Just one year ago, Ryan Clarke was so overweight that his life was in danger.

“I have two small sons and a wife and my doctor told me if I didn't change my lifestyle, I likely wouldn't see my 30th birthday,” says Ryan.

That warning was all the motivation the 24-year-old needed to ditch his old habits.

The Glace Bay man had reached nearly 400 pounds by binging on fast food up to three times a day. Diagnosed with depression, Ryan says he hardly left the house.

“Having headaches, chest pains, lots of health issues, didn't enjoy going out with my friends,” says Ryan.

Ten months later, Ryan has lost more than half his body weight. He insists he has lost it all naturally, by eating clean and two trips to the gym each day.

“I completely changed my diet to small portions, healthy food and I just exercised every single day. I haven't taken a day off from the gym since I started,” says Ryan.

Ryan's wife Alyssa says the biggest difference isn't his muscles, it's his mental health.

“He was a completely different person after he lost the first ten pounds,” says Alyssa.

Ryan had become a happier husband and father, which is why his wife wanted him to share his story with others.

“I saw how he suffered,” says Alyssa. “Every day it was a constant battle with him, for both of us. So, when he lost all of this weight, I'm thinking ‘there's probably thousands of other people out there who are going through exactly the same thing.’”

Ryan’s transformation has already inspired others.

“I've been working out now about a year and a half, and so far I haven't seen anyone with that type of work ethic. I'm just really proud of him,” says Mike LeBlanc, Ryan’s gym buddy.

Ryan says he is grateful for the warning that motivated him to make a life-altering change.

“I went from being depressed, in my house, not wanting to speak to anybody, not wanting to move to I'm out every single day now and I'm loving life,” says Ryan.

Ryan's future plans include working towards becoming both a paralegal and a personal trainer. He also hopes to enter bodybuilding competitions.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Ryan MacDonald