Paul Douglas, Building and Facilities Maintenance Engineer at our Scunthorpe site, has achieved a whopping weight loss of 6 stone over the course of his MAN V FAT Challenge – and true to his word has donated the equivalent of this weight loss in cash to Scunthorpe’s Lindsey Lodge Hospice.
MAN V FAT is the UK’s leading men’s digital weight loss programme and research shows that 90% of everyone who joins the MAN v FAT Challenge loses weight. Each week there are challenges based around nutrition, exercise and building healthy habits with the aim of helping men lose weight in a fun and supported way.
Our 14-week challenge ended last Sunday (11 December) – 46 employees embarked on it and at the final weigh in, the grand total was a loss of an amazing 460lb or 209kg. With Paul accounting for 18.5% of that total, he has been proclaimed the biggest loser – and is also now officially a ‘hospice hero’! Paul said: "At the final weigh in, I’d lost a total of 85lb – around 25% of my starting weight – and decided to round that figure up to £100 for the hospice, who I know really value every pound they receive."
MAN V FAT kept their promise too having pledged to match his donation. Challenge Programme Manager Ben Middleton said: "We thought matching Paul’s donation would be a good motivator and help keep him going. A lot of men plateau during the challenge, but Paul’s consistently gone from strength to strength with 14 weeks of weight loss. He’s certainly put in the hard work and that shows in his results – well done!"
Emma Hartley, Fundraising Co-ordinator at the hospice, said: "We’re really grateful for these donations. It costs around £4 million each year to run our services and most of that is achieved through fundraising. Like everyone, we’ve seen our gas and electricity costs go up, our energy bills are now £70k more a year so every single penny we receive is so helpful."
So what’s next for Paul? Well, he wants to continue his weight loss journey. He said: "I want to pass on the biggest thanks to our Occupational Health Nurse Rachel Wilson, who helped co-ordinate the challenge on behalf of British Steel, and also to Ben at MAN V FAT for the unwavering support – they’ve helped me become healthier and have guided me back towards good habits.
"The banter and encouragement from the teams in the challenge is very uplifting and motivational, so I’ve signed up for the next challenge and am really looking forward to shedding even more pounds."