Man who weighed 295kg slims down

A man who tipped the scales at 295kg has shed more than half his body weight in an attempt to turn his life around.

David Smith, 32, from Arizona in the US, was chronically overweight, had no friends and spent his time watching television.

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The dramatic change in Mr Smith's life began when he was contemplating suicide.

"Then I realised I could sit here the rest of my life regretting everything or try to fix my life," he said.

"Live my life like I was supposed to live it. If I didn't, I realised I would regret this point of my life.

Smith contacted a local television station that had a show hosted by a fitness and nutrition expert.

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"I knew that if I was on television, people would know my story. They wouldn’t see me as a joke. They would see me as a human, and not as a beast," Smith said.

"It's like night and day. I've gone from being a laughing stock to having girls make googly eyes at me," Smith told US show Today.

"I still have to muster up the courage to talk to girls."

"Instead of being a dud, I want to be a stud," Smith said.

After starting on a strict food and fitness program, Smith lost 186kg from a starting weight of 295kg in 26 months.

Smith's story is now the subject of a US TV documentary, "The 650 pound virgin".