MANY New Year resolutions are doing well if they last until February but when postman, Shaun Ferguson decided 2014 was the year he was finally going to do something about his weight he was determined to success.

Now two years later with National Obesity Awareness Week running until Sunday, the 50-year-old has dropped from more than 22 stone to 15 stone having lost nearly eight stone.

And he says he has his boyhood football club to thank for helping him achieve the weight loss.

Swindon Town Community Trust’s FFIT programme has helped Shaun learn about exercise, nutrition and supporting him in completely changing his lifestyle.

Shaun says after getting married, losing the weight is the most amazing thing he has done in his life.

At the age of 22 he weighed more than 22 stone and was lacking in energy but these days he runs 10k every Sunday.

Shaun, who has supported Swindon Town for the past 41 years, signed up to the club’s Football Fans In Training (FFIT) programme, and he has not looked back since.

The 12-week healthy living programme has been designed to give adults, aged 35-65, the right tools to live a healthier lifestyle. FFIT was started by the Scottish FA, but now five English teams are running the programme.

“The fact that the team I support, Swindon Town, was running this programme, was so clever and gave me the motivation to join,” said Shaun.

“If you are a football supporter, this is ideal. It is a group programme, there is a collective mentality and not just you doing it, the whole group bond just like a football team.

“Every football team in England should do this. The FFIT programme has completely changed my life, I have lost seven and a half stone in two years and I go running every week - I have never done that in my life.”

Shaun continued: “We have started our own running group in Swindon. We have people that have completed this programme planning on running marathons in 2017.

“Every weekend we play football and this programme makes sure you become active. We are not only reminded how important exercise is, we are now educated how to maintain a healthy diet.

“The real eye opener for me was the portion sizes, what you were supposed to eat compared to what you are eating. It is quite scary.

“I can now tie my shoe laces bending over without being out of breath. The little things that you take for granted.

“Obesity is a real problem and it is a hard thing to get out of. For a football fan especially, a great way to lose weight is joining a programme such as Football Fans In Training.

“These types of programmes keep you motivated because obesity is a rut. I have been there and I know that. It is horrible for people that are in that position at the moment and it is so easy to fall back into it.

“It is a major problem at the moment and raising awareness of obesity is important."

In two years, Swindon Town has helped 120 men between the age of 35-65 lose nearly 1000kgs (155 stone).

The FFIT programme has been developed to include the latest scientific approaches to weight loss, physical activity and diet. The EFL Trust has given FFIT their full support and encourages clubs to deliver the programme.