Men

Some experts believe tuning into podcasts that give advice on diet and exercise help people lose weight, but only certain kinds.

Boring health lectures are a good start, but informative and "entertaining" soap-opera-like podcasts stick with you, and offer better results.

I guess it's like those tapes that teach you another language while you sleep. "Miguel buys fish at la pescaria."

I guess it was only a matter of time before one of the most popular diet companies on the planet went after the other gender.

Jen4Men™ has launched in Australia and New Zealand targeting men who find themselves fighting in the "battle of the bulge." Jenny Craig™ has a section for men on their USA based website, but for obvious reasons not many men would proudly proclaim they were on Jenny Craig to lose weight.

In college, if my buddies ordered pizza, I ate pizza. If I got Chinese food, they got it too. Someone brought over a bottle of Jager, we all drank Jager.

I think it's human nature. Your friends and acquitances influence what you eat. How many of you have tried sushi because of peer pressure?

According to a survey of five thousand men in the UK, the average weight gain was 14lbs (6.35 kg) - equating to an extra two inches on the waist.

A Newsweek piece hit recently explaining how men and women use different strategies to diet and that some tactics that work for guys don't work for gals and vice versa. Here are some of the salient points;

An intriguing study sheds some light on gender differences when it comes to abilities to resist temptation of food.

In an exercise in cruelty, doctors asked 23 men and women of healthy weight to go on a three-day fast and then tempted them with morsels of their favorite foods and trips to buffets where study subjects were told they could not partake.

I doubt it. But according to a new report, body image problems and eating disorders are actually on the raise in male athletes and fitness addicts. And here's the ironic part. Experts believe these issues first pop up after a guy loses a few pounds and sees how much better he performs physically.

But, despite the awkwardness, let's talk sperm! Researchers have determined obese men have lower sperm counts and lower quality sperm than leaner men.

There is a common thread in many male transformation stories. A guy starts off overweight - he eats poorly and is sedentary. Then he discovers how to eat right, how to lift weights, and before you know it - new words like cardio, metabolism, and HIIT become part of the standard vernacular.

At some point along the journey - fat loss turned into bodybuilding. Is this the answer for every man?

Us guys can be pretty daft...at least when it comes to our health. June 9th to June 15th was men's health week and it is as good a time as any for us men to take an honest look at ourselves and ask: Am I healthy? If the answer is "no", "not as healthy as I could be", or "Are you kidding - I played football in high school", it may be time to figure out how you can answer that question with a confident "yes".

Here are some less-than-cheery facts about men's health that can hopefully act as a wake-up call.

No, it's not just your imagination: men eat more meat than women do. And women consume more fruits and vegetables than the guys.

But who eats the most eggs? Yogurt? Oysters? And who is at most risk for food-borne illness? A recent population survey of 14,000 American adults had at least a few surprises.

As it turns out, magazines show no sexual discrimination when it comes to damaging body image. Research suggests that younger men who read "Lad's Magazines" (Maxim, FHM, Stuff and Blender) may be psychologically harmed by images of perfect male physiques.

The Sunday Times announced that John Prescott (former Deputy Prime Minister of the UK) suffered with bulimia for many years. The news quickly made national headlines. Prescott has spoken candidly about the illness, emphasizing that he wanted to reveal his struggle with bulimia in order to help others who have struggled on in silence.

Outside all the dramatic weight loss programs and hyped up testimonials - there are people who quietly go about changing themselves.

This story is very encouraging. I was excited to discover that Diet Blog played a role (again - reader comments on this blog directly impact and help people).

Eric's Story At age 22, Eric weighed around 230 lbs (height 5' 10"). He claims that he was "always a fat kid".

During a particularly stressful time with a terminally ill grandparent, Eric gained a further 30lbs. The reasons were not complicated: comfort foods, stress, and no exercise.

Then came a crossroads - Eric's grandparent passed away. It was now time to move on.

In the world of the diet industry - it seems that men are the next big "pot of gold". Weight Watchers are campaigning, and even have created "workouts just for men". Perhaps men have some extra muscle groups somewhere that women don't?

I know a number of women who deadlift and bench press, for example. They haven't turned into the incredible bulk - but they do cop some subtle jibes from other women.

Ever wonder why men and women are so different when it comes to dieting and weight loss?

A new book by Karen Miller-Kovach, She Loses, He Loses: The Truth About Men, Women, and Weight Loss explores these differences.

New research shows that women are far more likely than men to try different diet plans. Women are also more likely to try a low-fat or a low-carbohydrate diet.

Researchers at universities must have a lot of spare time on their hands. Recent research shows that men who are hungry (rather than satiated) find heavier women more attractive.