Tom Pollard, 33, from Liverpool, has transformed his health after joining a football club designed for overweight men. He lost 36kg (from 108kg to 72kg) and credits his two daughters as his motivation.
Discovering MAN V FAT
In 2019, Pollard saw a Facebook post about MAN V FAT, a Wirral-based football club for men with a BMI over 27.5. He attended sessions at Pansy High School in Birkenhead. "At the time, it was the Liverpool League and the Wirral League, but only the latter suited me so I was travelling over on Fridays. The club was more tailored to losing weight. It was all about tracking your food, eating healthy, getting weighed on the scales and talking to each other about what you can do to lose the weight," he said.
Pollard worked late nights in hospitality, surrounded by alcohol and takeaways, which he called a "downward spiral". He weighed 108kg (17st) and lacked motivation until a woman called him "massive".
Common Ground
"I love playing football. That's literally my life outside of my family. It was quite daunting because, in loads of ways, I felt really big. But then you realise every other lad there is going through the exact same thing. We all had the same common goal to play football and lose weight," he explained. "We were all on the same page of either suffering with mental health, riddled with anxiety, overweight or obese. It was a common ground of thinking we're all here to do the same thing."
Setbacks and Determination
After pandemic restrictions halted play, Pollard regained weight. Then his first daughter Aria was born, and he snapped his Achilles tendon, leaving him "out of action for a year". He said: "I went right back up to 105kg and from there I had to really knuckle down. I was about to have my second child and thought 'I do not want to be this size when she's born'. It's just not happening."
Pollard is now father to Aria, three, and Esme, one. His weight returned after injury, which he found depressing. "I stayed in the MAN V FAT community for a while afterwards but I ended up leaving because it was depressing. It was doing me worse off to see everyone losing weight. I just wanted to be there with the lads doing the same," he said. "When I snapped my Achilles I was doing fantastic - on track to smashing it - then when it happened it set me right back again. I'd get tired and breathless from just going up the stairs, walking the dog to the park or playing with the kids. I just couldn't be a father and was breathless running after my children. They were my biggest inspiration to lose weight."
Success and Advice
Now weighing almost 72kg, Pollard feels great. "I look in the mirror now and I feel great. It's little things like I'll have my shirt tucked in, which is something I would never have done. You carry yourself in a different way and you're not aware as much of other people's perceptions. You're not worrying if a t-shirt looks too tight or your love handles are showing," he said. "I feel like I can give more to my family and not just be healthier and fitter. I'm wary of what the kids eat now and chocolate or sweets don't really happen in our house."
His advice: "There's nothing to be anxious about. It's the best thing you'll ever do and I genuinely mean that."
