In my practice I work with many male clients, and certainly many of the people who want to take control of their weight these days are men. But when I walk around the city, or take a look around at the airport, I notice that most of the overweight men I see aren't especially big in their arms or legs; instead, they're carrying most of their extra pounds around their waists. They don't need weight management, they need waist management. I want to talk to the guys here today, and I want to start by making a distinction between your medical waist and what we might call your fashion waist. As far as the medical profession is concerned, if your waist circumference is more than 40 inches, you are at risk for heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and perhaps most urgent of all, reduction in sex drive! When I assess men in this situation, I ask myself -- why are they not just gaining weight, but taking on this odd shape? Why are they looking like they are going to deliver a baby at any moment? Ironically, many men blame their wives and kids for the fact that they've lost control of what they eat, and for keeping junk food in the house. But the reality is, what I often see in my practice is that men are more likely than women to skip meals. That leads to overeating -- especially when men are stressed out at work, don't eat throughout the day, and rely on their food environment (which far too often consists of vending machines) to provide emergency fuel. This behavior is exacerbated by age, which decreases metabolism; as time goes on, men sit more and more at work, are less and less physically active at home, and get in the habit of releasing stress with a beer and some chips after work. Sound familiar? Time to stop blaming the wife or family, and start eating like a man. That doesn't mean starving yourself, or eating like a bird. It means managing your nutrition, and tackling your stress as well. Here's what men can do to take control of their waists, and their health:
