A morbidly obese man was shocked into losing a third of his bodyweight after he spotted his giant belly — on Google Street View.
Huge Bob Mewse, 56, weight went up to 21 stone 3lb after years of feeding his sweet tooth with cakes, crisps and biscuits.
But Bob was so ”horrified” when he saw his gut on Google Street View in November last year he decided to get in shape.
Bob lost seven stone – the equivalent of 49 bags of sugar – following drastic changes to his diet and a strict regime of exercise and is now a svelte 14stone.
The ”shocking” photograph captured Bob side-on opposite an ASDA filling station wearing a tent-like grey shirt.
Bob, of Longwell Green, Bristol, said: ”I was horrified when I saw that photo. I was massive. My belly was sticking out and I looked huge.
”I’d been thinking about losing weight for some time but after seeing that picture, I knew that I actually had to do something about it.
”I was in such bad condition that I was unable to walk and talk at the same time.
”My blood pressure was sky-high and I was getting back problems due to the excess weight I was carrying around.”
Super-sized Bob was so large that he had to travel 30 miles to Weston-super-Mare to get clothes that fitted him.
Doctors classed him as morbidly obese after he piled on the pounds gorging on cakes, crisps, biscuits and takeaway foods like ready meals with a high sugar and salt content.
But he was so shocked at the image online that super-sized Bob joined Fitness First Health Club in Longwell Green, Bristol.
He ditched the fatty foods in favour of healthier eating options such as salads, fruits, fibrous vegetables, and protein-rich foods.
A personal trainer designed a sensible exercise programme for three days each week to run in conjunction with Bob’s new healthy eating plan and the weight just dropped of him.
Fitness Manager Will McCullough today praised Bob for his determination and said he was an example for anyone who wanted to lose weight.
Will, 24, said: ”Bob believed that because he was a vegetarian and in his mid-50s that the odds were stacked against him and he was beyond help.
”But fair play to him, he’s stuck with the programme we gave him and followed it to the letter to reach his target weight, which is fantastic.”
Delighted Bob added: ”If I can do this, anybody can – I’m just an ordinary bloke. I feel much healthier now.”
Pride……?
I would have been more worried should he have seen himself on Google Earth.