Like many people, Nathan Perez decided to make a significant change in the aftermath of the coronavirus lockdown and kicked off his health and fitness journey in January 2022. He weighed 29.5 stone at the start of that first month and went on to lose almost 13 stone in total over the course of one year - and says he lost 10 stone thanks to to a football club aimed at supporting male weight loss.
Now 16 stone, Nathan, 30, regards his pre-weight loss self as someone who 'doesn't exist anymore', and says he's now far 'fitter, stronger, and happier' than he once was.
Nathan, from Plymouth, had seen advertisements online for MAN v FAT Football, a football club aimed at supporting men with a BMI of higher than 27.5. At first, he scrolled past, but soon his interest was piqued.
Having started off his new fitness regime in the gym, Nathan endeavored to sign up for the club once he was fitter. Just one month later, in February, he felt ready to go to his very first session.
Nathan told the Mirror: "I haven't really looked back since. It's a group of like-minded blokes all on the same journey, trying to lose weight, trying to get fitter, healthier, and just playing a sport that we love."
Although Nathan had played competitive sports growing up, it wasn't something he'd participated in for a while at the time of signing up for MAN v FAT Football. He isn't the sort of person who gets particularly nervous but did feel some natural trepidation ahead of his first session.
Nathan, who works in the street food business alongside his IT job for the NHS, remembered: "I think it was more the unknown. It's just a group of new people that I've never met before. You don't know whether you're going to be the heaviest or there or the most unfit."
Once he was there, everything turned out absolutely fine, although he did find he was struggling a bit after the first ten minutes - his body initially unable to match what it had been able to do at 15. Fortunately, he found the group to be a very 'welcoming, friendly, and encouraging' bunch', all of whom understood the personal path he was on.
Nathan hadn't realised just how much he'd missed that competitive element of football he'd enjoyed during his teenage years, as well as the 'camaraderie' of being part of a team, and soon noticed numerous other benefits.
He said: "It's definitely led to things like my confidence getting higher, just in general day-to-day life. It's something to look forward to, it's something to strive towards. You look forward to it. It gives you that buzz which is something I really need, I've discovered."
When Nathan first joined his team, they were bottom of the league, having initially struggled to keep numbers up, but they've since gone on to win both the league and the cup. For Nathan, it's been a real transformation 'on both fronts'.
Having already started seeing results since starting the gym at the start of the new year, Nathan's fitness levels soared thanks to his continued involvement at the club, and his hard work paid off.
Nathan hadn't set out to lose nearly half his body weight, and hadn't any particular target in mind, having just wanted to make a start. His friends and family, who have been super supportive throughout his progress, were left surprised by the amount he'd lost. Some acquaintances who hadn't seen him since before the pandemic didn't even recognise him.
Reflecting on how much he's changed, Nathan continued: "I've got new friends. It's a completely different lifestyle from what I had before. Obviously, I know I'm the same person, but that person almost doesn't exist, and I wouldn't want to go back. I'm so much happier now."
One of the best parts of the year for Nathan has been seeing others being inspired by his remarkable progress, and he says a couple of friends have gotten back into running after being wowed by his transformation.
Addressing others looking to make a change this year, Nathan advised against automatically setting out huge, ambitious targets, and suggests focusing instead on setting small goals, to begin with.
Nathan said: "I've tried things in the past where they've not worked or these fad diets, these crash diets. You kind of get disheartened after a while or you get fed up or you get fatigued.
"Whereas if you just sort of stick at it, take it one day at a time, stick at the process, trust the process, eventually you'll see the big results."
An FA-affiliated scheme, MAN v FAT Football was first created by journalist and entrepreneur Andrew Shanahan, who wanted to develop a male-focused programme combining football with achievable weight loss goals.
More than 8,500 players now partake in more than 170 clubs across the UK, with participants losing a grand total of 30 tonnes (30,000kg) of excess weight in 2022.
Players are weighed before even the session, which includes a 30-minute game of six-a-side football, with teams awarded extra goal bonuses based on the amount of weight lost. Weight loss and match scores contribute to a team's league positions within a club, helping to keep players driven.
Do you have a weight loss story to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
