If you’re keen for success and are eyeing up the top spot, you’ll need to know how the MAN v FAT Football scoring system works. Let’s get into it.

On the pitch, the rules for MAN v FAT Football are pretty similar to the rules for any small-sided football league.

Off the pitch, and unique to MAN v FAT Football, are a number of weight-loss and healthy habit–related bonus goals that can be scored by players and teams to add to the score – and often decide the outcome of the match.

Players can score bonus goals in four ways:

1. Team bonus. Each week we add up the number of players on your team that have either lost weight versus the previous week or maintained their healthy BMI*. We award a goal for each pair, up to a maximum of 5 goals per team – so that’s 1 goal per every 2 player that loses weight, with half goals rounded up.*All players must have a BMI of at least 27.5 to join MAN v FAT Football. Once a player reaches a healthy BMI, we no longer encourage them to keep losing weight, so the rules switch up for them and they get bonuses for maintaining a healthy BMI, whether they gain or lose weight. Players who record a weight that is both heavier than the previous week and heavier than they were at the start of the current season will score an own goal.
2. Hat tricks. Any time an individual player records three losses within their club’s league season, they score 1 full bonus goal. These losses don’t need to be consecutive, but they don’t overlap seasons, so one player can get a maximum of 4 hat tricks for his team each season.
3. 5% loss bonuses. When a player reaches an incremental milestone loss of 5% of his body weight, he gets 3 full bonus goals for his team, a maximum of twice per season. This is always based off your weight when you first join us, so you’ll get a bonus for losing 5%, 10%, 15% of that starting weight, and so on, until you reach a healthy BMI for your height. If you manage to lose 15% of your starting weight in just one season, first of all, hats off to you, and second of all, don’t worry about missing out on those sweet, sweet bonuses – they’ll carry over to the first week of the following season so you can hit the ground running.
4. Food diary tracking. Teams will score 1 additional bonus goal for every 1-3 players who complete their weekly food diaries. This encourages mindfulness about your eating habits and a supportive team, since you’ll all need to work together and stay accountable to one another if you want to score the maximum number of points.

Losing weight is the key to success with your team in MAN v FAT Football, so don’t forget to focus on building your healthy habits as well as your performance on the pitch.

If you’ve taken part in your first MAN v FAT Football session and feel like you can’t walk the next day, that’d be the DOMS. Never heard of it? Let’s get into it.

What is DOMS?

DOMS stands for delayed-onset muscle soreness. It’s a fancy term for the muscle soreness that can happen after you exercise, especially if you’ve not exercised for a while, or if you’ve had a particularly vigorous session.

You might feel it in one place, like your legs, when you move or tense muscles. It usually comes on about 24-48 hours after exercise and can last a few days.

Is it actually DOMS?

It’s important to remember that DOMS is delayed. It’s not something you feel during exercise, so if you’re feeling pain during exercise don’t just dismiss it. DOMS is also about soreness, it’s not a sharp or severe pain. It also shouldn’t stop you from doing everyday activities, even though you might feel sore or uncomfortable.

If you’re feeling a sharp, severe pain that’s so bad it’s limiting your movement, that’s more likely to be an injury you should get checked out.

Why do we get DOMS?

DOMS is due to tiny tears in your muscles from moving them in a way your body isn’t used to. That can be from doing exercise that’s new to you, returning to exercise after a break, or if you exercise more vigorously than you’re used to.

‘Tiny tears’ in your muscles may sound scary, but it’s normal and expected. The pain you feel is thought to be the body’s inflammatory response to these microscopic tears.

Is DOMS a good thing?

You’ve heard of ‘no pain, no gain’, right? Well, feeling sore after exercise isn’t really a goal you should aim for, because that could lead to you pushing yourself too far and ending up with an injury. Even if you’re lucky and you don’t injure yourself, pushing yourself to do too much, too soon can lead to feeling fatigued, overwhelmed, and demotivated.

