Weight Loss: 5 Tips for Success (For Men Only)

Weight Loss: What works for women does not necessarily work for men.

Compared to women, men rarely seek professional advice when it comes to losing weight. And if they do, they certainly won’t bother with the food pyramid or calorie counting. What works for men and what doesn’t?

New research from the Information Technology Diet, Exercise, and Self-Help Trial (SHED-IT) confirms what family physicians have observed for decades.

Here are 5 tips that really work to help men lose weight effectively.

1. Limit serving size. Eat one Whopper for lunch instead of two. Eat two pieces of chicken instead of four. That’s pretty easy to understand and pretty easy to implement. This change alone would equal a difference of five pounds a month. Losing weight doesn’t have to be rocket science. Increased exercise also helps, but it could take two hours of walking to eliminate a Whopper; it’s better to skip it first.

2. Limit your fat intake. Order a small fry, not an extra large one. Order grilled chicken, not fried. Order a small steak, not a male monster burger. Small steps, but enough to reduce fat and therefore calorie intake. Men don’t care that a gram of fat has twice the calories of carbohydrates or protein. But they understand that eating fat makes people fat, so they may be eager to make these simple changes.

3. Avoid sugary drinks. Don’t drink regular soda. End of story. That’s all men want to know: the bottom line. Women tend to crave more sugar and carbohydrates than men. (A cookie won’t hurt, right? I can still eat birthday cake once in a while, right? – women ask.) In general, men do not know that a large soda has as many calories as a chocolate bar. Eliminating a six-pack of Coke a day equates to about two pounds a week of weight loss. Also, because consuming sugary drinks does not usually give you a feeling of satiety (fullness), eliminating them may not increase your intake of other foods.

4. Don’t worry about the vegetables. Although fiber intake tends to increase feelings of fullness, men just don’t care and they won’t bother. They also tend to be less constipated than women, and therefore bowel regularity is less of a concern while dieting.

5. Can beer. Two beers a day equals about three pounds a month of body weight. Drinking a six-pack at night could add up to a hundred pounds in a year. It is common knowledge that drinking beer causes a beer belly. It doesn’t take a doctor to explain that drinking less beer will result in a reduction in the waistline.

If you are a man looking to lose weight, reduce your portion size, eat less fat, and avoid alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages. Since you aren’t likely to bother digging into the matter further, focus on these simple steps and watch the weight melt away.