The FIT COBBLERS camaraderie helped Nic and his family become one again

Prior to embarking on a life-changing journey with FIT FANS at Northampton Town Community Trust, Nic struggled with the motivation make changes in his lifestyle.

He stated: “My activity had pretty much ground to halt, my step count for the week was only 30-40,000, my food choices were poor and I kind of ignored my mental health quite a lot. I struggled to do anything about it and lacked the motivation to commit to seeing anything through.”

However, after spotting an advert for FIT COBBLERS last year he applied immediately, as comments, “Having the Club name attached to it really helped and kind of make it feel a bit ‘cooler.’ Having access to the club and people like Akshay was a big part.”

At his initial weigh-in, Nic was 15 stone, which was as heavy as he had been in his whole life. This emboldened Nic’s to give it everything, not just for his benefit but his children’s and his wife.

The results speak for themselves as Nic explains, “I think at the end of week 12 I was doing 160,000 steps a weekend and was I really eating super clean for 12 weeks. So throughout that 3-month programme, I lost 2.5 stone.”

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 wellbeing measures.

With such great results, Nic was anxious as to whether he would fall back into his old habits. However , he credits Akshay Mistry, Northampton Town’s Community Trust Sports Participation Officer Nic with helping him and the rest of the group keep going. So much so that Nic has surpassed his expectation and continued to lose another stone in weight.

Nic said: “It didn’t really stop, we carried on with a weekly zoom fitness class with Akshay. There’s a WhatsApp group where everyone is really supportive. All of the people that have come through the programme continue to check in with each other and we support each other on those tougher days when people are finding it a bit harder.”

Nic has continued his healthy habits and the benefits have created a domino effect for those close to him. Nic explains,

“This has not only changed my life but it’s also changed my kids life. I’m there for them much more now. I’ve got more energy and more time for them to do things they want. I do lots of walking and now the kids and my wife all come on my walk. We all go out as a family and have just become more active together.