A teenager has managed to lose more than eight stone after he joined a FA-accredited football club. Dexter Miles had struggled with his weight for years and felt as though he was not as fit as his peers.
The 19-year-old decided to make a change and joined a MAN v FAT football club in Oldbury to try and shift the pounds. He joined the club in January last year when he weighed 23.5st and has since lost 8.25st.
Speaking about his weight loss, Dexter said: “There was a realisation over time that I was getting to a weight at which I was not happy, or feeling anywhere near as fit as someone my age should do. After going through my early teenage years eating a lot of high-calorie foods, and then losing all control of my portions during the next few years, I had reached a point where I knew I needed to do something.
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“I remembered about MAN v FAT during a moment of despair with how I felt health-wise and realised that I would be able to join as I had turned 18 a few months earlier. I set myself the goal of getting myself under 100kg, and I am delighted that I have hit this goal and am continuing to lose.”
Dexter pictured before his weight loss
(Image: MAN v FAT/Dexter Miles)
The teen added that MAN v FAT has helped him make positive changes to his lifestyle over and above pure weight loss. He continued: “It has been a source of motivation when all else has failed and knowing that Friday night weigh-in is coming up has helped me to get through the week more times than I can count.
“It has also been a source of friendship and has opened my eyes to the world of speaking with people that you would ordinarily not cross paths with. If you would have told me a year ago that I would have the confidence to speak with new people every week, I would have laughed at you.
“The positive impact that MAN v FAT has had on my mental health is undeniable and has been key to cracking me out of my shell. Exercise had always been a daunting and foreign thing to me. MAN v FAT has removed that block, and now I am so much fitter physically.”
At MAN v FAT Football sessions, players are weighed before battling it out on the pitch where the results from matches combine with a player’s individual weight loss throughout a week to contribute to an overall league table.
The programme isn’t just about losing weight and also focuses on mental health as well as creating new friendships.