There is a small nugget of wisdom in the ‘no pain, no gain’ philosophy though: when you work your muscles and produce those tiny tears, your body will get to work repairing them. And if you give your body the right tools to repair your muscles (healthy food including plenty of healthy protein and good fats, good sleep), they’ll build back stronger and leaner.

Will I always experience DOMS?

As you get used to being active, you’ll experience DOMS less and less. This is where real progress is made, because if you keep it up, you’ll soon be able to do the hard things that once caused you to crawl up the stairs without any soreness the next day. Then you can gradually increase the intensity of your workouts.

Of course, if you stop exercising, then try to exercise at the same intensity after a break of several weeks, you’ll probably experience DOMS again as your body will be out of practice.

Recovering from DOMS

We know DOMS can feel crap, and no amount of telling yourself it’s for your own good helps when every step hurts. Here’s how you can help your body recover:

• Rest is absolutely vital to help your body thrive, and rest is just as important as activity when you’re looking to reduce fat and build muscle.
• Make sure you have rest days in between your MAN v FAT Football sessions and other exercise. This should include ‘active recovery’, where you do light exercise, like stretching and walking. It’ll probably feel awful at first, but warming your muscles up gently like this will do them the world of good. Don’t stop using your muscles entirely: gentle movement is one of the most effective ways of easing the soreness, through increased blood flow.
• Try and get enough sleep. Your body does its best repairing and rebuilding when you’re asleep, so get a good bedtime routine going and get your head down.
• Drink plenty of water and keep up your healthy eating, making sure you eat lots of lean protein.
• Massage your sore muscles. A foam roller can help.

How to prevent DOMS

The only foolproof way of preventing DOMS completely is not exercising, but you shouldn’t let fear of DOMS put you off being active.

The most important way of lessening the chances of developing debilitating DOMS is to warm up and cool down properly when you exercise. Dynamic warm ups, where you mimic the exercises you’re about to do, is a great way of preparing your muscles for activity.

Similarly, cooling down after your work out gets your muscles gradually used to not moving as much again.

Get the pump?

We’d all love to be able to instantly do Arnie-level workouts at the gym, or be able to outrun Usain Bolt, but listen to your body and go easy.

Losing weight and getting fitter takes time, and though that can be frustrating, push yourself too hard and you’ll end up out of action with a nasty injury.

It’s ok to challenge yourself and up the intensity of your workouts, but only do what you’re comfortable with, and gradually increase the intensity instead of suddenly going for broke.

Starting something new is always daunting, and you might be wondering what your time at MAN v FAT Football is going to be like. We completely get it, and while it’s easy for us to say ‘it’ll all be fine!’, it’s much better to hear it from people who have been in your shoes.

We’ve been running MAN v FAT Football for years and (not to brag or anything) have helped thousands of men lose weight. We asked our current football players what advice they’d give to guys just starting out, and this is what they said.

You get what you put in

“MAN v FAT is a journey you’re in control of” says Lee, who thrived on how good it feels to be improving your health. “Choices will be hard, but the feel-good factor when you achieve your targets and people start to notice your change is something you won’t experience anywhere else.”

Similarly, Nathan is keen to point out the importance of prioritising weight loss. He’s been a MAN v FAT player for over 7 years but didn’t take it seriously at first.

“I prioritised the football first, so I yo-yoed in weight, never really getting anywhere. But then I finally started to focus on weight loss.”

He’s now lost over 70lbs, and knows a lot about the challenges of staying consistent. “It’s not a race, it’s not about who loses it the quickest. You will fall off the wagon at some point, it’s just about getting back on. You’ve got to keep going, make it a lifestyle change”.

Support each other

One thing that makes MAN v FAT Football so successful, is the community the clubs create. Making the most of it is key to your long-term success, says Alan.

“Build a good community within your club, not only with your own team but with everyone. Support each other with weight loss, meal ideas, mental health, everything. When there’s an excellent support network available, weight loss will be easier.”

