A COLCHESTER man has said he has got “a sense of identity back" after losing a third of his body weight thanks to a flab-fighting football programme.

Nathan Wood, who is a member of the Colchester Man v Fat Football, weighed just over 22 stone - or 141.3kg - when he joined.

The FA-accredited weight loss programme has 8,000 players across nearly 160 leagues throughout the UK.

Before matches, players are weighed, which is followed by a 30-minute game of six-a-side, with extra goal bonuses awarded to teams based on the amount of weight players have lost.

Since joining, Nathan, 34, has lost just over seven stone to weigh in now at just 15 stone - 95.3kg - meaning a loss of more than 30 per cent of his body weight.

Gazette: Unhappy - Nathan Wood weighed just over 22 stone when he joined the programme Unhappy - Nathan Wood weighed just over 22 stone when he joined the programme (Image: Public)

He says the weight loss has helped him “build friendships, open up and get a sense of identity back”.

“I had mentioned Man v Fat to my wife in passing after seeing it on Facebook,” said Nathan.

“I used to play football and was missing it but was also seriously unhealthy and struggling with my weight.

“So, after a couple of weeks, she suggested I look more into it. I joined up and have never looked back.”

Gazette: Smiles - Nathan Wood celebrating his weightlossSmiles - Nathan Wood celebrating his weightloss (Image: Public)
As part of the programme, players also receive additional support including healthy meal recipe ideas and tips on general fitness. 

Nathan added: “I was depressed before I joined Man v Fat. 

"But looking forward to football each week, building friendships and having the WhatsApp groups to communicate have really helped me open up and get a sense of identity back.

Gazette: Transformation - Nathan Wood lost of more than 30 per cent of his body weightTransformation - Nathan Wood lost of more than 30 per cent of his body weight (Image: Public)
“It has also given me more confidence and trust in myself, because as anyone knows, losing weight is a challenge, losing a significant amount of weight can seem like moving mountains.

“It's just learning to be consistent and before you know it, the results will show.”

The Colchester Man v Fat Football club meets on Wednesday evenings at United Way in Colchester. 

The Shrub End Man v Fat Football club meets on Thursday evenings at the Shrub End Sports Centre.

For more information, visit manvfatfootball.org/Colchester or manvfatfootball.org/Shrub End.