Martin said he had struggled with his weight since leaving school, and when he first started doing any form of exercise around 10 years ago he was “so heavy I would hurt myself any time I worked out”.
He said he previously weighed around 25 stone (158.8kg) and his body mass index was about 46, which was “ridiculously high”.
Anyone with a BMI of 40 or over is classed as being severely obese.
Martin was diagnosed with high blood pressure and sleep apnoea at the age of 38 and his doctor warned him he was at risk of becoming diabetic.
He was offered bariatric surgery or weight loss injections, but said he did not want to go down either of these routes.
“I didn’t want to be a statistic – another one who died in their 30s, 40s or 50s,” he said.
“This year I just thought I can’t live my life like this any more – I have had enough.
“I have got two young kids and I couldn’t do sports day – I couldn’t do anything with them as I was so sore and achy and so unmotivated.”