Maths teacher reveals how he lost an incredible seven stone in just one year

A maths teacher who lost more than seven stone in a year by playing football says the biggest difference is his happiness.

Mike Wallbank, 33, who lives in Bolton , with his girlfriend, Anna, 34, also a teacher, took part in MAN v FAT, a weight loss programme for men.

As part of it, Mike participated in weekly football matches where the teammates are given extra goals depending on how much weight they have lost that week.

He said: "Looking back, I was pretty miserable and I was self-conscious about clothing. I was unable to buy the clothes that I really wanted to buy.

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"It's so nice now that I can go into any shop and buy clothes. Anyone who knows me would say that my happiness has improved since the weight loss.

"I'm able to have shared experiences with friends, playing football together, and I now take part in staff kickabouts without fear of being out of breath."

Mike stepped on the scales in September 2020 and weighed in at 20st 10lb. Mike said: “There wasn’t a particular moment that spurred me to lose weight but as a big football fan, I wanted to be able to play again.

“I was watching Wigan Athletic play when I saw a MAN v FAT advertisement which caught my attention. I used to love playing football when I was younger but as I got older, I worried that my size would get in the way so I was nervous to join anything.”

So, in September 2020, Mike took the leap to join MAN v FAT and began his weight loss journey. He said: “I cut down on the snacks of chocolate and crisps I was having but the big thing for me was portion control.

“I used to take in big portions of pasta with cheese into school for my lunch and I