Fast food addict whose pal begged takeaways to ban him will run half-marathon

A fast food addict whose pal put a "Don't Feed This Man' sign in a takeaway to help him shed weight will take on the Great North Run later this month.

Darren "Dibsy" McClintock, who now weighs 21st, will join 57,000 other runners and take his place at the starting line of the world-famous half-marathon on September 8.

The 28-year-old, who once tipped the scales at 40st 3lbs, decided he needed to take drastic action and got help from personal trainer and friend Mike Hind following a health scare.

Mike had put posters up with the message: "Save Dibsy. Obesity is killing him. Do not serve this man."

He lost nearly half his body weight in just 10 months after sticking to a strict diet and plenty of exercise after being banned from local takeaways in his hometown of Middlesborough.


He told The Sun : “I was at death’s door because of my lifestyle. I was a million miles away from doing a half-marathon.

“Obesity is a major problem in the UK but I am living proof that it can be beaten. If I can do it, then anyone can.”

At one stage, he was consuming 11,000 calories a day after feasting on unhealthy fast food such as pizzas, chips and sausage sandwiches.

But after seeing his mum's reaction to doctor's warnings, he decided it was time to do something about it.

His life has been transformed after starting his weight-loss journey late last year.

Darren said: "Instead of picking the healthy option I would always go for what I liked, stuff like pies, pasties, crisps and chips.


"It got to the point where my legs and back were aching all the time and I ended up in hospital.

"The doctor asked me if I want to live a long life and said I can't go on the way I am or I'd be dead before too long.

"Seeing my mum's reaction to it all was heartbreaking, if it wasn't for that I might never have changed.

"I have had a lot of finger pointing and laughing over the years and I was bullied at school.

"That's another reason for making a change now, so that I can live a normal life."

Much of Dibsy's progress is thanks to personal trainer Mike, who takes on a client for free once a year.



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