Calling men in Maldon! Are you looking to be part of a winning football team in 2022? MAN v FAT Maldon is kicking-off at Plume Academy (Wednesdays, 8:00-10:00pm) for anyone aiming to lose weight, get fit and have a laugh while they're at it!

The leagues, exclusively for overweight men who want to lose weight, are expanding across Essex in addition to existing competitions in Colchester and Chelmsford. MAN v FAT is the UK’s leading, men-only weight loss company, and they already have a number of successful clubs. They also plan to open more to further increase the support available to men living within Essex.

The project was founded by writer, editor and publisher Andrew Shanahan in 2014. Having struggled with his weight for a long time, he joined his local slimming club. But it was aimed squarely at women and he struggled. This motivated him to research how many other men were experiencing difficulty with weight loss, and he crowdfunded the initial run of a MAN v FAT digital magazine.

The target was surpassed, receiving support from Jamie Oliver, the National Obesity Forum, Weight Concern and the British Dietetic Association. Along with the magazine, a website and forum were then launched, plus a book was written and published in 2014. The MAN v FAT philosophy is:

* quality, enjoyable advice, information, tools and facts about weight loss
* a friendly, welcoming community where you know other men are cheering you on
* weight loss advice and schemes which will fit in with your life

In 2016, MAN v FAT created a football league exclusively for overweight men who wanted to lose weight. Uniquely, players were rewarded not just for winning games but for losing weight, too, with weekly weight loss counting towards their team’s goals. Since then, 90 MAN v FAT football leagues have been launched across the UK, with a further set of leagues in Australia.

MAN v FAT became the first weight loss scheme to be endorsed by The FA, and has also received backing from Sport England, the National Lottery and local councils and football clubs. They have helped men lose to over 250,000lbs. There are funded places for some Maldon postcodes, and a new club will come to Braintree soon. Find your local league via the MAN v FAT website.