By Nicola Cucuiet* and Sylvia Klinger
The saying “Men are from Mars and women are from Venus” is not as far fetched as we might think! Men have always had a privileged life. When it comes to their appearance, the exterior is not that important. A man has to be funny, smart, tender, caring, attentive and maybe have some money in the bank and a nice car (last ones stated, not a must). But with the modernization of our society, men have become more and more preoccupied about their appearance due to the number of complications that surface when it come to obesity. Among them we include:
- Metabolic diseases like diabetes, high cholesterol levels, kidney stones
- Cardiovascular conditions: high blood pressure, strokes, myocardial infraction
- Joint disorders
- Digestive disorders
- Respiratory disorders
- Cancer: colon, prostate, pancreas
Statistics have shown that 1 in 6 men at the age of 30 is overweight, and although the muscle mass ratio is bigger that the adipose tissue, when it comes to men, fat in mostly accumulated in the abdominal area, region that is directly linked to a number of diseases. A waist circumference of over 100 cm is considered to be abdominal obesity with high risks of diabetes and high blood pressure.
But don’t loose faith all you men out there because due to your high muscle mass, muscles that burn energy in comparison to the adipose tissue that doesn’t , loosing weight comes relatively easy by following some simple guidelines. First and most important: eliminate sugar and alcohol from you diet. Sugar is a empty calorie that the body doesn’t need. Try consuming at least the three recommended servings of high fiber carbohydrates, that give your body the fiber, nutrients and vitamins it needs. When it comes to alcohol, it has 7cal/g not to mention the fact that it reduces fat burning and favors the transformation of calories into adipose tissue. So be aware and either avoid alcohol or limit your alcohol consumption. Perhaps 1 day per week give your self the freedom to eat and drink more freely what you crave during the other week days. But never forget about moderation and portion control.
Create a three meal plan and control your portion sizes. Consume easy to digest food, because they can boost the metabolism and give you a better metabolic rate. Avoid snacking, because you will never be able to keep track of the things consumed during the day. Never skip a meal thinking you have spared some calories because in order to digest food, the body burns energy thus burns calories. Skipping meals only leads to slowing down the metabolism.
And last but not least start working out! Men were blessed with a higher muscle mass then women, but this muscle mass reduces with 8% every decade and here is were exercise comes in handy. Besides the visible effects working out has on the body, it has many other benefits: Correcting posture, eliminating stress, lowering the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Eating healthy and working out are and should be a very important part of every man and woman’s life! Take advantage of every day you have to do something for your body and soul!
Live life and love it. Eat well
*Nicola Cucuiet – A Masters degree student in Clinical and Community Nutrition at University of Medicine and Pharmacy Targu Mures, Romania
