Obese chef sheds 21 STONE in one year after friend warned: 'You'll be dead by 40'

Obese chef Jamie Brooks lost a staggering 21 STONE in one year after jibes from his mates - and his new physique found him love.

Jamie, 31, piled on the pounds from the age of 14 when he started a part-time job in a kitchen and began picking at food all day.

His weight rapidly spiralled out of control and by his 20s he had ballooned to nearly 36 stone.

The head chef would cook food all day for pub customers and then gorge on fast food for his own meals because he couldn't face going back into the kitchen at home.

To keep up his energy at work Jamie guzzled sugary drinks from the bar and ate whole giant packs of Galaxy minstrels in one go.

He had to buy his giant size 7XL tops from a specialist supplier and became resigned to the fact he would never find love.

But when a close friend sent him well-meaning texts calling him fat every day for six weeks, he finally vowed to shift the pounds.

In just 12 months Jamie's weight dropped almost two-thirds from 35st 10lb to 14st 4lbs, and his waist size halved from 60 inches to 32 inches.

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Around the same time he started the diet in January 2014 he became friendly Melanie Mulley, his neighbour in Crowcombe, Somerset.

Jamie - who admits he was 'terrible' with girls - would go to her house during breaks from work at the Carew Arms in Crowcombe to have his diet milkshake.

Melanie, 36, was preparing to move back to West Wickham, Cambs, but the pair have since moved in together in Somerset - a year after he started his diet.

Jamie said: 'It was a confidence issue on my behalf. I had no luck with girls and didn't think she'd like me but my confidence changed when I lost weight.

'I don't know if she would have wanted to be with me when I was fatter but being more secure in myself made me more attractive as a person.'

Melanie, who has a three year-old daughter, said: 'His confidence grew as he lost weight and I was really proud of what he'd achieved.

'On New Year's Eve he told me I was beautiful inside and out. I really realised how much he meant to me when I was moving.’

Jamie started the Ideal Weight diet on January 11 last year after his friend Neil, a camper van salesman, saw an advert for it in his local GP surgery.

He was also spurred on by the texts from Neil which told him: 'You'll be dead by the time you're 40'.

Proud Jamie, who used to feel exhausted and lethargic but is now a bundle of energy, says he feels like a 'new man'.

'I never made plans for the future as I always thought I would be dead at a young age, but now I'm healthy and have an amazing girlfriend - I'm a new man.'

Jamie is frustrated that he has been rejected by the NHS to have excess skin removal surgery.

He said: 'I've done the hard work off my own back and the surgery would be a lot cheaper than an gastric band.

'I see people with boob jobs on the NHS and I think it's unfair that I've been rejected. However I do understand there are people more in need and I'm just glad I'm healthy.'

The Ideal Weight diet took him down to just 640 calories a day with his regular meals replaced with milkshakes, soups and bars.

Jamie says the diet allowed his brain to 'switch off' from thinking about food.

His one normal meal of the day now consists of low fat meat from a specialist local butcher with fresh green salads and vegetables.