drop over 12 stone (79kg) and now weighs around 10 stone (63kg).
He says he hit breaking point in January 2015, so he began going the gym and running for up to an hour a day.
He also completely overhauled his diet, binning the junk food and instead going for five or six small, nutritionally balanced meals a day.
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Credit: Facebook/Andy Albertson
After losing around 4 stone (25kg) he hit a wall and was struggling to lose anymore weight, so he enlisted the help of personal trainer Jerry Hughes, who helped devise a diet and exercise plan for Andy, which would see him doing three gym sessions per week, plus cardio every day.
He added: "Now, it's a whole different story. I love the way I look and feel now. I enjoy going to the gym and challenging myself physically."
"I am so much stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally than I have ever been."
He's now sharing his incredible weight loss journey with other people,via his Facebook page.
Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Andy Albertson