Obese teacher loses half his body weight after being teased about his bulk by his own PUPILS!

Obese teacher loses half his body weight after being teased about his bulk by his own PUPILS!

• James Bentley, 25, weighed 25 st 11lbs at his heaviest
• Teasing pupils branded him 'tubby' but even they're impressed by his dramatic weight loss
  
• In two years, the Oldbury IT teacher has lost 11 st 3lbs - nearly half his body weight
• Now the newly svelte James is to take part in a 136 mile charity bike ride

By Ruth Styles

PUBLISHED: 06:20 EST, 26 February 2013 | UPDATED: 14:18 EST, 26 February 2013

Tipping the scales at nearly 26 stone, IT teacher James Bentley wasn't setting a healthy example to pupils at his Oldbury school - and they weren't afraid to point it out.

Now James, 25, fed up with the teasing, has lost nearly half his bodyweight - an amazing 11 stone 3lbs - in just two years.

At his heaviest, James weighed 25 stone 11lb, had a massive 60in waist and was so large it took him 10 minutes to bend down and put his shoes on every morning.

Mr Tubby: James has lost more than 11 stone (left) and is now fitter and healthier than ever before

Hefty: At his most well-padded, James tipped the scales at nearly 26 stone and had a colossal 60in waist

The 6ft 2in cycling fan now weighs 14st 8lbs and sports a trim 36in waist but says he has had to spend hundreds of pounds on a new wardrobe because he is swamped by his old super-sized clothes.

'I'm 6ft 2in which probably means I could get away with carrying a bit of extra weight, but now I feel much healthier,' said James

'When I put the weight on I was quite happy in myself and felt I didn't need to diet. I did get some comments from the pupils, nothing too bad but the word 'tubby' was used a few times.

'I took it in good humour because I have a good relationship with the students but things came to a head when I had my picture taken on sport's day.

'My body virtually filled the entire picture which was embarrassing and I knew I had to do something to change my appearance. I looked in the mirror and thought 'who is that person?'.

'I decided to lose weight over the summer holiday and just saw it as a short-term thing.'

Suits you sir! Thanks to the loss of nearly half his body weight, James now gets compliments from his pupils

Unusually, James had thought he had a healthy diet because he always skipped breakfast and lunch before binge-eating in the evenings.

'During the day I would just have fizzy drinks, no food at all, but then at night I would have an Indian, Chinese, pizza or go to the chippy after marking the pupils work.

'Now I usually have porridge for breakfast, a chicken wrap for lunch and then a steak and jacket potato for dinner. I do still have treats like an Indian meal but I tend to go for a lighter option.'

But the real change came courtesy of a healthy new hobby: cycling.

'My friends suggested I start cycling and I just couldn't stop,' he explains. 'I was clocking up hundreds of miles a month and went as often as I could.

'I decided to carry on and the weight has managed to keep coming off and now I feel much better.

'When you are used to seeing yourself every day you don't notice the change but I do think it's ridiculous when I look at photos of myself from a few years ago, or I get my big trousers out.

Slim: James' healthy new diet and passion for cycling long distances has had impressive results

What's more, even James' pupils have noticed his rapidly dwindling waistline - and changed their tune to boot.

'The children at school tell me that they can see I'm losing weight - they think my face has changed quite a bit and people are always telling me I look younger,' their teacher adds.

'Now I weigh 14st 8lb and my goal is 13st 13lb so I haven't got too far to go.'

Teasing: Pupils at Oldbury Academy branded James 'tubby' but after his weight loss, he's had the last laugh

James and a group of fellow slimmers will cycle 136 miles from Whitehaven, Cumbria, to Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear, in April to raise money for the Rainbow Trust children's charity.

JAMES' OLD DIET

Breakfast: Nothing

Lunch: Nothing

Supper: Indian or Chinese takeaway, pizza, chips

Snacks: Full fat fizzy drinks

Exercise: None

JAMES' NEW MENU

Breakfast: Porridge

Lunch: Chicken wrap

Supper: Steak with a baked potato

Snacks: None

Exercise: Daily cycling plus training for a 136 mile charity bike ride