Why did you join MAN v FAT in the first place?
I’d reached a point where I knew I needed to do something about my weight. For the last few years, I tried losing weight and keeping it off had always been the difficult part. MAN v FAT appealed because it combined something I genuinely enjoy – playing football, with the accountability of a weekly weigh-in and being part of a team.
I started in January this year at 102.6kg, feeling very lethargic and generally not great about myself. Initially it was just about losing weight and getting healthier but the football and the community element has been a massive motivator to keep me coming back each week.
What have been the best and hardest bits of your efforts to get to BMI Boss status?
The best part has probably been seeing all the little improvements add up. I’ve now lost over 19kg, more than three stone, but it hasn’t happened through doing anything particularly extreme. It’s mainly been about being more consistent with food, keeping active and accepting that not every week is going to be a loss.
That’s probably been the hardest part too. There have been weeks where I’ve done everything right and the scales have barely moved or I have seen my weight increase. Birthdays, niggling injuries and all the normal things that get in the way. Learning not to let one bad weigh-in undo a good few months has been a big part of it and knowing that I have a great team of lads all on the same journey, there for support is priceless.
Recently our team won the combined league, which was a great testament to all of the team committing to tracking their food, losing weight and getting involved in the weekly challenges off the pitch, combined with turning up and getting stuck in on it.
What are the biggest benefits you’re now feeling from being at a healthy weight?
When I started, the main target was the number on the scales. Now I’m much more interested in becoming fitter, faster, stronger and more dynamic. I’m running regularly, playing football and korfball, all things where losing weight makes a pretty noticeable difference.
Away from sport, I think the biggest difference is simply how I feel day to day. I have much more energy, feel less lethargic and generally feel better about myself. That extra energy also means I can be more active with my daughter, whether that’s kicking a football around, playing at the park together or just being able to keep up with her! I don’t think I realised how much carrying the extra weight was affecting everyday life until I’d lost it.
There’s obviously a confidence boost from reaching a healthy weight too, but probably the biggest change is that I’m now thinking less about losing weight and seeing what I can achieve next.
How important has the MAN v FAT community been in getting you to this stage – and keeping you there?
I literally could not have done it without the MAN v FAT program and the incredible community of people at Basingstoke! From the support Coach Emma provides at the weekly weigh-in, to the fun, competitive nature of the matches, challenges to do during the week and the laughs we have on the team message groups between games, it really has been a great experience so far.
The weekly accountability really works for me. When your weight contributes to something bigger than your own result, there’s that little extra reason to make good decisions during the week. Knowing that as a BMI Boss I can score more goes for my team by staying within my BMI range, is extra incentive to maintain my weight in the longer term and not slip into bad habits.
Playing in a team who understand exactly what you’re trying to achieve is a great support. Everyone has good weeks and bad weeks and you’re doing it together rather than trying to lose weight on your own.
