Before his weight loss transformation, Stephen Ringo struggled to have sex due to his size, which caused his marriage to breakdown.

At his heaviest, the 38-year-old tipped the scales at 29st (419lbs). His weight ballooned when he quit sport after tying the knot in 2005.

Over the course of a decade, the software engineer’s love of Big Macs and greasy pizzas caused his waist to expand to 60ins.

But Stephen, from Tennessee, US, knew it was time to overhaul his lifestyle after his 14-year relationship ended.

He said: “It’s fair to say that my weight ruined my marriage. It was the single biggest factor.

“My relationship with my wife deteriorated as my weight crept up. I was depressed and my weight drove my sex life to the ground.

“My weight held me back from doing so many things. Getting dressed in the morning was tough. I felt like a failure.

"I never prepared meals and I usually ate fast food, I would usually go to McDonald’s for lunch and order a Big Mac family meal (two Big Macs, two large fries and two large cokes, with 20 chicken nuggets).”

Stephen had struggled with his weight his whole life.

He added: “When I was a child, I was extremely underweight. I was bullied regularly.

“I began lifting weights at 11, in an attempt to gain some muscle mass in the hopes of protecting myself.

“When I was just out of college and had given up my powerlifting, I started getting ‘chubby’.

“I never made the time to get back to the gym, but I kept eating as if I was.”

Stephen wanted others to see that weight loss has its ups and downs, so he created a YouTube channel.

On his channel – Morbid Reality – he tries to motivate and educate others to help them reach their goals.

He began the physical process of burning fat by calculating his TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) by using the app, MyFitnessPal.

At first, Stephen was gorging on 3,500 calories a day, but he cut out 1,000, meaning he was eating about 2,500 daily.

“I just started watching the portions I ate and made sure to stick to my daily calorie goals,” he explained.

“After the first two months, I began a simple exercise routine (mostly weightlifting, as it was something with which I was very familiar).”

The weightlifting helped Stephen to retain muscle mass as he continued to lose weight.

His main source of motivation was the promises he made to the subscribers that enjoyed his content.

Stephen tries to maintain a four-hour eating window each day (between 5-9pm) and he fasts the rest of the time.

Discussing his new routine, he explained: “I am in the gym by 4:30am and I usually leave the gym around 6am.

“I am at work from 6:30am-4:30pm and on several days of the week I spend my evenings planning out the videos and posts to make, which helps keep me mentally engaged. My subscribers are the main source of my motivation and inspiration.

“Knowing that there are people watching my journey and the interactions I have with the commenters is amazing.”

The IT expert, whose waist measures 32ins, says his weight loss has changed his life and boosted his confidence.

Although he isn’t quite ready to date, Stephen thinks he would be a better partner now.

He explained: “Losing this weight has changed my life. Something as simple as being able to put on your socks makes such a different.

"I do have a lot of excess skin. I'd love to get it removed but surgery costs a lot so it's not my priority now.

"I don't feel ready to date yet but I do think I'd be a better partner in the future. I'm so much happier in myself and I think that would make a big difference."

To follow Stephen’s YouTube channel, check out Morbid Reality.