A 24-stone obese builder who turned to comfort foods after experiencing fertility problems lost more than 10 per cent in nine months by replacing fatty takeaway meals with protein-rich ready meals.

Ray Richardson, 34, who lives on the Isle of Wight, began facing infertility issues in 2012, leading him to turn to comfort foods.

At the age of 22, he had just married his wife Laura when he was told he had a low sperm count.

Ray explained: “We had just gotten married and having children was the next step, but we couldn’t and it was very stressful.

“We kind of realized that wasn’t going to happen for us and we kept things going.”

In addition to the devastating news about infertility, Ray suffered two knee dislocations in his early 20s and became inactive, leading him to believe he would never play football again – a sport he loved since the age of five.

Ray said: “It was a very difficult time, I just couldn’t stop eating and I turned to food.”

Within three years, his weight went from 17 to around 23 and he kept it off for about a decade.

After facing infertility issues and suffering two knee dislocations, Ray Richardson turned to food for comfort.

The builder, who lives on the Isle of Man, went from around 17 to 23 in the space of three years.

Standing at 6ft 2in, Ray reached his heaviest weight of 24st 10lbs in early 2024.

At the time, he ate about 4,500 calories a day, had four takeout meals a week, had a BMI of 44.4 and wore size XXXXL clothes.

“I didn’t care what I ate, I ate poorly, I felt pretty bad about myself to be fair and I just knew I had to do something and Man v Fat happened, so I thought I would try,” Ray said.

Man Against Fat is a game based on football weight loss program where men want to lose weight are placed together on a team and play in a league exclusively for people with a BMI over 27.5.

Each player weighs in before the weekly game and can score points for field goals – as well as weight loss.

The total weight lost by Man V Fat players is 735,119.95 pounds, or about three times the weight of a blue whale.

Although he was nervous at first, Ray quickly loved getting back on the field and found it motivating to be part of a group of men with similar goals.

The builder said: “I just loved it, and it was a good environment too.

“To be honest, after I went I was less stressed, and it was like a burst within the week to get it all out.”

Ray, 34, reached his heaviest weight of 24 pounds in early 2024.

At his peak, Ray ate about 4,500 calories a day, had four takeout meals a week, had a BMI of 44.4, and wore size XXXXL clothes. Now he eats foods such as Greek yogurt and granola for breakfast, a tuna wrap for lunch, and a high-protein microwave meal for dinner.

Along with football games, he hired a personal trainer who developed a gym plan, including hour-long cardio sessions three times a week, and gave him a diet plan.

Her new diet prioritizes whole foods, with takeout limited to just once a month.

Since joining Man v Fat in February, hitting the gym regularly and sticking to his strict diet, Ray has lost 10 kilos.

Now weighing 14 pounds and 7 pounds with a BMI of 26.2, Ray eats foods such as Greek yogurt and granola for breakfast, a tuna wrap for lunch, and a high-protein microwave meal for dinner.

“I definitely feel like it’s a sustainable amount to eat, and I don’t even miss having takeout or any other junk now, which really surprised me,” Ray said.

“It’s a lot more food than before, it’s just healthier and I’m never hungry.”

In total, Ray lost 10 pounds and has a BMI of 26.2, which puts him in the slightly overweight category.

Speaking about his weight loss, Ray said: “It costs me a fortune to go buy new clothes!

“Now I can just go shopping in the city and buy everyday brands. Before, I had to order clothes online and they didn’t fit me all the time.

“It’s a really nice feeling to be able to buy smaller things.

“I am much happier, more confident and I feel better about myself.

“My wife eats everything I eat and we both feel better now – I weigh everything and monitor it.”

Since joining Man v Fat in February, hitting the gym regularly and sticking to his strict diet, Ray has lost 10 kilos.

Speaking about his incredible weight loss journey, the builder said: “I’m much happier and more confident and I feel better about myself.”

Reflecting on his incredible weight loss journey, Ray revealed that at 22, he never thought he could achieve so much.

He said: “I would have said this would never happen.

“I was in that mindset for a long time, but now I also go to a Snap Fitness gym with a friend and help him out, so that motivates me too.

“I hope to inspire others to lose weight and next year I want to be one of the “biggest losers” – in Man V Fat, if you make it that far you’ll get to play a football match on a Premier League football ground’.

Despite changing his life and potentially increasing his sperm count as a result, Ray admitted he wasn’t “really thinking” about having kids anymore.

He said he had accepted that it “probably wasn’t going to happen” for him and his wife.

Ray said: “My sperm count has probably gone up now that I’ve lost weight, but we’ve kind of given up on it.

“To be honest, I don’t think about it much anymore.”