FIT BANTAMS helped Bradford City supporter Paul accumulate enough exercise miles to travel virtually to Lake Garda.

Paul like many of us throughout the COVID-19 lockdown period had positive intentions of getting fit but as a sufferer of seasonal affective disorder, he was left with very little motivation or direction in his well being journey.

As a follower of Bradford City, he came across FIT BANTAMS through a friend from a previous cohort. As he enrolled on his journey, Paul had two main goals he wanted to achieve, the first being to lose 12kg and the other was to accumulate cycling and walking distances to get virtually to Paris.

Average weight loss statistics for the FIT FANS programme are impressive and exceed those of many other programmes. On average women lose well over 3kg and men over 5.5kg by the end of the 12 weeks. We also have evidence that lifestyle change and weight loss is sustained over the following 12 months. More than 90% of men and 85% of women lose weight during the programme with many losing a clinically significant amount. Our data shows FIT FANS helps people to increase physical activity, reduce sedentary time, leading to weight loss, a significant reduction in blood pressure and improvement in self-reported mental well-being measures.

Paul said: “Meeting likeminded people on the course gave me the confidence I needed, exchanging ideas on eating habits, exercise regimes and of course the guidance from the tutors was invaluable.”

The engagement and support of the cohort and programme leaders proved pivotal for Paul to ensure he remained consistently engaged so much so even after the 12 weeks he still regularly meets up with other members to play football.

With the help of FIT FANS, Paul was able to continue his healthier lifestyle all whilst smashing his original targets as he lost 14kg and managed enough exercise mileage to surpass Paris making his way to Lake Garda in Italy.