Edinburgh males at fat-fighting rugby and soccer golf equipment crew as much as shed 1 / 4 of a tonne in 2025.
50 males assembly every week at two sports activities golf equipment in Edinburgh, with the intention of reducing weight and enhancing their all-round wellbeing by means of rugby and soccer classes have misplaced 250kg (1 / 4 of a tonne) between them, within the final six months.
MAN v FAT runs 165 rugby and soccer golf equipment throughout the UK, nevertheless Edinburgh is one in all solely 15 cities and cities within the nation the place males can take their choose of rugby or football-based programmes – or select to play each.
MAN v FAT Soccer Edinburgh has been working for quite a few years, nevertheless the town’s rugby membership is comparatively new, having launched in March 2025. MAN v FAT Rugby Edinburgh takes place each Tuesday night at Meggetland Sports activities Complicated. Whereas on Thursday evenings, the soccer membership meets at Powerleague on Westbank Avenue in Portobello.
22 gamers presently participate within the rugby classes, whereas 28 participate within the soccer membership – each evenings presently have areas for brand spanking new gamers who may be thinking about becoming a member of.
Each MAN v FAT Soccer and Rugby Edinburgh are particularly geared toward males with a BMI of over 27.5, which NHS tips classify as obese or overweight. At a typical session, gamers arrive and are weighed, monitoring their weight reduction or acquire throughout every week. After weigh-ins, gamers battle it out on the pitch in small-sided video games of soccer and contact rugby.
The scores on the pitch mix with a person’s weight change all through every week to contribute to league standings inside a membership – with groups that win matches and whose gamers shed pounds, being awarded extra factors.
Marc Adams who performs on the rugby membership and has misplaced a formidable 4 stone since becoming a member of, defined: “I had been specializing in reducing weight for many of final 12 months however discovered myself stalling. So, after I noticed that there was a rugby model of MAN v FAT beginning up in Edinburgh, I assumed it might be a great way to push myself to maintain going – and being in a likeminded group would function good motivation.
“It’s been nice to play a little bit of rugby each week with a gaggle that’s a great chuckle and have the same ardour for the sport. I’ve additionally actually loved seeing the incredible progress that different members have been making in transferring in the direction of their objectives understanding the work it may take myself. I will surely advocate it to others, the success that everybody has had thus far and the higher health ranges week-on-week has been superb.
“It’s clearly an enormous psychological increase as nicely once you see the work in the direction of hitting objectives paying off. It’s additionally simply been good to have one thing to stay up for on a Tuesday evening for a little bit of rugby.
Euan Campbell, a member of the Edinburgh soccer membership added: ‘’MAN v FAT Soccer me as a result of I used to be acutely aware of my weight however wasn’t a fan of the gymnasium and located it onerous to inspire myself to train by myself.
“I don’t really feel judged right here and we’re all in the identical boat with a concentrate on weight reduction. Being a part of a crew, with a component of competitors motivates me to train and carry on prime of my weight reduction objectives. It additionally helps that reducing weight counts as objectives for the crew!
“Having the session every week retains me constant, and our coach, Kris, has given me glorious recommendation in the case of adapting my eating regimen. There’s additionally extra to the programme than taking part in soccer. I maintain monitor of what I’m consuming and consuming, I even have entry to glorious on-line recommendation for bodily and psychological well being, in addition to quite a few wholesome recipes.
“Since becoming a member of eight months in the past I’ve misplaced over 15 per cent of my physique weight and am now very near a wholesome BMI. I’d advocate MAN v FAT to anybody seeking to shed pounds, in addition to the camaraderie and professional help alongside the way in which’’.
Kenny Noble, who misplaced 14 stone with the assistance of the MAN v FAT Soccer programme in Scotland now coaches the Edinburgh rugby membership. He stated: “I’m so pleased with how supportive the fellows are to one another and the way all of them have a good time one another’s success regardless of how small. And so they get behind one another to supply encouragement and help if there’s every week the place somebody positive factors weight.
“I’m stunned at simply how shortly the fellows are smashing by means of their milestone percentages. To this point we now have 15 out of twenty-two gamers which have achieved a lack of 5 per cent of their body weight because the membership launched in March 2025. That’s an exceptional achievement for the fellows concerned.”
The entire quantity of weight misplaced by MAN v FAT gamers within the UK presently stands at greater than 800,000 kilos. Along with soccer classes, MAN v FAT gamers obtain off-the-pitch help together with wholesome meal recipe concepts and tips about common health. Gamers additionally get free entry to a bespoke psychological well being platform by means of MAN v FAT companions, JAAQ.
Discover out extra about MAN v FAT Rugby Edinburgh, right here: https://manvfatrugby.com/membership/edinburgh/
MAN v FAT Soccer Edinburgh: https://www.manvfatfootball.org/edinburgh