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Three things we all know about men’s health that are completely wrong

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Andrew Shanahan,  the editor of the Man V Fat a weight loss website for men tells us there three myths about men and health that we need to challenge.

—This is article #60 in our series of #100Voices4Men and boys 

Do you know the saying “We shouldn’t make assumptions, because they make an ass out of u and mptions.” Wait. I’ve got that wrong. Maybe it’s presumptions. Whatever it is, the point remains – holding onto pre-conceived notions in the face of reality opens us up to looking foolish. The area of men and health is riddled with such assumptions. I’ve picked out three of the most enduring that we should do our best to expunge, I’d love to hear of any others that you’ve spotted.

1. Everyone knows that men won’t go to the doctors…

Forty percent of men die before they are 75 and men are more likely to be diagnosed for a range of cancers at a later stage – so why won’t the buggers go to the doctors? The accepted wisdom is that men are stoic idiots who hobble along wordlessly until the tumour they’re carrying gets too big for them to put their pants on. Guess what? It’s nonsense. Buying into this myth means that the real issue which keeps men from earlier diagnosis goes unreported. Namely, that men are more likely to work away from home and find that setting up GP appointments around work is very difficult. Additionally, more women are the primary carers for the children and are therefore more likely to be in the doctor’s surgery with them anyway.

 2. We all know that men don’t want to diet…

Look at the magazines like Men’s Health and Men’s Fitness and you’d be forgiven for believing the myth that men don’t want to lose weight, they simply want to “get ripped” and build bigger arms, tighter abs and smoother shins (that might just be me). It’s true that men are more likely to access information about fitness, but that’s largely because the range of information on weight loss for men is so sparse. So why won’t men access weight management groups? Because they’re all designed for women and consequently 85% of attendees are women. That presents a confrontational and unappealing place for men to get support and advice about losing weight.

 3. Of course men just won’t talk about their feelings

75% of people who take their own lives are men. That’s a horrifying statistic. Part of the myth of male suicide is that it’s based on this idea that men won’t talk about their feelings. This is just based on my experience of contact with millions of men who are losing weight or preparing for weddings, but I really think this is bullshit. With earlier generations the John Wayne stereotype might be more relevant, but we live increasingly in a post-Beckham world, a world where you can wear a sarong on the front cover of a national newspaper and still be a sex symbol. We must seek to destroy this idea that men won’t open up, because if we believe it we stop asking and then it becomes true by default.

If you want to do something useful this International Men’s Day on November 19th then take a moment in your professional and personal lives to look at the Ur Man that is presented by newspapers, sitcoms and adverts and scrub your mind clean of these assumptions and stereotypes. Dare to look stupid by asking the basic questions about men again and you may just find that your -mptions are misguided.

—Picture credit: US Navy

 

Andrew Shanahan is the editor of www.manvfat.com a weight loss website for men which takes all the nonsense about diets and makes it easy. Visit the Man V Fat website today to find out more.

You can find all of the #100Voices4Men articles that will be published in the run up to International Men’s Day 2014 by clicking on this link—#100Voices4Men—and follow the discussion on twitter by searching for #100Voices4Men.

The views expressed in these articles are not the views of insideMAN editorial team. Whether you agree with the views expressed in this article or not we invite you to take take part in this important discussion, our only request is that you express yourself in a way that ensures everyone’s voice can be heard.

You can join the #100Voices4Men discussion by commenting below; by following us on Twitter @insideMANmag and Facebook or by emailing insideMANeditor@gmail.com. 

Man V Fat: what’s the best way for men to lose weight?

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A staggering two-thirds of men in the UK are classed as overweight or obese according to the Men’s Health Forum.

If you’re one of the big, fat majority of men who need to lose some lard, then should definitely take a look Man V Fat. It’s a free, monthly, online magazine that launched this year and is dedicated to helping men lose weight.

If you want a low fat (but wisdom rich) taster of the type of articles you’ll find at Man V Fat, then carry on reading. One of Man V Fat’s regular features is “The Fixer”, a type of Agony Uncle for chubby chaps. Here’s what the fixer had to say to a Man V Fat reader who asked about the best diet to help men lose weight:

Frequently I’m asked “what’s the best diet to follow for weight loss?, and unfortunately there isn’t an easy answer to that question. If someone was to invent a process of identifying a perfect diet for a specific-client, that person would become very successful quickly. In reality one diet may work well for someone but not another. Finding a diet that will work for you can be a complex and a frustrating process, and you may have already gone through a trial and error process in your search for the perfect diet.

Stay away from fad diets 

Of course moving away from the fad diets is important however there are many diet plans out there that have proved to be effective.

There is a vast rage of diets from calorie counting diets to diets focusing on controlling specific food types and amounts. However they all focus on one aim. To promote energy deficit. In simple terms this means eating less than you body needs (so it therefore starts using fat stores for energy. Some examples of common diet plans used for weight loss includes:

  • The low carbohydrate diet
  • Calorie counting/healthy eating
  • Meal replacements
  • Commercial weight management groups
  • Mediterranean diet
  • Very low calorie liquid diets

They all have positive and negative aspects. It’s about choosing the right one for you. Some may require more planning and organization but offer flexibility (making it day-to-day lie friendly), whilst others are very prescriptive and take very little planning (are therefore difficult to ‘stick’ to.) The key point being none of these have demonstrated superiority over any other in the long-term.

If you want to lose weight, be realistic 

From my experience, clients that plan their diet to suit their individual circumstances can demonstrate change in learning behaviours long-term. Following a personalised diet plan can sometimes be more realistic and sustainable.

How to achieve this? By starting simple. Some ideas could include reducing your portion sizes (of the foods you are already eating). Or reduce the frequency of a specific food or drink that you may want to limit. Ensure that your diet is balanced with a variety of foods, and you may want to seek support from a professional to help you achieve this. The key point being, it’s your plan. Set specific goals, whilst quantifying your progress (e.g. weight, clothes size).

A one size fits all doesn’t work, and don’t feel negatively about not following your approach to the letter, just remember to monitor your progress and if you’re not meeting your goals, reassess and adjust the plan. If willpower is not an issue, maybe focussing your willpower in a different direction may be beneficial.

Thanks to our friends at Man V Fat for allowing us to publish this article. If you want to find out more about Man V Fat’s excellent free magazine for men who want to lose weight you can visit their website, join them on facebook or follow them twitter. 

—Photo credit: Flickr/Alan Cleaver 

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