Men joining the dieting ranks : Guys are now digging into the weight-loss craze
By Debbe Geiger
October 26, 2004
Remember when real men wouldn't eat quiche? Well, for a long time, they wouldn't be caught dead dieting either. That's all changed thanks to America's growing girth, and the irrefutable toll that unhealthy eating takes on the human body.
It's hard to say how many men are on diets or whether they stick to them, because few studies track their dietary habits. But there is evidence to suggest their numbers are increasing.
According to data from the National Health Interview
Survey, 23 percent of men were trying to lose
weight in 1990. By 1996, that figure rose to 29
percent, according to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance
System. Both surveys were sponsored by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
Why the increase? Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientific officer for Weight Watchers International, thinks men are simply more health-conscious. "America as a nation is gaining weight, and men are no exception. We have more overweight and obese men than there were 10 to 20 years ago, and they need to lose weight."
America is also growing older, she says, "and that brings with it greater risks for diseases like high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and the like. Many people believe that health is a strong motivator for men. As they get older and begin to show signs of weight-related poor health ... a directive to lose weight from their doctor may have men taking action."
A 2002 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association appears to support Miller-Kovach's hypothesis. The study found that more men than women reported they were following a diet because of advice from a health professional. By comparison, it showed that more women than men reported they were dieting to lose weight.
Michael O'Brien, who is 33 and lives in Bellmore, joined the ranks of men who are finding the world of dieting more palatable. In February, he started eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables to lower his cholesterol and lose a few pounds at the same time. "For dinner, I'll eat 5 ounces of meat, chicken or turkey. I try to eat fish three times a week for dinner. I'm eating a larger portion of vegetables."
Although he won't get his cholesterol tested until December, O'Brien says he's lost weight but, just as importantly, "I feel a lot better. I saw an energy boost after a week and a half."
Eschewing, not chewing
Traditionally, men shied away from diet food like salads, lean meats and vegetables. The mainstay diet plans like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig didn't attract many men because they feature spokeswomen like Sarah Ferguson and female success stories in their commercials. Even O'Brien says he never considered Weight Watchers. I thought it was something women do," he said.
Today, however, men have more choices. In fact, the array of high-protein, low-carbohydrate choices has them signing up for diets faster than they can cut into a sirloin steak.
Thanks to popular diets like Atkins, South Beach and a slew of other bestselling plans run by male doctors, men can choose meals that incorporate the foods they like to eat.
Kevin Lawrence, for example, hates salads, doesn't like vegetables and isn't fond of fish. While he knows he has to watch what he eats, weight-loss plans that involved these and other traditional diet foods always set him up for failure. "It was torture," he said. That changed when the 54-year-old Huntington Station salesman tried the Atkins diet. Now, he finds it's more convenient to lose weight when he needs to. "Beef, steak, those are men's staples," Lawrence says. "It's a lot easier because it's the foods I like to eat."
Atkins and South Beach alone have made dieting "more gender-neutral," says Amy Bentley, an associate professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University's School of Medicine. "People can now choose which way they are going to diet. It's no longer one size fits all."
That's important, says Deanna Conte, a registered dietitian and co-author of "A Guy's Gotta Eat" (Marlowe & Company, $15.95), because she thinks men care about their weight as much as women do. "They just don't talk about it as often. They don't tend to think about shopping or cooking. For women, every single magazine is on how to curb hunger and keep portions small. You don't necessarily see that all over the cover of GQ."
That's changed as more men's magazines feature rock-hard bodies.. "In today's world, the media scrutinizes men's and women's bodies equally," Bentley agrees. "Men's bodies are plastered all over billboards, as females bodies have been." That's especially true as women's status in the public sphere has grown. "More women are in the paid workforce, and with that comes more leverage in relationships."
Weight gain despite exercise
Many dietitians still think that making the change to a diet filled with leaner meats, fruits and vegetables is the healthiest option for the long run.
"It's no longer the case that a man goes out with a woman and orders a bacon double cheeseburger with fries and a shake while a woman has a salad with dressing on the side," says registered dietitian Susan Weiner, an adjunct professor of nutrition at Queens College in Flushing. "Men are ordering salad, chicken and fish. It's become an accepted way of life. They know that all the hard work they are putting in at the gym can be undone with heavy meals."
Steven Tabak of Rockville Centre knows that firsthand. Although he works out in a gym up to four times a week, he turned to Weiner for help when he began gaining weight despite his regular exercise.
"She taught me how to eat moderately and cut out what is not healthy for my body, like pastas, bread and butter," says Tabak, 54.
As a salesman, Tabak eats out almost every night, but he says now he's more particular about what he orders. "I changed from eating Chinese food. I found restaurants that make salad with chicken on it. I order fish if it's broiled, not in a heavy sauce."
More importantly, Tabak adds, "I don't consider myself on a diet; diets never worked. I consider myself changing the way I eat. For me, it's a more health-conscious way of life."
Source:www.newsday.com
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