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'It's surreal': Football helps man shed seven stone

Matty EdwardsBristol
Chris GIles A before and after shot of Chris Giles, who is bald, has black stubble and wears glasses. On the left, he is overweight, sitting in a pub with a roast dinner and pint of lager. One the right, he is much slimmer, wearing a dark polo shirt.Chris GIles
Chris Giles says his Friday football club has also helped him to make friends and boosted his confidence

"When I catch my reflection in a window, I don't recognise the person I am now – it's a bit of a surreal feeling."

Chris Giles, 37, from Bristol, has lost more than seven stone since joining a football weight loss programme last May.

He is one of nearly 60 men who have shed a combined 80 stone thanks to Friday night football sessions as part of the Man v Fat Bristol North club.

The nationwide weight loss programme for men with a body mass index (BMI) over 27.5 offers weekly sessions where players weigh in before 28-minute games – and score pre-match "bonus goals" if they have lost weight.

Man v Fat A row of eight men lined up, posing for a group picture in front of a white football goal at night. There are bright overhead lights shining down onto the pitch. The men are all wearing black shorts and red shirts, except for the goalie in the centre wearing an all grey uniform.Man v Fat
Man v Fat is a weight loss program for men with a BMI of 27.5 or higher

Players are also encouraged to track their eating habits and are given other weight loss tips along the way.

The north Bristol branch, which meets every Friday at Horfield Leisure Centre, currently has six teams for seven-a-side games, but is looking for new members.

Giles, who had been wanting to recapture his love of playing football, realised he needed to take action when he started getting out of breath walking up stairs at work.

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"I knew I had to do something, not just for me, but also for my wife and my children," he says.

"Playing football on a Friday evening is the culmination of all the hard work of that week.

"It's helped make new friends but also it has boosted my own self-confidence."

On top of the weekly football sessions, he uses calorie counting, portion control and other exercise to lose weight.

"I've even become one of the people who goes to the gym on holiday," he jokes.

Man v Fat Two men are playing football on a grass pitch, one wearing black kit and the other in orange. There are players from other teams in the background.Man v Fat
There are more than 8,000 players at 170 Man v Fat football and rugby clubs across the UK

Tracey Holloway, the coach for the north Bristol club, says "it's about being part of a supportive community" and that WhatsApp group chats are used to check in on players as well as share recipes and tips.

"They share their food tracker with me as well, which is really important," she says.

"It's that accountability for each other as well because we all have bad days or bad weeks.

"Having someone else to turn to to talk about those things and feeling like you're part of something bigger is really important."

Man v Fat also runs a rugby club in Almondsbury, near Bristol.

The clubs are among 170 Man v Fat football and rugby groups across the UK, with more than 8,000 players.

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