‘I lost a fifth of my bodyweight playing football’

BBC

Jake Majthenyi was inspired to lose weight after the birth of his second child

A man who was inspired to lose weight after the birth of his son says a football league in Derby had been a “gamechanger” in helping him net his goals.

At MAN v FAT, teams earn points for the weight that their players lose as well as the matches they win.

“When you have a new kid, the cameras come out,” said Jake Majthenyi, who lives in the city.

He says the photos were “a little bit of an eye-opener”, and has since lost a fifth of his bodyweight.

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Jake and his wife Bri, before his weight loss

To join MAN v FAT, players need to have a body mass index (BMI) of 27.5 or over.

At sessions, players are weighed before matches and the results from both are combined in an overall league table.

There are more than 150 clubs around the country. In the East Midlands, there are also leagues in Leicester, Nottingham and Mansfield.

Jake weighed more than 18 stone (114.3kg) in May, but has since lost four and a half stone (28.6kg).

He says the sessions have also helped him with raising his son and daughter.

“I’ve been throwing myself at more opportunities that I don’t think would have arisen if I wasn’t feeling better about myself,” said the 31-year-old.

‘It’s been a massive thing for me’

Lee Simpson says he has dropped four or five jeans sizes

Lee Simpson says he has lost weight for 20 weeks in a row.

When he started playing, he weighed 24st 3lb (153.7kg).

He has lost about five stone and now weighs 19st 4lb (122.5kg).

“I’m really, really happy with myself,” the 39-year-old, from Derby, said.

“Before, I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror.

“It’s been a massive thing for me and obviously, I love football as well.”

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Before his weight loss, Lee said he struggled to look at himself in the mirror

MAN v FAT football leagues started in 2016

‘The competitive side helps to motivate them’

Coach Steve James says lots of players are “reliving their youth”

At the Derby football sessions, 47 players lost a combined total of 37 stone (235kg) in 2024.

“I think men in particular have got a real desire to win, so that competitive side really helps to motivate them on the scales,” said Steve James, who coaches the sides in Derby.

“I’ve had one lad who’s lost 35% of his bodyweight, and he sent me pictures on his wedding day saying, ‘look how good I look. This is down to you’.

“It’s incredible to actually be a part of that journey in supporting them along the way.”

‘You don’t want to let the lads down’

Chris Wilbraham says the league makes you “more conscious of what you eat”

Chris Wilbraham is in his third season playing at MAN v FAT and has lost more than a stone.

The 48-year-old, from Belper in Derbyshire, says the matches help keep him accountable because “you don’t want to let the lads down”.

“When you would just go, ‘I’ll have another biscuit, I’ll have another pint’, you think ‘I’ve got football on Thursday’.

“I’ve got to keep the weight off because if I lose, I win,” Chris added.

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