MAN v FAT Soccer headed to New York in April and the guys there have excelled in their time on the program to date, recently surpassing 1,000lbs lost across the four leagues.
They’ll soon be joined by a fifth as MAN v FAT launches on Wall Street and, ahead of that league getting underway, we caught up with Mike Mantin, who participates in our Crown Heights group.
The Crown Heights guys are about to come to the end of their first season and Mike was keen to give his perspective on life with MAN v FAT so far!
There’s sporty people and then there’s me. I avoided gym class as a kid and most of my interactions with soccer involved groaning at Everton games every week. So joining MAN v FAT was a pretty big leap.
Living in London, I’d heard about the great work they were doing across the UK but never thought it was for me. When I moved to NYC looking for physical activity and community, I realised this fit the bill and signed up.
Luckily, all my nerves were calmed as soon as I walked into the first session at Crown Heights. Everything was explained clearly and all the participants were friendly, welcoming and up for a challenge. A group of guys all with their own stories, united by the goal to lose weight and get active.
Jumping back into a game of soccer having not kicked a ball since I was about 14 was a shock to the system. Even though I could barely feel my legs afterwards, it was a great feeling to get into it again. The group is very welcoming to all skill levels (including zero), so although I came up against some skilful opponents, the playing field was even.
The games were always great fun. Scoring a goal or two, winning a defensive battle, even just watching your fitness level increase – all were incredibly rewarding. I spent the first few games slumping onto the subs bench every few minutes, but by the final session where my team didn’t have enough players to use subs, I was fit enough and determined enough to play a full game.
That journey from day one to the end of the season was always going to be a bumpy one. The brilliant Coach Connie had plenty of advice for us to keep fit, change bad habits, and keep a strong mentality. It’s the last one that turned out to be the most challenging for me over the season.
Everyone’s got busy lives, worries and things to do so just showing up week after week can be a challenge. Losing on the pitch one week is one thing, but the real low points are tough to bounce back from.
One night during a brutal NYC heatwave, I played so poorly and found myself so exhausted that I wondered if I should bother returning next week. I did, and was met with a torrential downpour and a delayed bus schedule. It took a lot to drag myself off the couch and carry on, but I’m incredibly glad I did. Playing soccer every week has become part of my routine and is helping me be the healthiest I’ve been in years.
Losing weight is an emotional business on its own. There are ups and downs, both mentally and on the scales. Clocking in to see that number go up is a dejecting feeling, especially if you feel you’ve been good to your body the week before. Being kind to yourself and staying positive isn’t easy when you’re frustratedly staring at a scale that won’t seem to budge.
But it’s important to remember the number of pounds lost isn’t everything – I’m learning to celebrate the non-scale victories as well. Luckily, all the staff at MAN v FAT understand all of this too, and make it clear that they’re right behind you on your journey.
Our inaugural season has just finished with a great game, a lot of high-fives and a fair bit of weight lost on the way. We’re going straight back into a new season ready to put into practice what we’ve learned to the next level. It’s going to be another ten weeks of fantastic wins, crushing defeats, shaved pounds and weeks where nothing clicks into place. I’m ready for whatever it throws at me.
Want to join Mike and his friends at Crown Heights?
You can take a look at the details for Crown Heights on our MAN v FAT Soccer website. We’re currently in Florida, New York and Texas, with more to come in the future!
