After his mental health got affected by weight gain, Tim decided to take action to get his weight back on track. Read on to find out how he used it to spur him on to lose weight, with a little help from his MAN v FAT Football club in Stoke..
Name: Tim Whitehurst
Age: 38
Location: Stoke
Club: MAN v FAT Stoke
Weight lost: 41.4kg (6st 7.2lbs, 91.2lbs)
What was your life like before you joined MAN v FAT Football?
My weight started to play a major factor on my mental health, I was embarrassed to do certain things, whether it was social events or work events given I’d feel I looked out of place with others and equally always felt like I was being judged by people who did not know me.
What made you decide to change?
A couple of things actually, I became a father in 2014 and quickly realised that I needed to lose weight and become healthier not only for me own benefit but also for my son’s too as he was running circles around me all of the time. In addition, in 2018 I lost my sister very unexpectedly at the age of 40 and she suffered with weight issues during her life and this spurred me on even more to make permanent, positive changes.
What were the first few months at MAN v FAT like versus now?
If I’m honest, the first season I hardly shifted any weight, but this was a me problem not the leagues format etc I just didn’t apply myself and equally struggled to get around the pitch in any decent manner and was generally shattered after 5 minutes and desperate to be subbed off. However, what I did see in that first season was some fantastic weight losses from others and something clicked with me that if they could do it, so could I and it was probably season Three onwards I really started to keep my focus and crack on. We’ve just completed season 14 in the Stoke league and I’ve played all 14 seasons so am something of a veteran these days. The league has matured and got better over time, shame my football skills have not, I have never been the best footballer (and that has not changed) but the difference in my fitness levels now playing on a bigger pitch to what we did in the early days is quite remarkable and now I’m hungry for more and more game time. These days I am very active outside MvF too and kind of build my weekly calendar around MvF Friday nights. I know not to overdo it in the days leading up to Friday and to try and have a rest day the day after we play etc
What methods have you changed or adapted to since joining MAN v FAT that you have used successfully in your weight loss?
During the start of MvF I struggled to do much really but one thing I did start doing is walking, walking to work, walking home from work etc. Walking is vastly underrated as a tool to help you lost weight and it is low impact to your joints, I feel this helped me massively to shift some of those first couple of stone which then allowed me to become more mobile and step up the activity levels. From a diet point of view, I try and stick to a low(ish) Carb and higher protein diet but I don’t deny myself and try to drink lots of water each day. I’ve educated myself on nutrition over the last few years to a point now where I know what I should/should not be eating etc I think this is a huge part that people do not understand.
I feel I’ve learned so much, first and foremost MvF showed me that there are others on the same journey and everyone in MvF wants each other to do their best not only for their teams but more importantly for themselves. Outside of the nutritional advice I’ve read up on the link between physical exercise and mental health is just something that cannot be denied. I have found so many times if I’ve been having a tough time either with work or personal life then doing something active helps me to relax, reset my brain and look at things differently. Walking the dog is a great method for this but also MvF or visiting the gym are great helps too.
How have you found MAN v FAT? What’s been the greatest aspect so far?
The greatest aspect for me By far, has to be the people, I’ve seen a lot of people come and go in my 14 seasons, we still have a few who have been there from the start, I’ve seen some fantastic success stories and watched people change their lives, get married, have kids etc and The league has opened up a whole new avenue of friends, another great aspect is when you see a team getting tonked on the pitch (and I’ve had my fair share of these) but then the overall result including weight sways the result in their favour. The visible lift this gives is very special and somewhat unique as it drives you further to know that it’s not all about the pitch and you can make a difference off the pitch with your own weight loss goals.
How has life changed since joining MAN v FAT?
Wow, a lot has changed personally for me, given I’ve been around for a while, my little lad who was part of the reason I joined is now 7 and I’m happily keeping up with him on the footy pitch or in the back garden but that aside I’m now a touch over 41kg lost. It’s hard to understand how much of a positive impact it has not having to carry that weight around. I am so much more active these days, alongside MvF I am an active Gym member visiting a 2-3 times a week normally but I’ve also signed up to a local fitness company and partake in 2-3 times a week bootcamp (HiiT sessions) and they provide me a gym plan in terms of cardio and weight training.
What’s next in terms of weight loss and life goals?
I had target in this current MvF season that we’ve just finished to active a perfect season (weight loss each week) and I managed to do this alongside a couple of other guys so kudos to them too, this is the second time I’ve managed a perfect season, so it would be nice to get a third one in the future. However, when I started out, I just wanted to lose weight and remember at one of the first weigh in’s a team mate being 99kg, and I remember thinking that is light years away from anything I would ever get near so why even bother, but NOW my next target is to get below 100kg so 99.9kg is my next goal, from there I just want to keep going until I find myself comfortable and happy. I am signed up for a 10km run in September, alongside our annual charity trek in the peak district with work so need to up my training for this in the coming weeks and I’m desperate to complete a half marathon in memory of my Dad who I lost in Jan of this year as he used to complete full and half marathons for fun so this would be nice but I think that will be a challenge for 2023.
If there was one piece of advice you could give to someone starting out in their MAN v FAT journey, what would it be?
I’m not sure I could limit it to one piece. I think they just need to be honest with themselves about what they want to achieve and why,, there is no point saying “From Monday I’m never going to have a take away or drink again” because it just won’t happen, they need to be alive to the fact that life gets in the way, there will be setbacks and low points but to try and look past the here and now and focus on what they want to achieve, immerse themselves in their team and form a great bond. The other thing I would say is to not put too much pressure on yourself. A small loss of 0.2kg for example is still a step in the right direction
Many thanks to Tim for sharing his story! If you want to be featured as an Amazing Loser, send us an email – press@manvfat.com
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