Ever looked at a photo of yourself and just... winced? That’s exactly what happened to Andrew Shanahan. He didn't just wince, though. He took a "guttie"—a photo of his stomach—to send to a mate as a joke, but when he saw it, the joke stopped being funny. He was over 17 stone, a food critic who had literally eaten his way into a health crisis, and he felt completely alone.
He tried the usual routes. He walked into a Weight Watchers meeting. He sat there, the only man in the room, while the leader talked about how periods can cause weight fluctuations.
He knew then and there that the system wasn't built for him. It wasn't built for "normal blokes."
The Man V Fat Revolution
So, Andrew did something about it. In 2014, he launched MAN v FAT. It started as a simple digital magazine and a forum. It wasn't about "wellness" in the fluffy sense; it was about the raw, honest, and often hilarious reality of being a man who wants to lose the beer belly without losing his mind.
By 2015, the forum had 350,000 members. That's a lot of guys talking about calories and "moobs."
The real game-changer came in 2016. Andrew launched MAN v FAT Football in Solihull. The premise was brilliant: you play football, but your weight loss counts toward the score. If you lose weight during the week, you've basically scored a goal before you even step on the pitch. It turned the solitary, often shameful process of dieting into a team sport.
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It worked. Boy, did it work. The pilot scheme saw 95% of players lose weight.
Life Before the Boom
Before he was the "Man V Fat guy," Andrew was a high-flying journalist. He wrote for The Guardian and was named one of the country's best young restaurant critics by the Independent on Sunday. It’s a bit of a classic trap, isn't it? Getting paid to eat the best food in the country while your BMI slowly creeps into the "danger" zone.
He reached a peak of around 236 pounds. For a guy who isn't exactly a giant, that was heavy. He describes that version of himself as "morbidly obese," trapped in a cycle of stress and food.
The Fiction and the Reality
Interestingly, the phrase "before and after" takes on a double meaning with Andrew. Aside from his physical transformation, he wrote a novel called Before and After.
It’s a post-apocalyptic story, but with a twist that only Andrew could pull off. The protagonist, Ben Stone, is 600 pounds and trapped in his fourth-floor flat when the world ends. While everyone else is running for their lives, Ben is just trying to figure out how to survive when he can't even fit through the door.
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It's a visceral, sometimes gross, but deeply empathetic look at what it feels like to be trapped by your own body. Andrew has said that Ben Stone is his favorite character he's ever created. It makes sense. There's a lot of Andrew's own "before" in Ben.
Where is Andrew Shanahan Now?
In 2019, MAN v FAT was acquired by Thrive Tribe, a healthy lifestyle provider. This was a massive move. It allowed the leagues to scale from a few local pitches to over 150 clubs across the UK and even into Australia.
Andrew isn't running the day-to-day operations of the football leagues anymore. He’s transitioned back into his first love: writing. He lives in Cheshire now, focusing on fiction and comics. He’s an indie author at heart, championing the idea that you don't need a massive publishing house to tell a story that matters.
- Total weight lost by members: Over 500,000 lbs since inception.
- Current Reach: 150+ clubs across the UK.
- Legacy: He fundamentally changed how the UK government and health bodies look at men’s weight loss.
He’s still a huge advocate for men’s health, but he’s also honest about the struggle. He’s been through every version of the program he created. He’s "knitted the golden moob," as he puts it.
Lessons from the Journey
The "before and after" of Andrew Shanahan isn't just about a smaller waistline. It’s about the shift from feeling like a failure in a female-centric diet world to creating a space where men can be honest.
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Honestly, the biggest takeaway from his story is that shame is a terrible motivator. Community, competition, and a bit of "no-bullshit" talk? That’s what actually moves the needle.
If you’re looking to start your own "after" story, here is how to actually do it based on the Shanahan philosophy:
- Find a Tribe: Weight loss is lonely. Join a group where you aren't the only one who looks like you.
- Gamify Everything: Whether it's football or just tracking steps against a mate, make it a winnable game.
- Audit Your Food Context: Andrew got fat because he was a food critic. What's the "food critic" equivalent in your life? Is it the office snack drawer? The late-night gaming pizza? Fix the environment, and the habits follow.
- Embrace the Honesty: Stop calling it "weight management" if you want to call it "getting rid of the gut." Using the language that feels real to you reduces the weird mental friction of dieting.
Andrew’s journey proves that you can literally write your way out of a crisis—first with a forum, then with a league, and eventually with a book that helps others see they aren't alone.
Actionable Step: If you're struggling with the "before" phase, head over to the MAN v FAT website and look for a local league. You don't need to be good at football; you just need to be tired of being the only one in the room who gets it.