Banbury man loses three-and-a-half stone after joining football weight loss programme

Daniel King has lost 3.5 stone (22kg) in just three months after joining the Banbury MAN v FAT football club.

The 23-year-old joined the local football weight loss programme to lose weight and be able to play football again like he did when he was younger.

For Daniel, the experience has made a huge difference in his life. He said: "It has made me accountable for any weight loss.

"It has also given me the chance to socialise with people in a similar situation and be able to talk about anything with like-minded guys. It's great to be around people who share similar goals, and it's all very supportive."

The MAN v FAT scheme currently has 8,500 players taking part in nearly 160 leagues across the UK and is aimed at men with a BMI higher than 27.5.

The Banbury club meets on Sunday evenings at the North Oxfordshire Academy. Men who are interested in taking part may qualify for funding if they have an Oxfordshire County Council postcode.

There are currently 19 players in the Banbury club with a combined weight loss so far this year of just over ten stones (64.9kg) and a combined weight loss in the last 12 months of over 25 stones (160.4kg).

Daniel says he thinks MAN v FAT has helped him hold himself accountable for his weight loss and has been one of the reasons for his success.

He said: "If it gets to the middle of the week and I'm not doing the greatest, I reaffirm to myself that I am playing on Sunday and the motivation to not let my team down helps me get back on track as I want to do my team proud."

Banbury MAN v FAT coach Jared Fellows is full of praise for Daniel: "Daniel has done incredibly well since joining a few months ago and is an example of how transformational this process can be for men’s physical and mental wellbeing.”

For more information, visit https://www.manvfatfootball.org/banbury