A Preston man has credited a football league with helping him turn his health around.

In the past three years, Lukas Bennett – known as Chewie – has gone from struggling with his physical and mental wellbeing to taking on charity challenges and helping others.

Chewie told Blog Preston: “Just before lockdown in March 2020 I was struggling with my weight and was very unhappy with the way I looked.

“After a while I came across a men’s weight loss club based around football called Man v Fat. Things were going well and the weight was slowly dropping off, and then lockdown happened.

“My weight spiralled as well as my mental health. I put on all the weight I previously lost and a few extra pounds  as well.

“In terms of my mental health, I was really struggling. I was trapped inside either at work or home. Issues at work were getting on top of me, being a relatively new parent was overwhelming, and I felt isolated from friends and family.

“I was irritable, emotional, short tempered, and angry about pretty much everything. I also had a very dark and destructive way of thinking and didn’t want to be around anymore.”

With the support of his wife Cristina, Chewie sought help and was prescribed medication that helped dramatically.

By the time lockdown restrictions were lifted, Chewie’s mental health was much improved but he was still unhappy with his weight.

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Chewie returned to Man v Fat and threw himself into increasing amounts of exercise as his weight started to go down.

“When I started exercising again I could barely run 500m without having to stop and catch my breath,” said Chewie.

“It was January 2022 when I took myself out for my first proper 5k run. It was difficult, and took me over 33 minutes to complete. But, I was super proud of myself and it sparked something in me to get better and faster.”

As the months went by Chewie started training more frequently and at a higher intensity, with great results.

“Recently I’ve shaved a whole 10 minutes off my 5k time, but its not just 5ks I am doing. I frequently run 10k, 15k, and even regular half marathons.

“Now I have lost nearly two and half stone and I am in the best shape of my life. The weight loss and the frequent exercise has had such a good impact on my mental health that I don’t need my medication anymore.”

These days Chewie is being invited to take part in physical challenges and use his experience to help others.

Chewis said: “I’ve been asked to do The Great North Run for Intractable Epilepsy Charity, and Tough Mudder for cancer support group Maggie’s.

“I have also been asked to be the welfare officer for Man v Fat in Preston, offering support and guidance to members who struggle with mental health.

“Now, I can’t wait to see what this year has in store for me. As well as raising money for two fantastic causes, I want to continue improving my running and get as close as possible to 20 minutes for 5k, and keep losing weight.

“I still have a way to go in my weight loss journey and I still have bad spells with my mental health. But, with the love and support I receive from Cristina, my daughter Gabriella, my parents, all my friends and family, and the lads from my football teams, I know I can accomplish everything I set my mind to.”

To support Chewie’s fundraising efforts visit his JustGiving for Intractable Epilepsy and JustGiving for Maggie’s.

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