A Letchworth personal trainer and bodybuilder who tipped the scales at 30 stone just four years ago has told how he transformed his life and lost more than half his body weight.

The Comet: Lloyd Weedon before his massive weight loss and now.Lloyd Weedon before his massive weight loss and now. (Image: Archant)

Lloyd Weedon, 24, felt he had hit rock bottom at the end of his teens, when he struggled to move or breathe – but he began shedding the stones by walking to and from work.

And four years on, as a qualified personal trainer specialising in obesity, 14-stone Lloyd is working to help others emulate his slimming success as a member of the team at Pride Fitness in Letchworth.

“When I advertised as a personal trainer nobody realised it was me for about six months,” said Lloyd.

“I think just a lifestyle change is important, and having the confidence to say you’re going to do it.

“Quite honestly it’s just a general outlook. People think it’s such a big thing, they’re scared – they think even one stone is such a big thing.

“It’s just taking that first step and having the belief that you really can do it.”

Lloyd told the Comet it all began when he ran an outfitter for large men, and saw the kinds of clothes sizes his customers looked for.

“I didn’t realise until then how big I myself had got,” he said.

“I started walking to and from the shop and changed my diet. It was two miles each way, so four miles a day.

“I did that for about six months, and then I trained at Pride Fitness for around three years to get where I am now.”

There’s no magic formula, Lloyd said, but one of the most important things is a change in diet.

“I’d always had a very bad diet,” he said.

“I used to eat junk food constantly – everything was bread or chips or burgers, anything I wanted. I didn’t really have the knowledge.

“Now I have an advanced nutrition qualification and I map out the food I eat. I know what’s right and wrong now.”

Lloyd’s best friend Alex Brown is among those he is helping.

Alex said: “It’s a really great achievement – the pictures speak for themselves really, show what he used to be like.

“He kept himself focused, kept his head down and achieved the target he wanted. It’s great. Now he’s helping others to do the same, including myself.”

Lloyd is set for a fresh challenge next month when he takes on the Standalone 10k alongside Craig Worley, his boss at the gym in the Spirella Building.

Lloyd, who went to Hitchin Boys’ School, laughed as he said: “I’ve never run, ever. I do cardio, but a lot of that’s just water training.

“I’ve been training for the run, though, and it’s going alright. This is a new sort of challenge for myself.”