Why Your Man Is Still FAT...

I regularly meet women who are struggling with their weight. However, a majority of these women also complain of the weight gain of their significant other. Yes, he has gained a lot of weight too. Possibly due to her cooking methods and his “lack of portion control.” In another post (http://www.jenellenicole.blogspot.com/2011/08/eating-for-2and-i-dont-mean-baby.html) I discussed the affect marriage has on the weight of each individual in the relationship. I also provided some tips of how to eat and make healthier lifestyle choices within marriage. The post was geared more towards women. However, in this post, I want to deal with health issues of men, and discuss simple dietary modifications for men.

Here are the numbers you need to know:

-At least 71% of men in America are overweight. About 29% of men in that 71% are obese. Being overweight can lead to obesity which can lead to greater issues in men like high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease…

-Close to 32% of men have high blood pressure (surpassing women by a little over 1%). 

-13 million men, or close to 12% of men have diabetes (also surpassing women by a little over 1%).

-Being obese, having high blood pressure, and having diabetes can all increase a man’s chances of developing heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the United States. Over 70% of sudden cardiac events occur in men. Half of men who die from coronary heart disease have no symptoms.  

These stats should alarm us. These stats should cause us to take more preventative measures to prevent these diseases and issues from happening to the men in our lives. Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease are all related to dietary factors and a sedentary lifestyle. Many health professionals as well as governmental entities and non-profit organizations have attested to the effect a good diet has on decreasing risks associated with these illnesses and diseases.

For men reading this post, one of the biggest things you can do to decrease your risk of these diseases and issues is to lose weight, and restructure your dietary habits. This does not mean that you won’t be able to eat some of the foods you like. It simply means that the best things you can do to stay healthy is to eat more fruits and vegetables, eat meats that are lean (chicken, fish, turkey) on a regular basis versus higher fattening meats (most red meats), and stop eating your meal when you are full. The reason so many of us (men and women alike) are overweight is because we keep eating, though we are full or not really hungry. This is something you will have to train your body to do; that is, to stop eating when its full, and to not eat when it is not hungry. For those men who are not overweight, and are actually looking to gain weight, the principles still apply, though you may be able to eat more food, you must still make wise choices. It would also be advantageous for you to include more protein in your diet to gain a little more weight.

As for exercise, men, you just have to make the time for it. At least 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week is best. Even if all you can do is walk, that is better than nothing. The main thing is to get moving. If you have always wanted to be ripped, with nice abs and strong arms, now is the time to do it! It will just take a little time in the gym (or pick up a good DVD like P90X or Insanity) and some modifications to the foods you eat. It is time for you to not only better your health, but to feel and look better. Wouldn’t it be great if you could fit into some of those clothes you used to be able to fit into? Wouldn’t you love for your woman to grab for your stomach and have nothing but muscle to grab? It starts with diet and exercise. I hope this post was helpful. Until next time…

-Jenelle N. Robinson

References

Diabetes. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/.

Heart Disease. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://www.cdc.gov/DHDSP/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_men_heart.htm.

High Blood Pressure. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm.

Obesity. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://www.obesity.org/resources-for/obesity-statistics.htm.

Overweight and Obesity Prevalence and Trends Data. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/BRFSS/sex.asp?cat=OB&yr=2010&qkey=4409&state=UB.