A former chef who struggled to walk while tipping the scales at 29 stone has lost almost two-thirds of his bodyweight.

Sean Hollingsbee, from Northgate in Canterbury, vowed to transform his life after being diagnosed with diabetes.

The 37-year-old says that at his heaviest, life was becoming a real challenge as his confidence was down and he was struggling to walk even short distances.

Now, after five years of hard work, he weighs a much healthier 11 stone - and is looking forward to finally being able to fit in a rollercoaster seat.

Mr Hollingsbee completed the most recent leg of his mission by losing 100lbs over the past year with the help of his trainer Marck Olive from Kingsmead Leisure Centre.

He said: “It’s been fantastic, amazing even and I couldn’t have done it without my trainer.

“I feel fitter, better, more confident and motivated than ever, to keep myself healthy in mind and body.

“I’m going to get a t-shirt made with my before and after pictures on it, so others can see the change in me.

“My friends and family are delighted to see the progress I have made and now I want to be an inspiration to others like me who battle with their weight.”

Now that he has achieved this goal, he wants to share how he did it in the hopes it will help others.

Mr Hollingsbee says his success boils down to determination not to give up and following Marck’s advice on diet and exercise.

“I used to eat all sorts of rubbish, kebabs and stuff like that. I’ve left that all behind and I stick to healthy stuff,” he said.

“I do sometimes miss the food. I want the odd burger but I just think 'do I really want that?' It is hard but you have to remember you can put more back on than you got off.”

Now he swears by breakfast yoghurt bowls and dinners of protein-rich muscle meats.

As for his exercise routine, the combination that works for him is using the cross-trainer, rowing machine, treadmill and weights as well as lane swimming twice a week.

Mr Hollingsbee will find out at his next blood test whether all his hard work has paid off in battling his diabetes and he's feeling hopeful he’ll get good news.

Asked what he most wants to do following his extraordinary achievement, Mr Hollingsbee told KentOnline: “I’m really looking forward to going on a rollercoaster because before I couldn’t fit in the seats, and now I can.”