Throughout 2025, we’ve shared a range of amazing stories from within our community. Tales of weight loss, life transformations and a huge step in the right direction for men’s well-being.
We end the year with one of our most impressive stories this year – and perhaps since MAN v FAT began in 2016.
Borehamwood’s Jorge Ferreira lost over 20 stone in the MAN v FAT match, with the support of his coach Victor and his club-mates.
At the end of the year, George achieved a 50% weight loss since starting the program, losing a total of 124.8kg – or 275lbs – the biggest single loss in MAN v FAT history.
This weight loss came with a lot of hard work, endeavors and ultimately a huge commitment from George to himself to change his life.
Looking back at the beginning of his journey, he told us: “I was in a bad place, plain and simple. I had lost all structure in my life and any sense of normal routine. I had lost everything in my life.”
“I barely left the house unless I had to, my sleeping pattern was a mess, my diet had no limits, and most days just blurred into one another. I wasn’t working toward anything and wasn’t living a real life anymore. I was hiding from it.”
“Every part of my life was affected. Walking short distances exhausted me. Sitting in chairs or getting up was uncomfortable. I didn’t fit into normal clothes or normal places. I avoided mirrors, avoided cameras, avoided going out, and felt embarrassed just to be in public. The mental aspect was worse with constant body shame, self-loathing, and paranoia about my appearance and how people viewed me. I completely lost my self-confidence.”
Over the past couple of years, the opportunity to support weight loss through weight loss injections has been a big part of the news and health agenda.
26-year-old George had an opportunity and decided he needed to do things his own way.
He added: “Doctors started talking about weight-loss surgery or possible weight-loss injections. The idea of surgery terrified me and I never wanted to go down the route of medications or injections either. It was a wake-up call. I realized I had two choices: let someone else try to fix me or try to save myself. It wasn’t confidence or motivation, it was pure fear of the future I was heading towards.”
MAN vAT presented itself as an option for George to make the changes he was looking for. While his current position symbolizes significant progress, this has not been a linear process and there have been many challenges along the way.
“At my first weigh-in at MAN v FAT, the scale read 249kg,” he explained. “I hadn’t weighed myself for about 8 years before that and seeing that number really devastated me.
“It was a mental battle. The loneliness, the self-loathing, the shame, the feeling of being different or not belonging. Showing up week after week surrounded by people but still feeling completely alone in your head is something you don’t forget. I didn’t overcome it with positivity, I defeated it by refusing to stop showing up even when I didn’t like myself.”
“Being with MAN v FAT wasn’t always a fairytale. There were supportive and motivating moments but also moments of isolation, embarrassment and feeling misunderstood. I didn’t always feel like a warm ‘community’, and at times it felt like I was just surviving. But that’s one of the things that kept me from giving up completely.
“Initially, our coach Victor showed faith in me at a time when I had absolutely none. Even when we didn’t always see each other, he continued to answer my questions, help where he could, and often pulled the strings behind the scenes to keep me settled at the club during my lowest points. This support mattered more than he probably realised.
“One moment that sticks out in my mind was my first session. I collapsed off the side of the court after not being able to play for more than two minutes and was in so much pain. At that point I didn’t really think I was going to come back. Victor was there with me while I was crying and he pushed me to keep going instead of walking away. I didn’t get over that moment with positivity, I got through it by pushing through it even when I didn’t want to be there.”
2026 looks set to start off on a brighter note for George, who continues to progress and thrive with Victor’s support.
Reflecting on his diet and exercise now, he said: “Now it’s controlled and disciplined. I’m very aware of what I eat, how much I eat and why I eat. I don’t rely on motivation, I simply rely on routine. Football is my main form of exercise along with walking and movement which is now something I make part of my life rather than avoiding.”
“Physically life is easier in almost every way. I can move, breathe, sleep, dress, and work more comfortably. I no longer avoid the world so much.
“Mentally, it’s still a work in progress. Losing weight doesn’t erase years of damage to your self-image. But it at least gave me a chance to start rebuilding.”
“Everyone in MAN v FAT is fighting something whether they show it or not. This made me feel less alone in this struggle.
“You either keep appearing or you disappear. And I choose not to disappear.”
Inspired by George?
If you want to follow in George’s footsteps, you can read more about our MAN v FAT program here. We love to support you!