Ryan agrees and credits his MAN v FAT community with being a big part of his weight loss success. “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. It’s a great community, the team spirit you build is second to none.”

Go at your own pace

“Once I had lost 10% of my starting weight, I slowly introduced extra physical activities which then helped push me to losing 15% of my body weight” says Andrew.

But remember to listen to your body, and don’t push yourself if you’re not ready. If you’ve not exercised since you were in school, you’re not going to suddenly be a pro football player. Anthony stresses the importance of remembering this: “Stretch those hamstrings, you’re no longer a teenager!”

Alan agrees and says “You’ll remember that you’re not a kid anymore and you’ll be tired out after 5-10 minutes at your first game. Enjoy yourself but remember to listen to your body. We’ve all been there pushing through it trying to look good!”

Enjoy it!

MAN v FAT Football is a great way of losing weight and improving your health, and one of the best things about it is that it’s actually fun! Above all, we hope you have a great time getting to know your teammates and getting out there on the pitch.

We’ll leave it to Nathan to sum it all up: “My advice is to do it now, take the risk, feel uncomfortable at your first weigh in but after that if you’re driven and committed and are consistent with your efforts, enjoy your football and the rest will come.”

You might think that when it comes to weight loss, the more you can lose, the better. But studies show that losing even 5% of your total body weight can bring amazing health benefits.

If you want to lose weight, you probably have some idea of how much you want to lose. And while it’s great to have goals, saying you want to lose hundreds of pounds can feel incredibly daunting.

Short-term goals are just as important as your long-term ones to give you focus and keep your motivation levels high. Aiming to lose 5% of your body weight is a great one to consider: it’s attainable, and it can be built upon if needed.

What’s more, studies show that losing 5% of your bodyweight leads to incredible health outcomes if you’re overweight. Hitting 5% lost can lead to:

• Reduced risk of heart attack and stroke. This is because losing weight can elevate HDL (good) cholesterol and lower triglycerides (bad fats). It can lower your blood pressure by an average of 5 mmHg.
• Reduction in insulin resistance, decreasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Decreased risk of developing certain cancers.
• Better sleep and reduction of sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
• Reduced pressure on your joints.
• Lowered inflammation levels in the body.
• Boosted mood and self-esteem.
• Reducing your risk of fertility problems.

By making small, sustainable changes to what you eat, how much you move, and prioritizing your sleep, you’ll lose weight gradually and consistently – and you’ll be able to keep it off. Every positive decision you make to eat well, move more, and get quality sleep will move you closer to that 5% body weight loss goal – you’ve got this.

It might seem like a chore, but tracking everything you eat and drink is a surefire way to make you more aware of what you eating. And when you’re more aware of what you’re eating, you can start to make the changes that will lead to weight loss.

Why should I track what I eat?

One of the first bits of advice usually given to anyone who wants to lose weight is to keep a food diary. Whether it’s online, on your phone, or with good old-fashioned paper and pen, making a note of everything you eat and drink is an important first step in changing your eating habits. But why does it work so well for weight loss?

It makes you aware of what you eat

It may sound obvious, but one of the main reasons food tracking works is because it makes you fully aware of what you eat in a day. If you’re the type of person to sneak a snack here and there, it’s easy to overlook this when thinking about what you eat.

But these little extras can soon add up, meaning you could be consuming hundreds of extra calories you’re not even fully aware of. When you’re tracking what you eat, you’ve got no choice but to own up to the trip to the office biscuit tin or finishing off the cold fish fingers left on your kid’s plate, keeping yourself accountable.

It’ll help you see where you can make changes

If you’re keeping a food diary but you’re gaining weight, being able to look back at what you’ve eaten over the week is a brilliant tool for figuring out what healthy changes you can make.

Look for anything that stands out for adding unnecessary calories and come up with a plan for reducing them.

