An obese man has lost an astonishing 140 pounds in just 15 weeks – and it is partially thanks to his favorite fast food restaurants rallying together to stop serving him.

Darren "Dibsy" McClintock weighed 560 pounds when his doctors gave him an ultimatum: he could either "diet or die". Luckily, a personal trainer got behind him.

Now, the 28-year-old man from Middlesbrough, England has drawn up a new lease on life – he can now tie his own laces, wear a seat belt, fit in the bath, and ride a bike.

Furthermore, he recently went to the cinema for the first time in years and booked his first holiday abroad in half a decade.

McClintock says his new regime, which has included swapping soda for protein shakes and sweets for pineapples, has "saved his life".

"My life has turned around in the last 15 weeks," says McClintock. "I can actually go out and about and do things that normal people can do but take for granted. My body aches, but I feel so much better because I'm eating properly and working out every day.

"Every aspect of my life has improved for the better. Obviously I'm physically fitter, but I'm much happier as well; I used to be depressed and sad.

"It was my birthday in December and I treated myself to fish and chips but I ate half and threw it away, because I don't even like it anymore," he added.

The incredible progress is also thanks to McClintock's personal trainer, Mike Hind, who campaigned to have him banned from his client's favorite takeaway restaurants back in October.

Additionally, the 35-year-old has had McClintock on a strict regime involving two workouts every day, including Christmas and birthdays. McClintock's fitness routine involves two hours of cardio on a treadmill or bike in the morning and one to two hours of working with weights in the evening.

Hind has also taken control of McClintock's diet, feeding him high-protein meals that tally up to 3,000 calories a day. Over the past 15 weeks, Hind has cut a whopping 1,000,000 calories from the diet of his most challenging client.

"The way I see it, this was a case of life or death," says Hind. "If Dibsy hadn't made a change in his life, then it could have been the end for him.

"This is just the beginning," added Hind. "Dibsy is going to go on and live a healthy life."

Within the next three weeks Dibsy will undergo a procedure, called a cardioversion, to bring his abnormally fast heart rate down to a normal rhythm. Had his weight remained what it was, he wouldn't have been eligible for the procedure.

Hind's current aim is to get Dibsy's weight down to 280 pounds by the end of the year.

"Dibsy has been absolutely incredible, I'm so proud of the work he's done and the progress he has made," says Hind. "He knew it was going to be hard work but he got his head down and got on with it."

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