2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Lauren Davidson)
A Barton dad-of-two who has lost over seven stone in weight is gearing up to run his first ever Marathon - despite the fact he "couldn't run ten yards" just three years ago. Mathew Brown, 32, will take on the Edinburgh Marathon later this month and decided to raise funds for a cause close to his heart, Alzheimer's Society, after one of his family members was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. He threw himself into losing weight at the start of 2022 when he realised that chasing his then two-year-old son around the garden had left him feeling "absolutely exhausted".
He joined the Scunthorpe branch of the MAN v FAT club - a nationwide scheme which brings men together to play football and lose weight - and has not looked back since. When Mathew started playing, he weighed more than 20 stone (130.9kg), but now weighs just over 13 stone.
Speaking to Scunthorpe Live, Mathew said: "Since I left university I got comfortable and put on a lot of weight. I tried various diets but because of my stressful job, I couldn't commit to going to the gym or doing regular exercise. But one day I was chasing my son around my mother-in-law's garden and I was absolutely exhausted after running about 10 yards, which upset me.
"My wife saw an advert for MAN v FAT and suggested I sign up, so I did - but I was so socially introverted at the time that I very nearly didn't go. But I did, and I loved it. I certainly felt it the next day after the first session, because it was the first major exercise I'd done in about five years.
" Three years on, and Mathew said losing weight has drastically improved his family life and mental health. "So much pressures came with being overweight and affected my mental health, but now my family are so much more active," he said. "It's created a complete change in our daily lifestyle.
We go on walks and go hiking with the kids." After Mathew's wife took part in the Couch to 5K programme, Mathew began running himself and fell in love with it. He is now preparing to run his first ever Marathon - something he "didn't think was possible" three years ago.
The description of his JustGiving fundraiser reads: "Most of you will know that I've been on a journey over the last two years, gaining control of my weight (currently 7st down) and have found a passion for running within that journey. "Fast forward to today and I want to use that passion to complete something I would not have deemed possible two years ago. I want to do this in aid of a charity that supports a condition that has rapidly entered the forefront of my family's lifestyle in the past six to eight months.
"Having witnessed the level of care given and needed to those suffering with Alzheimer's, I want to give back and support those who enrich the lives of those they care for and support the research that goes into understanding it." You can donate to Mathew's fundraiser by clicking here . When asked what he would say to anyone looking to lose weight and is considering joining MAN v FAT, Mathew said: "Give it a try, what's the worst that could happen? We have a very low drop-out rate - and it's not about footballing ability, it's about losing weight first, and football second.
"The community aspect is the greatest benefit, I've made so many friends from it. As someone who moved to the area ten years ago and had no friends, it enabled me to find a group of lads in the same boat as me just looking to shift a few pounds and have a kickabout." You can find out more about MAN v FAT by clicking here .
.
