“I’ve lost just over eight stone in 19 months,” Phillip Finselbach told Express.co.uk, who has become the fittest he’s ever been.
In September 2022, Phillip weighed more than 20 stone (128kg), but he didn’t realise how badly the weight had affected him at the time.
“I would always joke about [my weight],” Phillip shared. “But, in hindsight, that was a defence mechanism.”
Phillip elaborated: “I would get the jokes in before others would; it’s not until I’ve lost the weight that I realise how down it was getting me.”
Having shifted an enormous amount of weight, as well as keeping it off, Phillip revealed: “I am a much happier person now.”
Reflecting back on the beginning of his weight loss journey, Phillip said: “At the start it was dropping off me at a fast rate, but I learned with time to slow it down, to make it more sustainable.”
Revealing his weight loss secret, Phillip emphasised it was a lifestyle change that led to the transformation.
Phillip joined MAN v FAT (MvF) Swansea, a football team aimed at men with a body mass index (BMI) of 27.5 or more.
“I’ve tried lots of things over the years to lose weight, but MvF is the only one I’ve stuck too, initially because I love football,” said Phillip.
MvF involves players being weighed before a 30-minute game of six-a-side football.
A team’s total weight loss and match scores then contribute to their league position within a club.
“The accountability of standing on the scales in front of someone and knowing that your weight loss could be the difference between your team winning or losing has been [helpful],” said Phillip.
“Also, the community has been awesome; certain individuals who I would never have met without MvF have been a massive help to me along the way.
“And the constant encouragement from the community as a whole has really pushed me in to achieve my goals.”
MvF provides players with healthy meal recipe ideas, tips on general fitness, and online gym tutorials.
Phillip revealed: “Mentally I am in a much better place now and I feel more confident in myself.
“Physically the change has been more noticeable; all the aches and pains and lower back bag problems that I would put down to age have disappeared.”
With more than 150 clubs across the UK, click here to find your closest MvF club.
