Kicking off the New Year a few pounds lighter

A group of footballers from Strood have been given an extra reason to celebrate this Christmas after their football league broke a national weight loss record.

The group of 80 men took part in Man V Fat, an FA backed national football initiative which aims to help overweight men lose weight.

Man v Fat is more than just a weekly football league. The players get support from a trained health professional, support each other and have access to a range of online support materials covering dietary advice and more.

Nationally, and locally, fewer men tend to access more traditional weight management services, so the initiative aims to address this, using the power of football to motivate men and improve their health.

Medway Council launched the Strood league which started in September 2018 with 80 participants across eight teams. Since then, 94 per cent of the men have lost weight and over the 14 week season they’ve lost a total of 694.1kg – the equivalent of eight average sized men. The Strood team have also broken the national online record for the most weight lost in one season and 47 participants have lost more than five per cent of their body fat – 15 have lost more than 15kg.

Orhan Misiri from the Yellow Team lost more than three and a half stone in just 14 weeks. He said: “Whether you’ve lost 0.2kg or 2kg each week, everyone has played a part. I’m proud of myself – it’s a good achievement for me. I’ve managed to lose 51 pounds which is over three and a half stone. You meet new people when you come and play football, you learn about different food choices, dieting, exercise. It’s really good. The person that thought about Man V Fat, and invented it, is a legend.”

Robert Few from the Orange Team said he’d managed to lose around a kilo every week.

He said: “I’ve enjoyed it from the off, I’ve been here every single week and I’ve learnt quite a lot about how to control my diet through the Man V Fat diary that I’ve got. It’s one of the most enjoyable ways to lose weight. I’ve tried every other diet and this one seems to be working, so I’ll definitely be sticking at it. I’ve had a really good time here.”

Cllr David Brake, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Adult Services, covering Public Health, said: “I would like to congratulate all of the participants for their record weight loss during this national programme. The Man V Fat League has been a huge success and we’re looking forward to continuing the league in January – hopefully with some new faces.”

Medway Council’s A Better Medway Service runs a number of free weight management programmes, which aim to help residents live healthier lifestyles. For more information visit www.medway.gov.uk/healthyweight.

The Man v Fat league will kick off again on Monday, 7 January, at Strood Sports Centre. For more information, and to sign up, visit www.manvfatfootball.org.

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