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Man loses 20% of body weight playing football

Cameron Weldon
BBC News, Devon
BBC A man in a blue football shirt with a golden v-neck collar is standing looking straight at the camera with a floodlit football pitch in the background.BBC
Kieran Duke joined the Man v Fat scheme a year ago and is now competing in half marathons

A man from Devon has lost 20% of his body weight by playing football every week for the past year.

Kieran Duke, 28, from Exeter, joined the Man v Fat weight loss programme in 2024 after gaining weight in his final year of university.

He weighed 17 stone (107.9kg) when he first joined the Exeter branch of the programme in Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary, but has since lost 3.5 stone (22.2kg).

He said the sessions had made him feel both physically and mentally stronger.

"I have lost just over 20% of my body weight," said Kieran. "I never thought I'd be going back to a place where I consider myself quite healthy.

"I'm now competing in half marathons and being able to turn up to football each week and feel like I'm achieving something."

Man V Fat A before and after photo collage of Kieran Duke showing his weight loss. The picture on the left is the before shot. It shows Kieran standing beside a football pitch. The photo on the right shows a slimmer Kieran smiling and holding a trophy and a certificate. He is smiling directly at the camera in both photographs.Man V Fat
Mr Duke has lost 3.5 stone (22.2kg) in a year

He said his confidence in day-to-day life had also increased.

"I feel more confident with what I see in the mirror and I'm more comfortable in my skin," he said.

"My partner has noticed a difference in me being generally happier about myself and that transfers into day-to-day life."

To be eligible for Man v Fat players must have a body mass index (BMI) of 27.5 or over.

Each week players are weighed before they play a 30-minute game of six-a-side football.

Teams are rewarded with points for players losing weight as well as winning matches.

'Never looked back'

Another participant, 30-year-old Thomas Stevens said he was not happy with himself before he joined Man v Fat but he said he had lost 5.5 stone (34.9kg) since starting the process, something that had made a big difference to his life.

"I was pushing an XXL," he said. "I couldn't run. I could barely walk.

"Me and my partner were trying for a baby and I knew something had to change.

"I took the plunge and went for it and never looked back."

Seven footballers from a Man v Fat session in Exeter playing on one of the pitches at Exeter City FC's Cliff Hill training ground. Three of the players are in blue, three are in green and the goalkeeper is in yellow. One of the players, with 91 on his back, is dribbling with the ball towards the goal.
Man v Fat has more than 150 clubs across the country including teams across Devon - in Tiverton, Torbay and Plymouth

Ethan Chalk, from Exeter City Football Club's community trust, said the players' achievements provided motivation and encouragement to others.

"Everyone is open and honest," he said.

"There are so many different goals and targets that each guy makes but they are all trying to accomplish the same thing.

"When someone loses as little as 0.2kg it gives everyone a real boost and everyone cheers each other on and motivates one another."

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