Dad who spent £8,000 a year on McDonald’s loses 15 stone eating the same two meals every day – including a fry-up

DAD Brad Rogers was able to lose 15 stone eating the same two meals daily – including a fry-up for breakfast. The 54-year-old used to love a takeaway, reaching 26st 7lb while spending up to £8,000 a year at McDonald’s. Brad Rogers, 54, lost 15 stone by playing football and eating the same meals every day for two years Credit: PA Real Life ‘People have walked past me and not realised it’s me,’ Brad says now Credit: PA Real Life “I struggled to walk very far or even breathe properly, and my son was getting older and I couldn’t play football with him,” the single dad said. “I’ve never really been self-conscious. I’ve got a big personality and a big group of friends. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! “I was more worried about my health than how I looked.” Any diet he tried failed to work so Brad, a chief executive living in Minster, Kent, joined the football-based weight-loss programme in August 2024. Brad spent thousands a year on takeaways and loved a pint Credit: PA Real Life Brad with his son, Oliver Credit: PA Real Life Aside from playing footie, he overhauled his diet, avoiding carbohydrates “as much as possible” – eating almost the same two meals every day for the past two years. On a typical day, he’ll have two slices of bacon, two eggs, baked beans and toast for brunch, followed by a latte, then a chicken or ham salad for dinner, or steak and eggs. Brad has now lost 15 stone (95.3kg) in total, dropping to 11st 7lb (73kg). Aside from improving his health and energy levels, Brad has also been able to become his son’s football coach. Most read in Health Brad, a father to Oliver, 13, said: “I’ve saved so much money by not having takeaways. “When I was eating them regularly, I’d spend about £8,000 a year just at McDonald’s. “People have walked past me and not realised it’s me.” Brad said he had “struggled with his weight” as a child, though was “put on a diet” to lose weight before secondary school. The dad struggled with his weight from a young age Credit: PA Real Life He now weighs 11st 7lb Credit: PA Real Life He managed to keep it off for years, even becoming a semi-professional football player for Dagenham and Redbridge FC, before gradually piling on the pounds again. Over the following decade, he increasingly relied on takeaways and rarely exercised, reaching around 20 stone (127kg) by 2020. He said he tried “every diet under the sun”, including keto, Slimming World and WeightWatchers, but found that “nothing worked” and struggled to stick with them. By 2021, after becoming even less active during lockdown, Brad reached his heaviest weight of 26st 7lb (168.3kg). At the time, his BMI was 56.4, classing him as severely obese. He was eating a full English breakfast most mornings, a burger and chips for lunch, and lasagne or pasta for dinner, followed by “lots of snacks” such as chocolate and crisps. In August 2024, he joined Man v Fat, a weight-loss programme where men play weekly football matches while being given weight loss support. Players attend weekly sessions where they weigh in and play 28-minute games of small-sided football – extra goals are awarded to teams with the greatest total weight-loss. Brad started going to the gym, running, swimming and walking Credit: PA Real Life He’s now focused on building muscle Credit: PA Real Life Both a team’s total weight loss, and goals scored in matches contribute to a team’s standing in the club’s league table, with winners crowned at the end of 14-week seasons. “I could only run for a minute or two at the beginning, but I knew I loved the game,” Brad said. “We were all in the same boat and the camaraderie is fantastic. “It felt like something I’d needed to belong to for a long time.” After six months of weekly football sessions and changing his diet, he had lost two stone (12.7kg). He also focused on maintaining a calorie deficit by tracking everything he ate and cutting back on carbohydrates and fat. Brad said he has since eaten almost the same meals every day for the past two years. “It takes all the thinking away and it just works for me,” he said. “I used to drink quite a lot of pints, but now I just have the odd gin and slimline tonic.” He also joined a gym, got a dog, started walking more, and took up running and swimming, helping him lose 2lbs to 4lbs (1.8kg) a week. Brad now weighs 11st 7lb (73kg) and plays football three times a week while going to the gym every day. He’s been able to get his BMI down to a healthy 24.5. He’s now focused on building muscle by increasing his protein intake and eating more calories, with less emphasis on the number on the scales. Looking back, he said: “I think it’s brought me and my son closer together. He plays football and I coach him.” To other men hoping to lose weight, he said: “Give Man v Fat a go. I think it should be prescribed by GPs. It’s changed my life.” For more information, visit manvfat.com. Comment now