A man has explained how he lost eight stone in 19 months saying he's now in the best shape of his life.
Back in September 2022, Phillip Finselbach tipped the scales at a hefty 20 stone (128kg), but he confessed that he didn't fully comprehend the impact of his weight at the time. "I would always joke about [my weight]," Phillip admitted. "But, in hindsight, that was a defence mechanism.
"I would get the jokes in before others would; it's not until I've lost the weight that I realise how down it was getting me." Having successfully lost a significant amount of weight and maintained it, Phillip revealed: "I am a much happier person now," reports the Express.
Looking back on the early stages of his weight loss journey, Phillip recalled: "At the start it was dropping off me at a fast rate, but I learned with time to slow it down, to make it more sustainable." When asked about his secret to weight loss, Phillip stressed that it was a lifestyle change that led to his transformation.
Phillip became a member of MAN v FAT (MvF) Swansea, a football team designed for men with a body mass index (BMI) of 27.5 or higher. "I've tried lots of things over the years to lose weight, but MvF is the only one I've stuck too, initially because I love football," Phillip shared.
The MvF programme involves players being weighed before a 30-minute game of six-a-side football. A team's total weight loss and match scores then contribute to their league position within a club. "The accountability of standing on the scales in front of someone and knowing that your weight loss could be the difference between your team winning or losing has been [helpful]," Phillip explained.
"Also, the community has been awesome; certain individuals who I would never have met without MvF have been a massive help to me along the way. And the constant encouragement from the community as a whole has really pushed me in to achieve my goals."
MvF, which stands for Man v Fat, offers its members not just a chance to play football but also provides them with healthy meal recipes, general fitness tips, and access to online gym tutorials. Phillip shared: "Mentally I am in a much better place now and I feel more confident in myself.
"Physically the change has been more noticeable; all the aches and pains and lower back bag problems that I would put down to age have disappeared." For those looking to join the ranks, there are over 150 clubs across the UK. Click here to find your nearest MvF club.