Darren “Dibsy” Mcclintock was a fast food addict who found himself morbidly obese weighing 560 pounds at one point. When doctors told him that he would not be able to survive much longer if he continued his current lifestyle, Dibsy got the wakeup call he needed to turn everything around.

Realizing that he needed to change his life drastically if he wanted to live, Dibsy enlisted the help of Mike Hind, a personal trainer who is known for taking on one client for free every year. When Mike met Dibsy and his mom at his gym’s Macro Based Diner in 2018, he immediately decided he wanted Dibsy to be that year’s client.

“His mum burst out crying and said no parent would want to bury her child,” Mike recalled.

Knowing that fast food was Dibsy’s enemy, Mike created flyers to hand out at all Dibsy’s favorite restaurants around the city Middlesbrough, instructing employees not to serve him.

With Mike’s help, Dibsy has completely changed his diet and adopted a healthy lifestyle. This has paid off for him more than he could have ever imagined, as he has lost an astounding 266 pounds!

“It’s been very hard — like, to the point where I’ve just wanted to walk out and give up, but obviously I’ve got these people around me who keep me motivated, keep me going,” Dibsy said. “I’m living life now! It’s just a matter of keeping going with it.”

Earlier this month, Dibsy and Mike joined thousands of runners in the world’s biggest half marathon, the Great North Run. Not only did Dibsy finish the race, he also surpassed his goal of four hours, crossing the finish line at two hours and 43 minutes!

“The sense of achievement is unbelievable,” Dibsy said. “If you’d told me I would be doing the Great North Run even a month ago, I would have laughed!”

Dibsy is living proof that it’s never too late to get healthy and change your lifestyle. Find out more about his journey in the video below.