OBESITY is a major problem across the UK.

In Welwyn Hatfield, 31 per cent of 10 and 11 year olds, 22 per cent of four and five year olds and 22.2 per cent of adults are overweight or obese.

This modern day plague, that threatens to cause an explosion in deaths from diabetes and heart disease, is seemingly out of control.

But can making small changes to our eating habits really tackle expanding waistlines?

With the help of the philosophy of Change4Life – which aims to make those in the East of England fitter and healthier – Martin Crosby, of Crawford Road in Hatfield, definitely thinks so.

Last June, the father-of-two signed himself up to a 10-week, fortnightly healthy living programme run by the county’s primary care trust.

He has since lost five stone.

On Wednesday, Martin, 48, was at the Change4Life roadshow, at Harlequin Shopping Centre in Watford, to encourage others to shift the pounds in a number of sports activities.

He said: “I’d always been a really active person and enjoyed karate a lot when I was younger.

“Then I went from working in a factory to an office job, which changed my routine.

“I’d be on the road a lot more and had less time to exercise.”

Martin began the Change4Life programme with an assessment of his weight and diet.

He was then given some steps to monitor his behaviour and introduce small changes, such as eating more protein and fewer carbohydrates.

Exercise was then included into Martin’s daily routine.

“It’s very easy to buy a snack and fizzy drink to keep you going,” he said. “I’ve managed to put a stop to that by making sure I eat breakfast every day.

“Once you change your routine it gets easier and easier not to slip back into bad ways.”

As well as losing weight, Martin also has less acid indigestion, no headaches and better fitness.

He added: “I really do feel like a new man. I’m encouraging people to do what I have done.

“It really has transformed my life and most importantly I’ve made my family proud.”