text: A morbidly obese man who piled on the pounds thanks to a twice-daily takeaway habit and 'hated leaving the house' because of his looks has lost 19st in just one year. David Rush, 33, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, felt that he 'shouldn't go out' because of his size but lost the weight after plucking up the courage to start cycling. At his heaviest, he weighed 34st and was forced to order specialist XXXXXL clothes on the internet - the result of topping up his takeaway-heavy diet with six bags of crisps and two bottles of full-fat Coca-Cola a day. Shedding the pounds: David Rush, 33, used to weigh 34st but has shed an incredible 19st in just one year . Super slimmer: Mr Rush now weighs a slimline 15st 4lbs - down from 34st at his heaviest (right) Embarrassed by his size and afraid of cruel comments or being forced to squeeze past people, Mr Rush says he never left the house - and never had a girlfriend. 'I hated leaving the house and going out anywhere because I didn't know if the places I would be going to were tight for space,' he explains. 'I was that big it made me feel like I shouldn't be out. My eating was awful - I would have takeaways every night for my dinner and eat junk all through the day.' But when his weight began to prevent him from walking easily, he decided to take action and ditched the takeaways in favour of a healthy meal plan. Mr Rush, who now weighs a healthy 15st 4lbs, began shedding the pounds at the rate of a stone a week but, determined to speed up the process, took up cycling. Overindulging: Mr Rush's old diet consisted of twice-daily takeaways topped up with six bags of crisps . Mobility: He plucked up the courage to make a change after having problems walking around . He combined bike rides with 10 mile jogs and vigorous gym workouts and as a result, managed to shed a substantial 18st 10lb in just one year. A newly slimline Mr Rush says he now feels confident enough to ask women on dates and is training for a half-marathon and a 115-mile charity bike ride. 'Since my weight loss my life has changed so much,' he enthuses. 'I started off with walking but once I started to cycle the weight just came off and I was able to join the gym. 'I've got my social life back, I'm out with my friends and I've got myself a new small car I can fit into.' Mr Rush says he has always been big but really began piling on the pounds in his twenties after moving out of his parents' home. Unhealthy habits swiftly crept in, with Mr Rush frequently eating crisps for breakfast and takeaways for lunch and dinner. Shrunk: Mr Rush and a friend can both squeeze into his old XXXXXL Rangers football shirt . New lease of life: Mr Rush is now training for a half-marathon and a 115-mile bike ride . Breakfast - Couple of bags of crisps . Lunch - Sausage supper from the chip shop . Dinner - Takeaway curry . Snacks - Five more bags of crisps and huge bottles of coke . Breakfast - Porridge or natural yoghurt with branflakes and fruit . Lunch - Cous cous with chicken breast and vegetables . Dinner - Fruit and yoghurt . Snacks - Fibre bars or fruit . Enjoying himself: Mr Rush, in the red jacket on the left, cycles up to 85 miles a week . All that changed when his mother Margaret began suffering from heart problems, which, combined with Mr Rush' own mobility issues, provided the wake-up call he needed. Determined to beat the bulge, he joined Slimming World and gave his diet a makeover, eating healthy porridge for breakfast and snacking on fruit and yoghurt. Mr Rush, who works in a storage unit facility, is now saving up for cosmetic surgery because he still has more than a stone of excess skin that he can't shift. 'It really gets me down,' he admits. 'I've lost all this weight and I'm still wearing baggy clothes cause I don't feel confident . 'It does get me down but at the same time I'm really happy with myself for what I have achieved on my own with no help. 'My life has been on such a journey this last year I feel like I'm just starting to live.' Looking good: He now wants to complete his dramatic transformation with surgery to remove excess skin .
target: David Rush, 33, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, weighed 34st .
  Felt that he 'shouldn't go out' and had to order XXXXXL clothes .
  Got to 26st then began cycling up to 85 miles a week .
  Now weighs 15st  4lbs and and is training for a half marathon .
  He is saving up to get around a stone of excess skin removed .