For example, if you’re eating too many takeaways, find recipes for your favourite dishes and make them at home. If you’re having a few too many beers, pledge to cut down or switch for lower-calorie alcohol options like spirits. If you’re falling victim to high calorie coffee shop drinks, invest in a travel coffee mug and make your own at home, or swap milky lattes for a black coffee. Being able to chart this in a food diary is a great step to lasting change.

It’ll help others help you

It’s so easy to underestimate what we’re eating, especially when we’re describing our eating to other people. But if you want your MAN v FAT Football coach to help you figure out why you’re not losing weight, it’s important to be honest about what you’re eating. If you want to know whether you’re on the right track, ask your coach to have a quick look.

A food diary is an easy way for them to see where you can make improvements, and a fresh pair of eyes on what you eat can identify unhelpful eating habits and give you new ideas for making healthier choices.

Track your food for less

MAN v FAT has partnered with Nutracheck to offer our members a reduced subscription. To claim your discount, simply click on this link to send an email and request your discounted Nutracheck membership. This makes it even easier to track your food, monitor your progress, and get the support you need on your weight loss journey.

You know you should be drinking enough water, but exactly how much is that?

The Eatwell Guide recommends we drink 6-8 glasses of fluid each day. It’s not just water, low fat milk, sugar free drinks, tea and coffee count too. Remember, it’s a guideline so it varies according to weight, lifestyle and activity level. If you’re more active, you’ll need to drink more.

Water makes up a whopping 60% of your body and it’s lost through sweating, peeing and even breathing. Being hydrated benefits your digestion, circulation and complexion. Fats are more easily broken down and converted into energy by a hydrated body, even more reason to find a way to keep hydrated.

Top tip: Often we feel hungry when we’re actually thirsty. If you’re feeling a little peckish, try drinking a large glass of water and then see how you feel. This can cut a snack or binge session off at the pass.

How do you know if you’re dehydrated?

Symptoms of mild dehydration include thirst, fatigue, headaches, dizziness and cramps. We don’t need to explain how that can impact your potential on the pitch.

Severe dehydration can lead to dry skin and lips, sunken eyes, fainting spells, rapid heartbeat and rapid breathing. You’re also more likely to get dehydrated more quickly if you’ve got diabetes, it’s a hot day, or if you’ve sweated a lot.

Can you drink too much?

As with most things in life, you can overdo it. Water intoxication (hyponatremia) is a thing, albeit a rare thing.

Drinking vast amounts too quickly leads to an abnormally low concentration of sodium in the bloodstream. This damages the kidneys and liver and can even be fatal. It’s very rare and you’d have to drink an absolutely huge volume of water, but it’s worth knowing about.

Regular glasses or bottles of water throughout your waking hours won’t put you in the danger zone, just don’t down 4 litres of water in one go.

Starting to drink more water will make you pee a lot, especially if you’re not used to drinking enough. And that’s okay – although it is a little annoying, we’ll give you that.

How do I know if I’m hydrated?

Check your pee. If urine is a pale yellow and you’re peeing frequently, you’re hydrated.
If it’s a darker colour or you’ve not been for a few hours, fill that glass up and get sipping.

It’s nerve-racking turning up to something new, so you’d be forgiven for feeling a little anxious about your first MAN v FAT Football session. But we’ve got your back – and here’s why you don’t need to worry.

I’ll stick out like a sore thumb

You might think this, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Remember, every guy at your MAN v FAT Football club is in the same boat as you: everyone wants to lose weight and get healthier. Besides, you can guarantee that you’ll receive a warm welcome from your coach, and by the end of the session we reckon you’ll be revelling in your team’s camaraderie.

What if no one talks to me?

We’ve all had this worry at some point, and it can be especially worrying if you’re naturally a bit of an introvert. But there’s never been a better place to strike up a conversation – you know you’ve got at least two things in common (football, and wanting to lose weight), so you’ve instantly got an in. Be bold and say hi!

What if I’m awful at football?

