Stand up comedian Daniel Lobell has been fat his whole life. Now 36, and categorically morbidly obese, he is determined to conquer his food addiction and get healthy, following the death of his best friend and mentor, comedian Ralphie May.

Dressed in a red and white checked shirt, which he likens ironically to a picnic table cloth, in Tipping the Scales, Lobell talks about his lifelong struggle with fat – from the time he was nine and going to Weight Watchers meetings in Long Island basements with old ladies, to working at a fat camp kitchen, gaining tons of weight, and figuring out how to achieve immortality, even while eating as many burgers as he wanted, to finally checking into rehab for weight-loss and his spiritual enlightenment on a trip to the Holy Land.

In a world that’s consumed with how much we consume, losing weight remains one of the toughest things to do, as Daniel explains in this hilarious and moving story. It’s a brave and personal account of his emotional journey and although a heavy subject, no pun intended, Lobell manages to find humour and hilarity in the irony despite society’s inherent prejudices towards ‘obese people’.

You can’t help but will him to succeed and to keep fighting his addiction and perhaps his commitment to signing up to run a 5k, which he shares with the audience, as well as following the mantra and rules in the ‘How Not To Die‘ book, are steps in taking control and moving in the right direction.

Far from being a morbid hour of comedy, Lobell’s delivery is warm and entertaining and he has the audience eating out of his hands.