‘We’re top of league for weight-loss goals’ FOOTBALL CHANGING LADS’ LIVES
BURLY blokes are shifting fat thanks to football.
Players in a dedicated weight-loss league get points for shedding pounds as well as scoring goals.
Through MAN V FAT, fellas have lost a combined 18,500st just by playing the beautiful game.
Only men with a body mass index of 27.5, classed as overweight, can sign up.
It might be tempting to write off a tubby team, but I was impressed by both the footwork and competitiveness on show during a recent visit.
This was no walk in the park. MAN V FAT success story Dan Church kept me company on the bitterly cold pitchside on a visit to the scheme’s Leyton league, east London, and revealed just how much the programme has changed his life.
The dad of three, 32, signed up to a team in his home town of Norwich when he tipped the scales at 25st.
Two years on, he has shed 10.5st and now helps to manage the weightloss scheme.
Dan told me his shame at seeing himself in his wedding photos, right, prompted him to dust off his old boots.
He said: “I started two years ago as a player at 25st when I was struggling to even go up the stairs without getting out of breath. I was constantly having chest pains and I had no social life as I wasn’t comfortable going out in public because of how I looked.
“When I got married in October 2017, I had to have a custommade, tailored waistcoat with extra fabric added.
“When I looked back at the photos and saw how much that stood out, it made me realise I had to do something about it.”
Joining a standard five-a-side league with younger and fitter opponents is intimidating for bigger men looking to get back into the sport.
So it was a no-brainer for Dan when an advert for MAN V FAT popped up on his computer screen.
Dan told me: “Being part of a team means you can spur each other on.
“If I wasn’t doing well it wouldn’t just be myself I was letting down, it would be my team too.
“I had to be doing well to help the team out and get bonuses.”
Just two seasons in the league proved to be life-changing.
Dan became so passionate about MAN V FAT, which has leagues across the country, and how it had helped him shape up that he quit his IT job and joined the management team on a full-time basis.
He added: “I lost 10 and a half stone on the programme.
“I’m able to play football with my kids, which is a massive achievement for me. “I’m still not at the weight I want to be, but being in this job is an extra incentive. “I get more satisfaction out of helping other people lose some weight by getting active and benefiting men’s health across the UK, rather than solely trying to benefit myself.”