Let me start off by telling you that when I was younger I had a body that most men would aim for, trim, toned pecs, a six pack, the full nine yards and I was proud of it! However, as life progressed, things changed, as they always do. What with marriage a family, social pressures and of course aging, I fell into the trap of complacency, too much good food, too much to drinking and little to no exercise, and before I realized it I had turned into a middle aged, unhealthy fat couch potato with manboobs.
It didn’t really worry me at first as I was in a “comfort zone” that I enjoyed, and it took me several years to wake up and realize that I had to do something about it. I eventually got so sick of feeling humiliated and self conscious about the appearance of my body every time I went near a pool or to the beach that I decided I had to get rid of my manboobs and my excess weight.
Because I was too embarrassed and humiliated to ask for help, which when I look back was probably my biggest mistake, I thought the internet might be the answer. To my surprise when I started searching I found that I was not the only one out there with this problem. There were thousands of men just like me who had excess chest fat (manboobs) who were frantically trying to find a solution that would help them get rid of their manboob. For me this had become a real nightmare.
From my research I discovered that firstly, I wasn’t alone, approximately 1/3 of the male population suffers or have suffered from gynecomastia (manboobs). Most of the sites out there were telling me that exercise and diet was the answer. Of course I already knew this, I had tried it so many times before. Reluctantly, I went back on a diet again, joined a gym and went on a weight loss program, and within a couple of months I did lose weight overall. Unfortunately, nobody had ever told me that when your body burns calories, it decided where to take the fat from, not you. As a result of this I was losing fat, but my moobs were starting to sag. I thought there must be more to it than what I am doing so it was back to hunting for more answers.
My turning point came one day after my workout when I shared my frustration with a guy who was in the same exercise class who had been a body builder and he asked me one simple question, “Are you targeting your upper chest”. That was when the light went on for me. If you want a body shape, then you have to shape it!
That was a long time ago now and my manboobs problem was resolved with a program of simple exercises and a balanced eating plan that still allows me to eat the foods I like, because, it’s not always what you eat, it’s how you eat it, that really makes the difference. I am now healthier and happier and able to maintain a body shape that allows me to take my shirt off with confidence.