Want to lose weight? Good. Like football? Great. That’s literally all that matters. No one’s going to judge you on your fitness level or football skill. We’ve got guys on MAN v FAT Football leagues who are surprised they can even kick a ball, and it doesn’t hold them back in the slightest.

The important thing is that you turn up, try your best, and support your teammates.

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING WITH ME?

• A football shirt or a t-shirt without a hood. 
• Shorts or tracksuit bottoms.
• Socks
• Shinpads  – these are compulsory for all players, including goalkeepers.
• Footwear. The exact type you need will depend on your league’s pitch. Most of our pitches are 3G/4G, so we’d suggest moulded boots or AstroTurf trainers.
• If you wear glasses, we must tell you that they’re worn at your own risk. We’d recommend that you wear sports goggles or contact lenses to be on the safe side. 
• We have our very own shop in partnership with sportswear company Hope + Glory, which you can find here. You’ll find kit, leisurewear and accessories in the shop, but don’t worry – buying MAN v FAT branded kit is always completely optional. 

You’ve probably heard that you should be getting 10k steps a day, but where did this number come from, and does it have any basis in science?

Setting yourself a target to reach 10,000 steps a day started as a marketing effort, created by a Japanese company selling pedometers in the run up to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. A genius move if you ask us. The company’s pedometers, called manpo-kei (which means ’10,000 steps meter’ in Japanese), were a huge hit and did a lot to get the Japanese public more active.

But why has this 10k target endured? Well, the original marketing campaign was created because doctors were concerned about low levels of activity among Japanese people, and the push to 10k steps definitely helped improve activity levels, and so it stuck.

It’s not so much that 10,000 is a magic number, more that having a goal to work towards helps to get us more active. Even if you don’t manage to get to 10k, something is better than nothing.

How to get 10,000 steps a day

If it feels like a difficult target, start small. Rule number 1? Get up! You could go for a quick walk before breakfast, explore a local park at the weekend, and if you work at a desk, you could get up for a walk each hour for 5-10 minutes.

Of course, it might not be easy for you to go for a walk, depending on where you live. If you’ve not got many good walking options around, you could always get your steps in on a treadmill.

Walking pads are popular right now because they’re cheaper and tend to be easier to store than treadmills – if you work from home, consider investing in a standing desk and walking pad to really get your step count up.

There are also workout videos on YouTube that help you increase your step count by walking in place at home.

Track your steps using your smartphone (many have a built-in pedometer, or you can download dedicated pedometer apps), or consider buying a smartwatch like a Fitbit, Samsung Watch, or Apple Watch.

Don’t forget that every small effort adds up over time. Even just taking the stairs instead of the lift and parking further away from the shop entrance and walking across the car park can have an impact on your activity levels.

The benefits of walking

Studies have shown that walking can have a significant impact on your health, including reducing blood pressure and improving glucose levels. Walking outside has also been shown to have a positive effect on mental health.

What if I can’t reach 10,000 steps a day?

If you find it difficult to reach 10,000 steps a day, don’t worry. Like we said, it’s not a magic number and there are many other ways to get active that will burn the same number of calories and have the same impact on your weight loss.

Any increase on what you were doing before is worth celebrating, though, so don’t let that 10k target intimidate you into inaction.

If you’re dining out, but feel in the dark about what the healthiest choices are, go in prepared with our guide to decoding restaurant menus.

Eating out can be a minefield when you’re trying to lose weight. Even when you’ve seen the menu beforehand, it can be hard to figure out dishes are a healthy option and what’s deep fried and swimming in grease.

If you learn the lingo, you’ll be much more likely to make better choices. Here are what some common menu terms mean.

Sauces

Sauces that are made with butter and cream are going to be higher in calories than those that are tomato-based. Examples of butter-based sauces include béchamel sauce, béarnaise sauce and hollandaise sauce. Tomato-based sauces include puttanesca sauce, marinara and arrabbiata. If you are going to have a buttery sauce or a dressing, ask for it on the side so you can control exactly how much you have.

