Super slimmer Carl loves his new look

Carl Waldie after swapping tv and take-always for gym sessions and healthy eating

The 41-year-old trucker who once tipped the scales at 30 stone is now down to 20 stone after shedding an incredible 140lbs over the last nine months.

Carl, who has lost more than a third of his body weight has used a combination of dieting and exercise but has paid a heartfelt tribute to his close network of family and friends who have supported him through his weight-loss journey from the start.

Carl, who lives in Atherton and is a member of Howe Bridge Leisure Centre, said: “I woke up one Sunday morning and thought, I have had enough. I joined the gym for £15 and thought I would see how it goes. I haven’t stopped since.

“I go five times a week for two and a half hours a day burning between 1,800 and 2,500 calories each session. It’s really hard work but everyone in the gym is really friendly and very encouraging. They are all there for the same reasons.”

Coaching the Atherton Laburnum Rovers youth football team has also given Carl the inspiration to get in shape and stay in shape. “Believe it or not I even got up and did exercise on Christmas Day. At 10am I was up, with my mate Shaun, doing a three-mile run.”

Now at 20 stone with plans to shed at least another stone, Carl has cited his diet as the main reason for initially putting on weight.

He added: “Being a wagon driver, you sit and eat rubbish all day every day. I have cut out all of that and I’ve cut out carbs. I do look forward to a cheat day on a Saturday.”

Carl confessed that before his lifestyle change, he would indulge in large bags of sweets, crisps and drink bottles of energy drinks during his journeys.

Nowadays Carl has a varied and healthy diet, eating porridge with strawberries and walnuts for breakfast and water with lemon juice, chicken breasts for dinner, and chicken salad with boiled eggs for tea.

All of that is washed down with between four to six litres of water a day.

Carl shows no signs of falling off the wagon, and has booked to do a 10k race with his sister and Shaun Moran, one of his friends from the gym, later this year.

He said: “My wife has been really supportive. She has let me get on with what I need to do. I want to say a big thank you to my family and friends for being there.”