Dean Kemp, a 35-year-old refrigeration engineer from Plumstead, London, lost 8 stone 10 pounds after giving up a £2,600-a-year takeaway habit and taking up football. At his heaviest, Dean weighed 21st 13lbs and consumed four takeaways weekly, along with chocolate bars and fizzy drinks, skipping breakfast and eating processed food sporadically before a large evening meal.
Lightbulb moment for his children
In January 2024, Dean had a lightbulb moment when he realized he wanted to be healthier for his children, Ava, 16, and Isla, 11. He joined the MAN V FAT football club in Millwall, where players score goals for losing weight before the match begins, giving their team a numerical advantage.
Dean changed his diet, swapping junk food for protein-heavy meals, fruit, nuts, and yoghurt. He now weighs 13st 3lbs, within a healthy BMI range. He said: "Now that I've hit my goal it's more toning up and maintaining the weight. The thing that is keeping me at MAN V FAT is that it helps maintain it and also the love of playing football again. It's the access to exercise. My true idea of the secret to losing weight is doing exercise that you enjoy."
Struggles with yo-yo dieting
Before finding MAN V FAT, Dean tried various diets but always regained the weight. He said: "For me it was about sticking to a diet - I'd lose some weight and then go back to old habits again. My life wasn't particularly difficult day to day as I was still active because of my job but I was really poor with my decisions with food and exercise. I saw no motivation to do anything about it - I didn't see the problem."
Dean experienced back and knee pains, and doctors attributed these to his weight. He said: "There was a lightbulb moment where I thought I needed to be healthier for my children. I was getting more back pains and knee pains and whenever I'd see the doctors it was always because of my weight. I needed something more consistent. That's where MAN V FAT came in - it was brilliant, the consistency of it all."
How MAN V FAT works
Dean explained the program: "You turned up and the coach would put you on the scales to weigh you and then they explained how it all worked on the pitch and you play your half hour game of football. Then they calculate how much weight lost and that counts for extra goals - half a goal for losing weight that week, and another half for tracking your calories. So, you could be a few goals ahead before you've even kicked a ball."
His friends supported him: "My friends, Darren, James, and Louis would always ask if I lost weight the night before and would tell me I'm smashing it."
Gradual dietary changes
Alongside exercise, Dean phased out unhealthy foods. He said: "Before, it was four takeaways a week, and silly amounts of fizzy drinks and energy drinks. I used to skip breakfast and eat at sporadic times and then consume a lot of food. It was all unhealthy food - a lot of processed food. I used to get a meal deal with extras to go along with it - like multiple chocolate bars. So, when I first started with the food, I would make one substitution at a time to ease into it - so slowly phasing out fizzy drinks for water for example. I wanted to lose a little bit consistently not quickly."
