Terry Smith, 41, from Greater Manchester, has shared how he managed to drop five stone in a matter of months. The hard working dad says he was inspired by his son
A dad who stuffed his face with “excessive takeaways” has revealed his incredible weight loss transformation.
Terry Smith, 41, from Radcliffe, dropped a staggering five stone since embarking on a fitness challenge in April this year. The father-of-two decided to make a change after piling on the pounds by sitting stationary in his remote job.
He also admitted that his lifestyle was far from healthy and opted to order food to his house multiple times a week. But after becoming inspired by his son who joined a football team, the dad began to reminisce about old times.
He took the plunge and enlisted himself in the men’s weight loss programme Man V Fat in the hopes of becoming more fit and becoming more sociable. And it seemed to do the trick as he went from 18.8st to 13.6st.
Speaking about his weight loss journey, he said: “It was overeating and (having) excessive takeaways just because they are easy. And working from a desk at home, I would average 4k steps a day, now it’s over 20k. My youngest son started playing for a local team towards the end of 2023. It brought back fond memories of when I played football as a child/young man, but that falls away as you get older – responsibilities grow and your circle of friends gets smaller.
“One of the other dads had actually played with MvF before at Salford and then Bolton, so when Bury launched, he put it into the kids’ football WhatsApp chat and a few of the dads jumped on. Funnily enough, as the other slimmer dads volunteered, there was shock that they’d even qualify – no such reaction when I threw my hat in the ring!”
Aimed at men with a BMI of higher than 27.5, MAN v FAT Football has 8,200 players in more than 150 clubs across the UK. The total amount of weight lost by players in the UK currently stands at more than 650,000lbs since it was founded in 2014, reports Manchester Evening News.
At sessions, players are weighed before taking part in a 30-minute game of six-a-side football, with extra goal bonuses awarded to teams based on their weight loss. A teams’ total weight loss and match scores then contribute to their league position within a club.
Terry puts his weight loss success down to calorie counting and Tuesday weigh-ins, which help keep him motivated. “I wasn’t comfortable in my appearance,” he said. “The accountability of a Tuesday weigh-in keeps me focused. If I have a bad day, I know Tuesday is around the corner where I need to weigh in.
“The addition of weekly football with teammates helps, too. There’s a real sense of community; we have extra games on a Sunday and have just started a MvF 11 aside team. There’s also the openness from the weigh-in, you’re encouraged to discuss why you had a bad or good week with your team and share the pain. I’m lots happier with my appearance; I have more energy for work. The kids, who are only seven and nine, think daddy is the best footballer in the world.”
Around 8,500 men currently take part at 150 Man V Fat football clubs across the UK. The programme was created to differ from traditional weight loss classes and combines the beautiful game with achievable weight loss goals for men.
MAN v FAT Football Bury launched in April this year. Around 75 men playing at the club, which meets at Radcliffe FC’s Neuven Stadium on Tuesday evenings have lost an incredible 550kg (over half a tonne) of excess weight between them in just six months. The club has partnered with Bury Council to provide free 14-week seasons to men from qualifying Bury Council postcodes, funded by the council.