Ways of describing dishes

• Basted – food that has had fat or oil poured over it while cooking, typically seen with meat.
• Battered – food that is coated in batter and deep-fried.
• Braised – food that’s cooked slowly, first in oil and then in liquid.
• Breaded – food that’s covered in breadcrumbs and fried. Breaded is usually a better choice than battered but may still be deep fried.
• Creamed – food that’s cooked with plenty of cream
• Crispy – usually means fried.
• Crunchy – fried, unless it’s vegetables, in which case they’ll be raw.
• Flambéed – food that’s covered with alcohol and then set alight. Like a Christmas pud set alight with brandy.
• Glazed – food that has been brushed with a sticky coating, usually some kind of honey or syrup
• Golden – fried.
• Loaded – topped with loads of extra things, usually cheese, bacon and sauces.
• Marinated – food that is soaked in a liquid seasoning before cooking.
• Pan–fried – fried.
• Refried – usually describes beans, which are mashed and then fried.
• Sautéed – food that is fried lightly and quickly in hot oil.
• Sizzling – fried.
• Seared – food that’s cooked quickly at a high temperature so that the surface forms a crust.
• Smothered – covered in something, usually a heavy sauce or cheese.
• Tempura – deep fried, but Japanese.

Lower calorie choices

Restaurants use a lot of oil and other fats to cook dishes – it’s part of what makes restaurant food so delicious. So while you should be prepared for your meal to involve some high-calorie methods of cooking, there are some things you can look for that indicate a healthier way. Look for dishes that are described in the following ways, as they’ll be more likely to contain less oil:

• Baked
• Boiled
• Grilled
• Poached
• Roasted
• Steamed

If in doubt, ask your waiter for information. You’re the one paying for and eating the meal, so you deserve to know how your food’s made if it’s important to you.

With so many myths about nutrition doing the rounds, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction, but we’re here to help.

Myth #1: fat is bad for you

Fats get a bad rap, but our bodies do actually need some fat. Healthy fats like those found in oily fish, avocados, nuts, and seeds can help to support our memory, vision, bone health, and even reduce inflammation.

There are many different types of fat and it’s important to know which ones are healthy and which ones are best swerved.

Trans fats can be found in some hard margarines and deep-fried foods. Trans fats are linked to heart disease, high cholesterol and Alzheimer’s, so best avoid these where possible. Luckily, it’s increasingly rare to find trans fats in food sold in the UK.

Saturated fats (or sat fats) are found in processed meats like sausages and ham. They’re also in dairy products like whole milk, cream and butter. Eating too much saturated fat is linked with an increase in cholesterol so you should aim to swap saturated fats for healthier fats.

The two healthy fats that we want to consume in small amounts are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. They both help to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, and can be found in foods such as avocado, almonds, oily fish, flaxseed, olive oil and olives.

Myth #2: Superfoods are pricey

Good news, you don’t have to fork out for expensive goji berries or chia seeds to boost your antioxidant intake. Guess what? Carrots are a fantastic source of antioxidants too, and they’re a lot cheaper. Carrots are especially rich in beta-carotene, which has protective effects for your skin and converts to vitamin A in the body.

Myth #3: Coffee keeps you energised

There’s no denying that coffee can give you a buzz and help get you into gear, but in the long-term coffee can drain your energy, especially when you start feeling you need to drink more and more to feel the same effect. To get some of the same buzz, try matcha green tea: it provides some natural caffeine to give you a gentle lift, plus theanine which can help calm the mind and encourage focus and concentration.

Myth #4: weight loss is easy

Theoretically, weight loss is simple. It all comes down to maths and consuming less energy than your body uses. That’s not to say it’s easy though.

As well as the science behind weight loss, weight loss has a lot do with our feelings, thoughts, state of mind and patience, all of which can be difficult to predict and control. If you struggle to lose weight, take heart knowing you’re not alone in finding it tough. As long as you keep pushing on, you’ll get there.