Weight Loss For Men

Women are the leading consumers for weight loss diet pills, diets and programs. Men are inclined to focus more on exercise. But either issue is, and should be, popular with both sexes. Men, likewise, need to concern themselves with proper nutrition and diet as part of solid program of overall health and weight loss.

Diet becomes a greater concern for men with the onset of middle age. Calorie requirements are usually highest in the mid-20s and taper off about 2-4% with every passing decade. The average number of appropriate calories per day, 2500, reduces to 2200-2350, for an average-sized male (say, 5 ft 9 inches and 170 lbs).

Among the reasons for the change is a small decrease in muscle mass. It requires a significant amount of calories to continue to to perform cellular repair, feed blood to muscles, and sustain internal body temperature amidst a myriad of additional physiological tasks. As men age, they tend to have less muscle mass, thus requiring fewer calories.

But the other major reason is a change in basal metabolism. That's the 'base' or 'natural' rate at which your body burns calories for all its functions, even at rest. That adds up to roughly 70 calories per hour for most men, and represents approximately 65% of the daily calories needed. Hormonal and other age-related changes reduce that basal rate.

When we age, the thyroid gland, which takes part in regulation, and other glands are inclined to be less efficient and less active. Another example would be the adrenal gland. As a matter of fact, glandular reduction is among the internal factors that actually delineates biological aging.

As a result, consuming an equal amount of calories in mid-life that were consumed during earlier decades will result in the excess being stored in adipose tissue - this means you'll gain fat. For just about all men, that body fat is considered unsightly, and beyond a certain level has clear health risks.

Although it's not the only number you should consider, a BMI (Body Mass Index = weight/height squared) > 30 should be a concern for just about anyone. A BMI over 40 is typically viewed as obese. Waist circumference - exceeding 35 inches - for the average male is an index, with over 40 inches considered obese for most men.

Whatever you eat - although it does count for general health reasons - taking in more calories than are consumed leads to the surplus being stored as fat. This will result in weight gain. In order to greatly reduce this problem, daily caloric intake should be reduced by as little as 50-100 calories per day for every decade past age 29.

Lastly, and a good thing for a host of other health-related reasons, burning an additional 50-100 calories will help solve that problem and lead to greater overall health. This can be accomplished by walking an extra mile per day.

Reduce calories, exercise and you'll be able to stay healthy and fit for a lifetime.