text: A former lager lout who ballooned to 24 stone has lost nearly half his body weight by giving up his favourite drink. Rugby prop Dale Forrest, 26, of Bolton, would sink up to 12 pints a night, but decided to shed the pounds after seeing a photo of himself while out with his fitness fanatic friends. In December 2013, the bank teller decided to ditch the booze, give up his favourite fatty readymeals and greasy takeaways and hit the gym. Dale Forrest would drink up to 12 pints a night - and ballooned to 24 stone - before giving up beer to lose weight . Dale, pictured at his slimmest, was worried he would look like a 'beached whale' next to his friends on holiday . Since then, Mr Forrest, who had a holiday planned with his mates and didn’t want to look like a ‘beached whale’ next to them, has lost 10.5 stone. He said: ‘I can now go on nights out and feel confident - even without the Dutch courage. ‘I no longer feel like people are laughing at me and all it took was a bit of willpower.’ Mr Forrest struggled with his weight from a young age and in adulthood fell into unhealthy habits. Before shedding the pounds Mr Forrest ate a cheese and sausage bap for breakfast, a Big Daddy Box Meal from KFC for lunch and a meat feast pizza for dinner. Dale, pictured sitting down, said he would consume beer, alcopops and shots regularly on nights out . Dale, pictured before his weight loss (right) and after losing 10 stone, gave up greasy takeaways for healthy foods and started going to the gym regularly, and saw the pounds fall off . Despite being a rugby player, Dale weighed 24 stone due to his unhealthy lifestyle . He said: ‘I was inactive and ate and drank what I wanted. ‘All my friends were in really great shape. They got a lot of attention from girls and I got none, which was a bit depressing. ‘They were all quite careful about what they ate, but I thought nothing of having dinner at McDonald's regularly.’ Despite being a keen rugby player, Mr Forrest rarely exercised and lived on an unhealthy diet – and would regularly drink 12 pints of beer followed by shots and sugary alcopops on a night out with friends. He said: ‘I would drink in the pub with my friends every Friday and Saturday. ‘I would start off by having a few pints, then as I got a bit bloated I would switch to other drinks. By the end of the night I was downing Jaegerbombs and drinking alcopops.’ After a night out in December 2013, Mr Forrest logged on to Facebook to look at the pictures taken the night before. Dale is now taking part in a charity boxing match since losing weight . Dale, pictured before (left) during a rugby game, and (right) after losing more than 10 stone . He was horrified to see that he was nearly double the size of all his friends. He said: ‘I was shocked when I saw how big I was compared to my mates. ‘Me and the lads had just booked a holiday for the summer and I did not want to be the beached whale at the side of the pool. ‘I decided I had to change.’ Desperate to change, Mr Forrest set his alarm for 6am the next day so he could go to the gym. He said: ‘I had to drag myself out of bed - during the walk to the gym I felt like death and I struggled to find any motivation. ‘When I got to the gym things changed. I started with some weights and then did 15 minutes on the crosstrainer. ‘After I finished I felt I had achieved something, although it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. ‘I got a taste for it and started going all the time.’ Dale said he would start the night drinking beer and then move on to shots and alcopops . Dale (left before losing weight) turned his life around and lost more than 10 stone thanks to healthy eating . The committed slimmer also overhauled his diet, swapping fatty takeaways for lean meat and fresh vegetables. Before his dramatic weight loss Mr Forrest would snack on chocolate bars and gorge on a fat-rich diet. Now he eats porridge with blueberries for breakfast, grilled turkey with boiled potatoes and vegetables for lunch and grilled fish with green vegetables for dinner. Throughout the day he snacks on nuts, fruit, celery and protein shakes. He also started going to the gym twice a day, weightlifting before work and doing cardio in the evening. By February 2014 Mr Forrest had lost an impressive 3st 7lb. He said: ‘The biggest change was kicking the booze. I still go out now but I've changed my drinking habits. ‘I drink lime and soda throughout the week and I'll switch to gin and tonic on a Saturday night. ‘Within four months people started to notice I had lost weight. My work clothes started getting really baggy as the weight fell off. ‘It was a good feeling every time I needed to go down a size, but it cost me a fortune to keep refreshing my wardrobe.’ Since losing more than ten stone, Mr Forrest has dropped from a 48-inch trouser waist to a 34-inch waist. He now weighs in at an even 14 stone. He is planning on taking part in a charity boxing match on April 18 for Cancer Research UK. He said: ‘I've changed my lifestyle completely. It was a lot of hard work - but it is the best thing I have ever done for myself.’
target: Dale Forrest would go out drinking regularly and would eat fatty food .
  Dined on cheese and sausage bap for breakfast and KFC for lunch .
  Decided to lose weight after seeing photos of him next to slim friends .
  Started going to the gym and eating healthy foods and lost 10 stone .