He ended up in his doctor's surgery after suffering a painful insect bite on his leg on holiday in the Greek island of Zante. James Dean was at his lowest ebb.
He had lost his job as a bar manager, his relationship with his girlfriend was over and he weighed 29st, turning to food for comfort when everything around him was falling apart.
But his GP recognised his despair and referred him to East Riding Council's Live Well programme, a 26-week programme that runs at council leisure centres, offering one-to-one weight management for people with a body mass index of 45 and over.
Now, James, 29, from Driffield, weighs just over 15st, has a new job and his new girlfriend, Emily, is expecting their first baby in June.
"I feel great," says James. "I have such a drive in my life now.
"I didn't go for a diet change – I changed my lifestyle."
People are taking part in the Mail's A New You 2015 challenge to improve their health, lose weight and get fitter.
Throughout the year, we will be shining the spotlight on success stories.
James had always struggled with his weight, but the pounds really piled on when he turned to takeaways at the end of long bar shifts.
"My weight was spiralling out of control," he says. "I was eating pizzas, kebabs and takeaways all the time and I loved milk.
"It was always semi-skimmed, but I could drink anything between four to six pints every day.
"I always used my weight as a self-defence, taking the mickey out of myself before anyone else could have. "
Feeling miserable after his relationship breakdown, he went to his GP to get the bite checked out on his leg.
"It was a locum doctor and she just asked me if there was anything else I was unhappy with," he said. "I just reached out for help for the first time and she offered me the chance to go to Live Well."
People aged over 18 are referred to the Live Well scheme by their GP and are given support to reduce their calorie intake, increase physical activity and lead a more active life. Funded by East Riding Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the scheme offers free access to leisure centres during the 26 weeks and a free pass to encourage a loved one to come with them.
However, the project also examines an individual's relationship with food in an attempt to address over-eating and promote a healthier approach to eating.
Using a tailored programme of exercise, nutrition and support to suit their needs, people are encouraged to increased levels of physical activity, healthy eating and motivation.
Participants are given support to exercise at the leisure centre, seated if necessary, and at home. Since the programme started, almost 800 people have been referred to the scheme.
That was in July 2013, and James has never looked back.
"The first time I went, I was introduced to my mentor, Nicky Castle, and she was just what I needed.
"She didn't tell me what I had to do, but we talked about what I could try to do.
"I started off with a really simple cardio programme, such as ten minutes on the bike and ten minutes walking on the treadmill and I built it up from there."
With his new approach to exercise and eating meals with white meat, such as chicken, fish, salad and vegetables, the weight started falling off James and he lost about a stone a month.
Now weighing 15st, he has found it easy to stick to his new healthy eating plan, although he still has a blow-out on a takeaway. But it is once a month now, not every night.
He has a new job as a supervisor at an ice factory and is looking forward to the birth of his baby in June.
James says: "My advice to anyone thinking about this is to find your own way.
"I'm a firm believer that someone can't be told to do something. It has to be right for you.
"And you can only do it when you are ready. But you can do it."
Councillor Jonathan Owen, chairman of the East Riding Health and Wellbeing Board, said: "The main aim of Live Well is to help and encourage people to make healthy lifestyle changes that can be sustained once the programme has finished.
"The results we have achieved with our patients have been outstanding.
"The Live Well programme is at the cutting edge of public-sector leisure service delivery and is receiving a lot of attention at a national level."
For more information about Live Well, call Jennifer Lonsdale on 01482 392527.
Weekly well being recipe EACH week, we'll bring you recipes to tempt you back into the kitchen as part of our A New You 2015 campaign. You'll save money on unhealthy takeaways with our simple and pocket-friendly recipes. Today, Colin Inglis, chairman of Hull's Health and Wellbeing Board, shares his recipe for Quorn lasagne:Ingredients: Drop of olive oil 500g Quorn mince One finely chopped onion Two cloves garlic Frozen peppers and sweetcorn 400g chopped tomatoes 1tsp oregano 3tbsp red wine One vegetable stock cube Eight to ten lasagne sheets 25g low-fat spread 25g plain flour 300ml semi-skimmed milk 100g low-fat mature cheeseMethod: From pan to plate in 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C, 400F, gas mark 6. Use a small amount of olive oil and fry the onion and garlic for five minutes until softened. Add the frozen peppers and sweetcorn and cook for two minutes Stir in the Quorn mince and then the tomatoes, oregano, wine and vegetable stock cube. Turn up the heat and simmer gently for five minutes before removing from the heat. To make the sauce, put butter, flour and milk in a pan and turn on heat. Stir constantly until sauce begins to thicken and you can see the bottom of the pan when you stir. Add cheese and simmer gently for two minutes then take off the heat. Spoon Quorn mixture into an ovenproof dish, top with four lasagne sheets. Repeat with second layer of Quorn mixture, topped with four lasagne sheets. Pour over the cheese sauce and bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Scatter some grated cheese on top after about 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy.Join the campaign Join us in celebrating your new healthy lifestile as part of A New You 2015.Tweet your health tips and lifestyle changes to @HDMalCoggan using the hashtag #ANewYou2015, or email a.coggan@hulldailymail. co.uk. We will share them on our Facebook page and on our website www.hulldailymail.co.uk/anewyou as part of our campaign.Make a pledge to our A New You 2015 campaign and you could win a prize If you are having difficulty reading this on mobile go to this form
