Winning a 'losing' fight

A group of Torbay footballers are hitting the back of the net in their battle against obesity. 
MAN v FAT Football Torbay, which helps in the fight against being overweight through weekly football sessions and healthy lifestyle coaching, has seen local men lose 500 pounds in 2023. 
Weekly sessions at MAN v FAT Football Torbay involve players being weighed, followed by a 30-minute game of six-a-side football, with extra goal bonuses awarded to teams based on their weight loss. Weight loss and match scores then contribute to teams’ league positions within a club. 
MAN v FAT Football Torbay coach Glenn Wood said: “We’re so proud of the progress made by the players and the wider team at our Torbay club. The men involved are genuinely changing their lives for the better by improving their physical and mental health, while making new friends and having fun in the process.” 
MAN v FAT Torbay takes place every Tuesday evening at Torbay Leisure Centre and the club’s organisers are currently looking for new players to take part.  
Public Health England data published in April 2023 suggests that around 69 per cent of adults in Torbay are overweight or obese. 
Recent research from the National Food Strategy review estimates that every unit of body mass index put on by every individual raises the UK’s annual healthcare costs by £16. 
Aimed at men with a BMI of higher than 27.5, MAN v FAT Football has more than 8,000 players taking part in over 150 clubs across the UK. The programme was created by Andrew Shanahan, who, fed-up with traditional weight loss classes primarily aimed at women, decided to develop a programme that combines the beautiful game with achievable weight loss goals for men.  
The total amount of weight lost by MAN v FAT players in the UK currently stands at just under 600,000 pounds. 
Torbay coach Glenn says: "MAN v FAT isn’t a lose-fat-fast programme, we encourage body positivity and losing weight at a healthy, sustainable pace. While weight loss is the key goal for players, the programme is perfect for men who want to get back into playing football after time away from the game and improve their fitness gradually, without the stress of getting a group together and booking pitches. 
“We’re looking for new players to join our club, so if you think MAN v FAT might be for you, get in touch here - https://www.manvfatfootball.org/torbay." 
In addition to football sessions, MAN v FAT players also receive off-the-pitch support including healthy meal recipe ideas and tips on general fitness. Players also get full access to MAN v FAT online gym, so they can train in their own time at home.