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Friday, April 11, 2008
Beach-Ready Abs: Men Only
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Joe Klemczewski, Ph.D.
eDiets Contributor
Yes, men only. Not something you hear too often in an industry that targets women as its primary demographic, but men do have some unique metabolic and sometimes societal differences that are often missed in the weight-loss conversation. And I know women are reading this just to see what the guys are being told -- maybe some secrets -- but, seriously, go away. This is like a Budweiser commercial -- guys only.Guys, you’re busy, your boss doesn’t care what your physique goals are, you don’t like to cook – you don’t know how to cook – your kids want to play when you get home from work, and you only get five hours of sleep. How in the world can you get rid of the love handles and actually feel good about taking your tee shirt off at the beach? We all have reasons that make it tough, but at the end of the day you just have to want it bad enough to make some necessary changes.
One thing you’ve got going for you is sheer metabolic power. With lean body mass and testosterone being higher than women, we can lose body fat at a pretty good pace. It’s not unusual for male clients to get in a good diet routine where they’re losing three to four pounds a week consistently, but there are some steps that will make that easier. Let’s talk about male-specific tactics that can make all the difference.
The first is that in very general terms, we tend to like more rote structure. A client who is a banker sat down at his initial consultation with me and I waxed eloquently for 45 minutes about the need for flexibility, education and learning to not restrict yourself to even a self-imposed narrow food list. He proceeded to completely ignore me and went into his own world with paper and pencil. He began copying meal suggestions from sample days that I was going over and created a “perfect” day to fit the actual macronutrient ranges I was prescribing for him. I banged my head against my desk, he left, he lost 80 pounds and he’s kept if off to this day.
Our common ground was met in that he did learn to add variety when he needed, but he had to have that beginning structure – an actual diet plan – to follow. Women would see through that and call us lazy for us needing to be told what to do, but we’ll just pretend it’s an innate neurological male hard wiring thing. Point one: with a goal to lose a lot of poundage in a period of time, you will find it easiest if you get some meals together that you like and can formulate a good day as a pattern.
The second course of action is to make sure your day includes enough protein. Ketogenic diets were created for men – what better marketing niche than to say you can eat all the steak you want and still lose weight? Don’t take it that far, but if you can get protein in at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and maybe a snack or two (protein shakes help), you will have less hunger and you’ll find you can lower calories easier. My male clients that make it a point to move protein up to the levels I suggest (and it’s not too much or unhealthy by any means; just higher than most of us eat consistently) always lose faster.
Cardio. Yes, I said it. I know there’s nothing more boring and there’s no glory in it like squatting and bench pressing, but if you want to see pounds melt away, make cardio as routine as brushing your teeth. You’ve read all the reasons why: it’s not just calorie expenditure at the moment, but it’s increased VO2 max, increased calorie burning for about 90-minutes afterward, it’s better stroke volume for your heart – it can just about double your results. It also sends a great behavioral message to yourself: “If I’m spending the time to do this, I’m not going to mess it up with that bag of chips on the couch!”
The cardio admonition goes without saying that you should already be doing some resistance training. Grunt…scratch… “Hooha!”
Hopefully all the women have left this article by now because I have to go a little soft on this one point. You have to have a way of tracking your food and results to be consistent. Accountants and engineers aside, most guys don’t want to waste time calculating, measuring, and tracking food. When I see a male client filling out food logs, I know he’s going to lose weight and he’s going to keep it off.
Why?
You can’t help but learn about your body and about nutrition and food if you’re doing some analytical work. You can’t scratch your head and wonder why you didn’t lose this week if you have eight beers and a bag of pork rinds on paper staring back at you. Remember, we’re talking hardcore results and taking advantage of the metabolic power endowed by the gene pool. If it makes you feel better, get a food journal and spray paint a camo design on the cover.
Lastly, don’t worry about losing muscle. This thought may not even occur to some guys reading this, but trust me when I say that on the way down to a body fat level where you’ll see your abs, you’re going to feel too thin. Every man wants to be 225 pounds with abs and it ain't gonna happen. When you’re leaner you’re going to look bigger if you have any muscle at all, but you have to choose – be a little thicker/bulkier in your shirt that hides the roll around your middle or have a head-turning physique at the beach and look, dare I say, kind of normal in clothes. So, get busy – it’s almost summer!!
Joe Klemczewski, PhD, maintains a unique online consulting practice helping people around the world reach their physique and health goals. His popular website and forum http://www.thedietdoc.com/ is a great database of information.
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