BOSTON MEN SHED A QUARTER OF A TONNE OF EXCESS WEIGHT AT MAN V FAT FOOTBALL CLUB

A GROUP of sporty men in Boston is boasting of having lost a combined total of a quarter of a tonne in weight.

- By TED O'NEILL

Boston's MAN v FAT Football club, which meets every Friday evening at Boston United FC's Jakemans Stadium, helped 85 local men lose 250kg in the last 12 months.

MAN v FAT is an FA accredited weight loss program for men with 150 clubs around the country, part of an organisation called Thrive Tribe.

The programme also launched in the US - in Florida, New York and in Texas last year. In the UK they've now launched MAN v FAT for Rugby as well as football.

Every year the organisers take 33 men who have lost the most weight in the last year and they do an 11-a-side game in a proper football stadium.

The number on the back of their shirt is the amount of weight they've lost in the last year.

One advantage of getting fit this way is that it has a massive impact on people's mental health.

One couple who was previously unable to conceive a baby now have children after the husband took part in MAN v FAT.