I lost half my body weight after cutting out my THREE bottles of Irn Bru a day

A MAN who drank three big bottles of Irn Bru a day has shed half his body weight after ditching his love of the fizzy pop.

Obese Steve Hill guzzled huge amounts of the juice, his weight ballooning to a dangerous 27 stone. But last night the 39-year-old told how he’s slimmed to 13 stone after swapping his beloved Irn Bru for sugar free diluting juice.

“I had to give up Irn Bru or face dying young,” he said.

“My life was being ruled by it. Everyone loves a treat but it got out of hand for me.”

At the height of his obsession, he was downing 1,260 calories’ worth of the drink a day.

His waist was as thick as one of the famous girders his favourite juice was said to be made from, at a whopping 56 inches!

He dreaded booking a holiday in case he would be asked to book two seats on flights.

The final straw came when he found himself struggling to breathe as he made his way to his office administrator job in Bucksburn, Aberdeen.

“Stopping three times to catch my breath on the way home from work was a real eye opener.” said Steve, who joined a local slimming class.

His biggest shock came when he stepped on the scales at the club.

“I had no idea I had reached 27 stone and was twice the weight I should be,” he added.

“I was heading for 30 stone and wanted to avoid it at all costs.”

When he explained his old diet to class leaders, they immediately told him to ditch the iconic tipple.

He switched to diluting juice and a calorie controlled diet.

His class applauded when he reached his target weight two weeks ago.

Steve was approaching 27 stone

His class manager, Sylvia Strachan, of Scottish Slimmers, said his is an inspirational story.

“It’s one of our biggest losses in the quickest time,” she said

“When he reached his target, the class erupted in a deafening cheer.

“It was the best atmosphere ever.”

Steve’s family are also stunned by his trim new physique.

“When my sister Arlene got off the plane from Canada a few weeks ago she didn’t recognise me,” he said.

“Her sons didn’t recognise me either.

“We had spoken by Skype since she emigrated last December, but seeing me in the flesh was a shock.

“She did a huge double-take when she saw how I’d changed.”

Steve, who says he’s delighted he’s now slim enough to book a normal plane seat to visit Arlene in Canada, has a whole new diet.

His meals are now packed with vegetables and fruit apart from a weekly Chinese takeaway treat and he also walks miles every day.

A spokesman for AG Barr, makers of Irn Bru, said they were delighted Steve has lost weight.

They said: “Irn-Bru can be enjoyed in regular and sugar-free variants as part of a balanced diet and a healthy, active lifestyle and we provide nutritional information and clear guidelines on the sugar content of our products to enable consumers to make an informed choice.

“We would never advocate the over-consumption of any one product.”Meet the man who claims to help you lose weight with his phone – click here to read more