Laura Bagshaw THREE years ago Mike Scott's weight ruled his life. Tipping the scales at a massive 24st 7lbs Mike struggled to play a game of football with his son and even cut his legs getting into a plane seat.

Laura Bagshaw

THREE years ago Mike Scott's weight ruled his life. Tipping the scales at a massive 24st 7lbs Mike struggled to play a game of football with his son and even cut his legs getting into a plane seat.

Two years after shedding an incredible 11 stones in just five months, Mike is still keeping the weight off and enjoying his finely-honed 13st, 10lbs figure.

And the dad-of-two is hoping to turn his triumph into a recipe of success for others working as a qualified diet counsellor and life coach alongside his day job as a hospital IT manager.

Mike is also writing a book about his experience with weight which he hopes will be published in December.

“It's strange because people have forgotten what I used to look like,” said Mike, 34. “I feel so much healthier. I've got loads more energy and I'm doing things I could never have done when I was big.”

The James Paget worker competed in the Great North Run last year and is taking part in a 10k race in London later this year.

Mike lost his weight on the Cambridge Diet which replaces food with four daily meal packs of soup, healthy shake or meal bar. One of the most challenging things for Mike is keeping the weight off.

“For the first six months after coming off the diet I was very conscious about what I was eating but now I don't worry at all. If I see something unhealthy I don't think twice about it, it doesn't bother me not having fatty foods now, whereas before I would crave them.

“However, saying that, I still eat most things but in moderation,”

he added.

Mike has also completed an Open University course in nutrition and believes a lot of people are unaware about what they are eating.

He said: “A lot of food which claims to be low in fat is actually similar in fat and calorie content to products that don't claim to be low in fat.”

Since his diet Mike has trimmed 16ins from his waist, dropped four inches from his neck and shrunk two shoes sizes from 12 to 10.

He said: “People can eat because they are unhappy or stressed with a job. In a lot of cases you need to address the other issues if you are ever going to have chance to lose weight. And dieting is not about getting to the perfect size; it's being happy with yourself.”