STEVE Hunter, a 37-year-old engineer from Southampton, has shed 14 stone in just over a year after being warned by his GP that he was ‘super morbidly obese’ and only had a few years to live unless he slimmed down.

All his life Steve sought sort comfort from food and was 17 stone by the age of 15.

As a gay man, Steve says he struggled to gain acceptance from his parents who objected to his sexuality on religious grounds.

When he reached 28 stone, Steve realised that something drastic needed to be done.

He was suffering from high blood pressure and sleep apnoea caused by the pressure of the weight around his neck, both of which have now disappeared.

His marriage of six years broke down in January and Steve believes his weight problem was a contributory factor.

A turning point for Steve was meeting someone on a training course who’d turned their life around after shedding weight.

Steve said: “Until this point, I had never actually believed I could change and so whenever it came to trying to lose weight I was always holding back.”

He started eating sensibly and signed up to The Gym Southampton East, where he trained after work, sometimes to 2am.

Steve’s weight loss programme included one-to-one sessions with personal trainer Louis Olrog.

He explains: “This whole process would not be possible without the help of Louis.

"From day one he always took the time to listen and really understand my needs and created programmes accordingly.”

High-intensity Fusion workouts and high intensity interval training (HIIT) suit Steve best as they allow him to work at his own pace.

Steve also praised the support he had received from fellow gym-goers.

“I keep going to The Gym because of the people.

“There is a real community feel here.”

Steve, who has dropped from a 60-inch to a 34-inch waist, has recently undergone £7,000 of surgery to remove excess skin.

Now his focus is to tone up his new trim physique rather than lose more weight.

“Having battled with depression for a long time I’m finally starting to see myself in a positive way, and losing so much weight has truly changed my life,” he said.

“I’ve grown a lot as a person and I’m a new man now.

“I really want to share my story and inspire people like me to believe that it is actually achievable.”