Meet the Truro Man V Fat Football team trying to lose as much as possible

  • WATCH: Players have described joining as a way of 'regaining life'.

Imagine a game of football where you actually add to your score with the amount you lose.

No it's not a riddle but it is one of the techniques that gives an extra incentive for players in the Man V Fat league.

The team helps men in Cornwall with a BMI above 27.5 shift the pounds.

Last year the team lost a combined weight of 500lbs (250kg).

Joining the team has had a transformative effect on players like Marcuss Credit: Marcuss Rigg/ MAN V FAT

When Marcuss Rigg joined the team he says he spent most of his time inside.

He said: "I was in my own head like, oh I'm a bit too big, things like that."

"Six-a-side people tend to take it seriously, they're expecting a lot from you and they might not know that you're trying your hardest when you are."

Marcuss was 155lbs before playing for the team and lost 35 percent of his body weight over two years.

"It has been massive. I've gone from essentially sort of isolating myself to just being social again. And it is an amazing change. It's been great."

Mike Purvis is the fitness coach who says working in a group changes men's attitude to weight loss making it "more accountable and more fun".

"It's not overly serious, you know, players are at varying levels and they just really love it. And I like seeing these guys lose weight, connect, and enjoy themselves."

"I thought, would people really turn up 7pm on a on a Friday? But they're here because they love that connection. Getting together with other guys. It's a lot of fun."

Mike Purvis works with players around the games to help them eat healthier meals Credit: ITV News

Another player Jack Sloan moved to Cornwall and found it hard to meet people the first few months but the team has changed that.

"We're all quite self-conscious. I think when you've put on weight and and you're not able to play football in the way that you remember playing it the last time you kicked a ball."

"For me it felt like extra pressure when I first kicked the ball and that sort of melted away pretty quickly after the support from the guys that were there as well."

65.5 percent of adults in Cornwall are overweight or obese according to Public Health England.

The club takes place every Friday evening at Truro College and the organisers are currently looking for new players to take part.

The sessions start with all players being weighed, followed by a 30-minute game of six-a-side football. Weight loss and match scores then contribute to teams’ league positions.

The club also supports players off-the-pitch with healthy meal recipe ideas and tips on general fitness.