Brett Wallace weighed in at 130kgs before he decided enough was enough and he wanted to get fit and healthy.

Brett Wallace stepped on to his scales at home: 130 kilograms.

Reality sank in. The 36 year old was morbidly obese.

"Over a good 16-year period, the weight just kept creeping up. I was super unaware of the calories going into my system.

REBEKAH PARSONS-KING/FAIRFAX NZ Brett Wallace lost 44 kgs, going from a size 3XL to a medium/large.

"Next thing you know, I had all this weight on me, and I thought - I need to do something."

Fast forward one year and Wallace has transformed his life, dropping from 130kg. He now weighs 86kg.

He cut out carbs four or five days a week, removing breads, pasta and potatoes. And he picked up his training to four times a week.

REBEKAH PARSONS-KING/FAIRFAX NZ Brett Wallace and wife, Elyse Wallace with their two kids, Grayson, 4, Turner, 2, who both fit inside a t-shirt their dad used to wear.

He set himself new goals: to get under 100kg before Christmas, to run 2km nonstop and to compete in an off-road running event.

He's ticked them all off.

"It felt amazing, I hadn't been under 100 for a good 10 years, maybe longer."

He now runs 30km nonstop and has competed in the Goat Goes Bush Kaimai event, a 20km off road adventure up and over the Kaimai Ranges.

He loves the Hakarimata stairs in Ngaruawahia, the Wairere Falls trail and climbs Mt Te Aroha.

And it all started a year ago.

Wallace went to his doctor, saw a nutritionist and began training with a friend.

"My friend John said, look, come around to my house three mornings a week. I'll train you. Just don't screw me around."

"And that sucked," Wallace said.

"Every single morning was a fight to go there. Every morning I would wake up - it's cold, I want to stay in bed, I'm sore.

"It was a mission then, and it's still a mission now. It's so easy to be lazy, and that's what happened to me for a long time."

As the manager of Smith Sports Shoes in the Waikato, Wallace was constantly surrounded by active wear and fit people.

"Being in the industry that I'm in, I deal with sports people all the time, whether it's high-end athletes or casual runners.

"But I never had any motivation to do what they're doing, I was just happy doing my thing."

He wants to set a good example for his two boys, Grayson, 4, and Turner, 2.

"You gotta be a moral compass to your kids and that comes down to food as well.

"The way that we were eating was not a good example. We struggle with our weight and I didn't want our boys to also."

His next goal is to compete in an ironman.

"I just bought my road bike, so I'll probably start training for the half-ironman and go from there."

BRETT'S TIPS

My Fitness Pal app

Download the My Fitness Pal app. It's free, and lets you track the food you eat and measure the amount of calories. It is so easy to use and keeps you focused if you are taking in a set limit of calories per day.

You can scan the food products, too, which is handy.

Set a variety of goals

Set realistic goals, long term, short term and mini goals as well. When I wanted to lose 15kg, I set no time limit as it would have only put more pressure on myself.

I think that's a big mistake people make at the start, when they don't meet their goal, they get disappointed and tend to slip back into old habits.

Let your friends help you

Over the years I had friends say, I'm here for you, let me know if you want to lose weight. It's a big thing asking for help, but a friend should, well, never turn you away. I can't thank my friend enough for taking time out of his life to train me most mornings, for free.

Find substitutes

Replace rice with cauliflower - just blend it up and mix it with garlic. Or instead of potatoes, eat kumara. For pasta, shred zucchini and mix in pesto. It's good to try to trick the brain with similar replacements in texture.

Get outdoors

You don't always need to join a gym. Hamilton is surrounded by amazing outdoor activities - stairs, walks, mountains and waterfalls. Make the most of your surroundings.