'Food is my vice; it was as bad as smoking' How a men’s football league in Luton is changing lives through weight loss

The national Man v Fat programme runs a weekly football match at Lea Manor Recreation Centre and combines weight loss tracking with regular fitness challenges that encourage players to score goals both on and off the pitch.

For one player, the sessions have been life-changing.

Meet Darren Gregory, 58. He joined the club in 2017 following the sudden death of his brother.

The Shefford man explained: “My brother dropped down dead at 50… that was my wake-up call. Food is my vice; it was as bad as smoking.”

Darren shed the pounds and even challenged himself to taking on the London Marathon, but put the weight back on after burning out from his unsustainable approach.

He explained: “Every pound I lost - and more - went back on. “I was almost starving myself… it was never going to last. I lived by ‘feast or famine’, there was no middle ground.”

This mindset, and the pandemic, meant that Darren was back to square one, and living with worsening health issues, like severe back pain, joint problems and recurring gout.

He was forced to recommit and rejoin Man v Fat in 2024, at 24.5 stone.

Darren said: “I just had an epiphany. I thought, I’m going to be 60 soon. I need to change. Something just clicked, and I decided to focus properly.”

Every Monday, he would show up to the sessions surrounded by other men wanting to do better for their health, their family and their future.

Players are weighed before each match, with weight loss adding to their score alongside the match results. They ‘score goals’ for losing certain amounts or doing physical activity outside of the sessions. The league is made up of multiple small teams that compete against each other in the 14-week season.

For Darren, it is the sense of accountability to the others in his team that keeps him on track.

The insurance broker explained: “Most of the support comes from your teammates. You don’t want to let the team down. So if I eat badly, I’m not just affecting me, I’m affecting the team.”

Through a text group, the men motivate each other and serve as a reminder of the goal: to stay healthy and be at the top of the league.

Darren said: “We support each other all week, not just on the pitch.”

Since fully committing in 2025, he has dropped to 15 stone, shedding nearly 10 stone in the process.

He said: “I’ve lost a total of 52 kilos… It’s almost like a different person. For the first time, I feel like I’ve got it under control—and I can keep it that way.”

Now, he is calling for more men to do the same and invest in their health.

Darren said: “I take new players under my wing—I was that guy once. Seeing someone else succeed is the proudest part. For the first time, I feel like I’ve got it under control, and I can keep it that way.”