After MAN v FAT launched a host of new Soccer leagues in May, we’re following the progress of a host of guys who are in their first season with the program.
They’re giving us the lowdown on life with MAN v FAT in their league, how they’re settling in and the early progress they’ve made on their weight loss and wellbeing journeys.
Abel Morelos, Katy
How are you settling into your MAN v FAT Soccer team and league?
So far things are going OK. I’m getting along pretty well with the team and feeling more in sync with how the league operates. My team has good folks and I like them, even if they’re a bit grumpy. I do feel some teams are uneven in terms of total weight and age, I wish this had been balanced better, and it’s something I plan to give feedback about.
What have you enjoyed the most and what have you found the most challenging?
Playing soccer has been the best part, but also the most challenging. My baseline fitness was really bad when we started, and honestly it’s still bad, but I think I’m taking the fitness side more seriously than the weight management side. After 4 weeks of play, I’ve also noticed a couple of old injuries flaring up, and they’ve become a real handicap when we play.
I’m a bit nervous about this, since my doctor mentioned that if my knee scan doesn’t look good, I might have to stop playing soccer until I do some physical therapy.
How are the team starting to bond, on and off the field?
We just had a rough game that impacted morale, but overall we’ve been getting along pretty well, and we’re even planning to start training during the week to prepare for games.
What has been the biggest revelation or ‘Eureka!’ moment for you so far when it’s come to losing weight with MAN v FAT?
I’ve lost 6 pounds so far. The main challenge has been “food noise” and being able to control cravings. After taking some pointers from the group and Zac (the main coach), I upped my protein intake significantly, and it’s helped a lot with the emotional eating.
At one point I was having some real success with protein supplementing, and I got a little greedy, instead of just supplementing I started doing full meal replacements with protein products. That backfired, since I ended up hungry again pretty quickly.
Going back to supplementing on top of regular meals got me back on track, and helped me appreciate that a macro balance with actual food works better than swapping out meals entirely.
Brian Lafonte, Katy
How are you settling into your MAN v FAT Soccer team and league?
I’m settling in well. I’m getting to know some of the guys that aren’t on our team, as well as our team.
What have you enjoyed the most and what have you found the most challenging?
I’ve actually enjoyed the accountability that joining this has brought. I’ve gained and lost the same 10 pounds numerous times over the last two years. I have an EXTRA reason to stick to my plans. The most challenging has been my stamina for running.
How are the team starting to bond, on and off the field?
We are bonding well. I think we have a solid team. We also have our own WhatsApp group and it’s going well. I post my workout routine to it three days a week for extra workout ideas.
What has been the biggest revelation or ‘Eureka!’ moment for you so far when it’s come to losing weight with MAN v FAT?
My eureka moment – I need to have a reason to stick to my diet / exercise plan. I’m massively competitive and playing soccer again has me very motivated to get back into the same shape I was in college (30 years ago).
Bryan Kuhn, Carrollton Wednesdays
How are you settling into your MAN v FAT Soccer team and league?
It’s going great! Our team (Bayern Munchin) is having a great time in our first season. The league as a whole has had a great start as well. I looked this morning and every single player in the league has at least some amount of weight loss so far. I’m currently sitting in 1st place for season loss, and I’m hoping to hit my 5% milestone tonight at weigh-in! As of game 3, I was down 11.4lbs already.
I was nominated as our team captain as well, so I’ve been doing my best to keep everyone engaged with positive attitudes.
What have you enjoyed the most and what have you found the most challenging?
Honestly, I really enjoy the fact that everyone seems to be very supportive and non-judgmental of each other. Between the 40+ guys in the league, there’s a lot of variety between body types, weight loss goals, and starting points for overall fitness level. However, there’s no gatekeeping, or shaming.
Even the first few weeks when a few guys were not losing weight, or even went up a little from the starting weight, everyone was very supportive and inclusive to make sure nobody felt discouraged, and now 100% of the league is down from their starting weight!
The most challenging part has just been getting everyone up to speed with some of the specific rules of the league. As a new group, we are learning as we go. As the captain for my team, I’ve been trying to be as communicative as possible between our Coach, the other captains, and my team to make sure everyone is on the same page.
How are the team starting to bond, on and off the field?
Our team has been amazing. Everyone is very engaged in our group chat, sharing support and advice for diets, tracking apps, and discussing the World Cup games!
A few of the guys have already started joining in on some pick-up games as well. We have a good group of guys overall. Everyone shows up early to warm-up and chat, and everyone has been improving both on and off the field.
What has been the biggest revelation or ‘Eureka!’ moment for you so far when it’s come to losing weight with MAN v FAT?
The first two weeks I was very anxious about my own physical ability and worried about embarrassing myself on the field.
From being in the military when I was younger and much more active back then, it was difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that I’m not that young man anymore, and that I’ve let my physical health slide way past where I was ever comfortable being.
I was so nervous the first two games that just minutes in, I was already getting cotton mouth, and my heart was pounding even though I had barely done anything physical yet. It was all nerves coming from my own self-doubt.
By the third game, I had finally calmed myself down and realized that nobody is expecting me to be a pro athlete out there. It’s okay to just have fun and not push yourself to do too much right away.
By the time we hit the end of the first season, I’m confident that I’m going to be a completely different, healthier, version of myself, and I’ll be back to feeling confident in my own body. I’ve just had to remind myself that it’s okay if I’m not back to feeling like I’m in my 20’s again after just one month of diet and exercise, but I’m on the right path.
Rogelio Arenas, West Houston
How are you settling into your MAN v FAT Soccer team and league?
I love my league! The guys on Monday nights have really come together, and it’s been awesome getting to play with them every week. Everyone has been supportive, and it’s made it easy to feel like part of the team.
What have you enjoyed the most and what have you found the most challenging?
One of the coolest parts was going through the process of creating our team identity and getting our uniforms. Seeing everyone’s ideas for team names and working together to make decisions was a lot of fun and helped bring us together early on.
The biggest challenge for me has been staying consistent with food. That’s something I’ve been working on, and lately I’ve found more success with the help of my teammates, who introduced me to intermittent fasting and shared what has worked for them.
How are the team starting to bond, on and off the field?
We’ve grown really close in a short amount of time. Whether it’s encouraging each other during games, talking about weight-loss goals, or just having fun together, there’s a real sense of camaraderie. #UpTheBelly
What has been the biggest revelation or ‘Eureka!’ moment for you so far when it’s come to losing weight with MAN v FAT?
The biggest realization for me has been how important community and accountability are. Having a weekly event that gets me active naturally creates better habits throughout the week. Knowing that my teammates are working toward similar goals and holding each other accountable has made a huge difference in staying focused and motivated.
Rodz Amazan, Elkins Park
How are you settling into your MAN v FAT Soccer team and league?
The first few weeks have been great, I have managed to score some goals for the team, and I am more than happy I joined this league.
What have you enjoyed the most and what have you found the most challenging?
What I enjoy most is having something to look forward to every week instead of just going to the Gym.
How are the team starting to bond, on and off the field?
The group of guys are great and we are getting well. We even started playing on our own time as well. Hopefully we can keep that going.
What has been the biggest revelation or ‘Eureka!’ moment for you so far when it’s come to losing weight with MAN v FAT?
That losing weight can be simple, and it’s truely just making small life style changes that will get you results.
Want to join the guys in action?
You can check out all of our current MAN v FAT Soccer locations by visiting www.manvfatsoccer.com!
We’ve got several more stories to tell over the next few days – and we’ll be back in touch with the guys in a couple of weeks’ time!
