A dad has shared how he went from piling on the pounds by eating McDonald’s McMuffins and Tesco meal deals almost every day to losing 11 stone in just two years.
James Nash had struggled with weight for five years, tipping the scales at 24st 9lbs before his doctor spurred him into action to get healthy after he experienced swelling in his leg.
The 33-year-old has completely transformed his body, having lost 11 stone through hard work and dedication, with two simple changes.
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James altered his diet and reached out to a program that combined weight loss with one of his favourite sports – football.
Joining the Man V Fat programme in January 2024, he met with his new team every Friday to weigh in and play football, and praised the community for helping with his journey.
“It’s daunting to first do it because the only thing that I had in terms of a comparison I knew about was Weight Watchers, which I’d never done but I knew people that had done it,” James, a civil engineer from Eastleigh, Hampshire, told Need To Know.
“It seemed like it was Weight Watchers that included football.
“Walking into a room full of guys on the same journey to sort of bare your embarrassment was daunting.
“The hardest step was doing the first week but I actually quite enjoyed it and there are some really good guys there.
“Everyone there is doing the same thing – just trying to play football, lose weight, and get healthier.
“I had always played football before but combining it with targeting weight loss to achieve goals has been a brilliant motivator for me personally.
“My mental health in general with my current weight loss has definitely improved, as has my physical health and wellbeing.”
On top of his football matches with Man v Fat, James was also playing multiple games a week with other friends and soon discovered the key to his weight loss – switching out his meals for healthier options and tracking them each time.
He said: “Even though I am playing more football now, it was the diet and the calorie-counting part that really did it for me.
“I was strict with the diet in pretty much reducing carbohydrates and just sticking to vegetables, lots of eggs, plain protein.
“I would eat McDonald’s probably every other day, three or four times a week at least.
“I’d have a McMuffin with a hash brown and a large sweet coffee, which was around 1,800 calories and probably half of what I should have been having during the day.
“Then for lunch I’d get a meal deal, a triple sandwich from Tesco, an energy drink, a packet of crisps and then probably a chocolate bar as well, which is probably another thousand calories.
“I’d maybe even have a pork pie with it as well.
“For dinner I’d be having pasta bakes with garlic bread and four pork sausages, that’s another 1,400 calories.
“If I got home and we couldn’t be bothered cooking, it might be that we’d get a Domino’s or something, so it would be 4,000 calories.”
However, James’ diet now consists of coffee and a yoghurt for breakfast, while lunch is two small packets of chicken, jerky, a Babybel, fruit, low-calorie crisps and water or Pepsi Max.
Dinner is made up of chicken sausages, boiled eggs, mixed veg and light cheese, and snacks typically include coffee and a low calorie chocolate bar.
James still allows himself the odd treat too, even one of his old favourites – a McDonald’s breakfast – but plans his other meals around these to keep himself on track.
He added: “It’s about balancing because I’m trying to get back to not being really strict with the diet.”
James said he only realised how much weight he had lost when he had to replace his wardrobe.
James said: “I sort of had the same clothes for a while and everything was fine, then I got down to an extra large and large.
“I had to spend hundreds of pounds on completely new clothes and then in December last year, I had to do it again because I’m in mediums now.
“It was more of an annoyance, I really don’t want to go clothes shopping again; as much as it seems fine at the time, it’s another £400-£500 spent on clothes that are perfectly fine but they’re too big.
“Now, I’ll pull on a medium T-shirt and think, ‘This is the size my build should be’, and that’s pretty cool.”
James says his personal life has improved since beginning his journey too.
His partner, Sophie, has also been on a weight loss journey after the two realised that making separate dinners and living different lifestyles was impacting their relationship.
James said: “It was impossible the way we were doing it first, cooking separately and needing separate spaces in the fridge.
“It was definitely stressful for us, in terms of money too, because eating cleaner can actually be a lot more expensive.
“We’re so much happier now, in ourselves and our appearances, and just our family life.
“With my kids, I can take them out on a whim now, get their bikes and go to the park, get really involved and I’m not so out of breath.
“I’ve got more energy to go and be a fun dad, so that’s cool.”
