A 21-year-old man has lost more than 23 stone in one year after a personal trainer put him on a diet and fitness programme.
Samuil Aleksandrov, 21, weighed 270 kilogrammes (42 stone 7 lbs) when his mum put a heartfelt message on social media about him 12 months ago.
But thanks to regular work outs and a high protein diet, he’s now close to his goal of losing 150 kilogrammes (23 stone 9 lbs).
Ruslina Aleksandrova posted on Facebook that her son had weighed so much, not because he was greedy but because of health issues, adding:
My pain, my love, my shame? [translated]
She said Samuil had suffered from metabolic syndrome since childhood but there was no health support for him in their home city of Ruse, in north-eastern Bulgaria.
Fortunately, fitness instructor Cudomir Grigorov, from the city of Plovdiv, in the south of the country, saw the post and got in touch.
Mr Grigorov told Samuil:
Look, my friend, I am your man, it was terrible so far because you were alone, from now on, you are not alone.
‘I am with you, and my task is to get you out of the place you are in right now and take you where we need to be’ Grigorov continued.
‘We’ll do it together because I know the truest and quickest way this will happen, you just have to trust me and be ready to step out of your comfort zone, he added.
He designed an exercise programme for Samuil, starting gently but stepping up gradually, in which he had to work out every day.
Grigorov also put him on a varied high protein diet of mainly meat and fish, along with vegetables, rice and nuts.
Samuil recently posted on social media:
Minus 150kg… the goal is close!
He said:
I train hard, walk and stick to a four-course diet a day. I feel more energetic and my food is more varied.
Samuil’s weight loss has been inspiring other people online such as netizen ‘Elena Karapcova’ who said:
You’re great, go ahead and don’t give up [sic]
While ‘Xristina I-Simeon’ added:
Bravo Sami!
Metabolic syndrome is a clustering of a number of medical conditions including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides (a type of fat found in the blood) and low high-density lipoprotein levels.
Keep doing you, Samuil. We’re all behind you.
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