Bloke who could not climb stairs shed 9 stone after becoming a member of a ‘fatso footie workforce’
George Hall, 31, tipped the scales at 24 stone at his heaviest and struggled to squeeze into a size XXXL before embarking on a health challenge
George said to begin with he couldn’t last five minutes on the pitch without being completely out of breath(Image: George Hall / SWNS)
A man who struggled to climb the stairs because of his weight shed nine stone after joining a “fatso footie team”. George Hall, 31, tipped the scales at 24 stone at his heaviest and struggled to squeeze into a size XXXL.
The IT worker from Chester was addicted to junk food and Monster energy drinks, ordering Domino’s Pizza three times a week and eating six bags of crisps every day. George first realised when he couldn’t redeem a racing car experience that his parents had bought him for Christmas. A strict weight limit is enforced at the track for safety reasons.
During a visit to his GP in December 2021 during a severe bout of flu, George spotted a poster in the waiting room for the local MAN v FAT group that was launching in January. George sent a photo to his partner, Rachel, 33, who encouraged him to sign up right away.
When the new year rolled around, he began attending the footie fitness and coaching sessions – and weigh-ins – on a weekly basis.
He said: “At first I didn’t even last five minutes before coming off the pitch because I was completely out of breath.” But he persevered with the training sessions and has since lost a whopping eight and a half stone.
As a result, he now weighs a much healthier 14 stone and is happy in his own skin again. For a while, George continued to wear his “tent-shaped fat clothes”.
Recently, he decided to splurge £500 on a new wardrobe of outfits, and can slip into a size L with ease. The Liverpool supporter can now last an entire 90-minute match without getting a stitch.
George added: “I would tell myself: ‘Right, starting from Monday, you’ll start eating better, exercising and getting out more’. “But often I would make excuses or I’d have a bad day and food would be the comfort I fell back on.
“The new diet and lifestyle I’d set for myself would get pushed back because what’s another week eh, let’s start next Monday?”
Eventually, George was able to make a “mindset shift”. He credits his wife’s partnership and their shared commitment to cooking healthier, high protein meals at home. While he used to happily eat a large Domino’s pizza on his own, he now enjoys leaner dinners like grilled chicken with roast vegetables.
He said: “My life doesn’t revolve around food anymore, which is the most freeing part.” George said that he’s always been a stocky person, but that his overeating began to spiral out of control when he moved out of his parents’ home in 2016 and had his own money to spend for the first time.
He added: “I didn’t develop the right eating habits. My poor mental health and overeating became a vicious cycle.”
A low point for George followed when he had to skip a work team building trip to Thorpe Park, fearing the humiliation of being too large to fit in rollercoaster carriages.
His weight also stopped him from trekking in North Wales – something he used to love – and from completing simple errands like walking to the Post Office.
“Joining ‘MAN v FAT’ was the single best decision of my life, second only to marrying my wife, of course.”
What George loves most about his team, lovingly nicknamed “the fatzio’s”, is how they “pep each other up” and share ideas, challenges, and camaraderie both on and off the pitch.
MAN v FAT first started in Solihull but now operates over 150 clubs across the UK.
Members have lost a combined total of over 700,000lbs – equal to over 50 elephants.
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