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After losing more than 34 stone collectively on our Kick Off The Weight programme, a group of men from Worthing and Lancing decided they wanted to give something back.

27 men started the weight loss programme in spring, and with the help of AITC coaches, they lost on average more than a stone each over the twelve-week course.

To show their appreciation to AITC, and to mark the end of their course, the group decided to organise a charity football match in support of AITC.

The match was played yesterday evening in Lancing, where the group were joined by their Kick Off The Weight instructors and Albion mascot Gully.

Former Albion star Guy Butters helped the Lancing group throughout their 12 weeks, putting the group through their paces with circuit training and walking football every week.

Guy also joined them last night, running an Albion charity auction and helping the group celebrate their achievements.

In total, thanks to the group’s fundraising efforts and the charity auction, the group raised a fantastic £1,195 for Albion in the Community.

Kick Off The Weight, funded by Adur & Worthing Councils, provided the group with insightful nutritional advice alongside circuit training, walking football sessions, and encouragement to walk every day.

The Worthing group bonded so much over the last 12 weeks that they now plan to stay together after the course ends, forming their own football team.

Kick Off The Weight has helped a lot of men to improve their lifestyle, including Chris Collins from Lancing.

“After realising how my weight and lifestyle needed a complete overhaul, I saw the advert for Kick Off The Weight,” Chris told us.

“Getting on an aeroplane I worried if the seat belt would be big enough, I wasn’t able to get on a paddle board, I didn’t feel able to run, I had poor sleeping with acid reflux – it all added up to needing a change!

“I was so pleased that I was accepted onto the course and relished the opportunity to try and sort myself out.”

At first Chris struggled to get things going, but determined to make a change, he pushed through the pain barrier.

“During the first couple of weeks I pushed hard with doing a lot of steps and walking more. It hurt my feet, and my wife bought me some new trainers to help!

“Following keeping a regular food diary helped me monitor how much food I was eating, cutting down on all snacks.

“We played walking football, it was my first competitive team game for about 10 years and I loved it, scored a couple of goals.”

Kick Off The Weight became the catalyst for a huge change in Chris’s life.

“I made a big decision to make changes in my life. I joined a gym, I stopped drinking for 4 weeks, and cut out my sugar in teas and coffees. I shrunk my portions of food and snacked on fruit and nuts.

“The change was amazing. I started to lose weight, I sleep better at night, generally I feel really good.

“I can now swim 1500m each time, I can jog 2.5k and walk for miles.

“I have a big target to lose weight before end of July, which I’m now pretty sure I’ll hit.

“Thank you Jean and Guy for you inspiration and your guidance.”

Jean, who runs the programme, was delighted to see the group’s hard work pay off.

“Our Kick Off The Weight Programme has been another great success,” Jean told us.

“Both groups lost a total of 34 stone between them, and because of their weight loss and the increase of exercise, they have lowered their risk of future health complications like strokes, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers, and now have improved mobility, better sleep, and raised boosts of energy.

“The programme is free, fun, and easy to follow. It has a common-sense approach and if followed correctly can help people to understand better ways to achieve a healthy lifestyle. It has so many benefits in such a short amount of time.”

Find out more about Kick Off The Weight by emailing: health@albioninthecommuity.org.uk

This article was written when our name was Albion in the Community. As of August 1 2023, we are the Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation.