Tevante Clark, from North Carolina, weighed 28 stone at his peak weight.

At just 19, he was unhappy with his size, to such an extent that he felt that he could no longer hang around with friends.

In fact, over a period of 4 years, his circle of friends began to leave him out of conversations and meet-ups. This took its toll on Tevante, who recognised that he had a problem.

He told reporters that he became so embarrassed about his weight that he would even wait in the car while his mother went shopping; only helping when she returned.

Things got so bad that Tevante even contemplated suicide.

At this point, his mother Beverly decided that her son needed help.

Luckily, as she worked for the local university, she was aware of the organisation’s wellness programme – Live for Life.

This scheme offers a 12 month weight-loss programme for employees and members of their immediate family.

The Live for Life programme isn’t just a basic weight-loss scheme, but a dedicated system involving a number of practitioners, who coordinate and work out a proper plan for the individual, including diet and exercise.

Initially, Tevante wanted to lose 6 stone, which would have been sufficient for gastric by-pass surgery.

However, the combination of proper diet and exercise instilled a discipline in Tevante that wasn’t there before. He enjoyed it so much that he continued doing it, reducing the need to look for other ways to lose weight including surgery.

Psychologically, Tevante became a more balanced individual. He grew more confident and happier as a result.

Today, aged 23, Tevante is working and enjoying his life much more, including his social life.