The “Dad Bod”

The “Dad bod.” I am sure most of you reading this have heard the phrase, since it has been around a few years now. It was started to reference an average, middle-aged guy, usually a father who does not have a lean, shredded physique and usually has some fat accumulation around their midsection. It has become the socially acceptable term for the previous “skinny fat,” which was seen as more derogatory and judgmental. It does not exclusively apply to fathers anymore and has evolved into a general description that can apply to any man, of any age, with any social status.

The Struggles Men Face

Do not get me wrong, I am totally sympathetic to the struggles most of us men go through in life. The never-ending routine of trying to balance work, relationships, families, and numerous other responsibilities that consume most of our time and energy on a day-to-day basis can be extremely draining. It becomes easy to lose track of how well we are taking care of ourselves, and of our appearance. Things like diet and exercise get put on the back burner and actually start to seem like a luxury behind all of the other priorities that need to be accomplished.

The Desire to Change

I am willing to bet that most men would love to have a lean, muscular physique and to live a healthy lifestyle. I am a firm believer in the fact that when you look good, you feel good. If there was a magic pill that a man could take to change his body instantly to the perfect physique, how many do you think would decline?

I have seen first-hand the boost in confidence and the excitement in friends and in my own daughter when they have decided to make a change, and the results start to become visible. I’ve seen people go from dressing to hide their bodies, to totally changing their wardrobe to accentuate and show off the results of their hard work. I have seen their faces light up when someone tells them they notice a difference, they look great and ask them what they have been doing. This new-found attention surprises some people and definitely improves self-esteem.

I also know about the mental benefits that come from eating healthy and working out. Many veterans (including me) have expressed that working out is a great stress reliever and benefits overall mental health. This not only applies to normal everyday stress, but in more extreme cases like depression and PTSD.

Motivation to Change

For some men, the motivation to change is that they want to be happy when they look in the mirror, be confident when they take off their shirt, or just want to improve their health and prolong their lives. Those are all great reasons, but there is another huge benefit to improving the way you look; women are attracted to it and appreciate it.

Now I am not talking in a shallow, superficial way. Women are attracted to personality, intelligence, security, etc. But, with all things being equal, it has been proven that on an evolutionary and biological level, women are attracted to certain physical attributes in a man. Controlled studies (not surveys) have been done and the overwhelming evidence is that a woman’s brain associates a muscular physique with a good partner and potential parent.

The Media and Misconceptions

The media hype these days might make you believe the opposite. Body shaming and body acceptance are hot topics and worrying too much about how you look has actually become a negative trait in some circles. Some surveys might lead you to conclude that a majority of women like the dad bod.

When you get into the reasons why, you will find out that it has nothing to do with physical appearance in almost every case. When the women were asked why, a significant percentage said they were worried the guy was too much into his appearance and wouldn’t have time for them or a family due to spending too much time in the gym. Another response was that if the guy looked good the woman was more self-conscious about her appearance and worried he would not be attracted to her if she wasn’t on the same level.

Whether you are in a relationship, married, or single right now, I can say with confidence that your partner or potential partner would appreciate you improving your appearance and lifestyle for the better.

Health Benefits of a Healthy Lifestyle

The other benefit to living a healthy lifestyle is the medical aspect. A significant percentage of major health problems in today’s society can be traced back to diet. Type II diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and some cancers, to name a few. Obesity is an epidemic in this country that causes many health issues and can also be traced back to poor diet and a lack of physical activity. Many of these diseases can be reversed or slowed just by changing a person’s habits. They have recently discovered that weight training is one of the closest things we have to the fountain of youth and delaying aging.

Why Diet is the Key

Most of what I have told you is not shocking or new information. So why doesn’t everyone live a healthy lifestyle or have a good physique? Over the last 30 years of working out, I have noticed a substantial percentage of people in the gym that make no progress. Keep in mind, these are people that have actually made the decision to improve themselves and the way they look. I see them in the gym, day after day, and many of them are in there a lot longer than I am. They aren’t lacking motivation or drive, and they are being consistent, so what is the issue?

I can tell you without a doubt that from almost every conversation I have had with each one of them, it boils down to one thing: diet.

It is my personal opinion that diet is at least 80% of the equation for looking how you want to look. You can work out 3 hours a day, every day, and if you eat a poor diet, you probably will not see any progress. Conversely, you can eat a good diet and do basic bodyweight exercises at home and make a huge improvement in your physical appearance.

Why Diet is a Struggle

So, the question remains, why is diet such a big issue and a struggle for most people? From what I have gathered from friends, family, and gym-goers, it’s primarily a lack of knowledge. They were never really taught what to eat, how much of each type of food to eat, and how different foods affect the body.

The second main reason behind lack of knowledge is discipline. For most people, eating a healthy diet will be the biggest challenge of changing their lifestyle.

A diet does not have to be miserable, and it is not starving yourself. It is knowing what to eat, when to eat, and in what amounts. All these factors determine how the food is utilized through physiological responses in the body.

No One-Size-Fits-All

Despite what you might have heard, no single diet works for 100% of the population. Some people do not tolerate carbs and must be very careful with the amount they eat. Other people, through genetics and family history, have more fat cells concentrated in certain areas of their body, making weight gain more evident.

I have encountered many different scenarios and have been able to help people adjust what they are doing to get optimum results. I have tried many diets over the years, from keto to carb-backloading and even intermittent fasting and observed the changes in myself. It’s one thing to read something and regurgitate the information, and another to actually try it on yourself and others and observe the results.

Moving Forward

My plan in the following articles is to tell you exactly what to do and where to start. I will also give you a basic scientific explanation (in laymen’s terms) in case that type of information interests you. I will follow up each section with a “takeaway” list, allowing you to quickly go back and reference the important key points of a topic in case you forget. The closing page ties everything you’ve learned into one straightforward plan you can put into action.

I will touch on several different diet and workout plans, but the main concentration will be on the ones that I know without a doubt work for the majority of the population. You do not need to be in the gym for hours! I am in the gym a maximum of 45 minutes, 5 days a week.

Congratulations on Starting

I want to personally congratulate you on taking the first step to reaching whatever goal you are trying to achieve. Because you are here reading this, it is obvious you are ready to make a change in your current lifestyle or the way you look. Maybe you are like many others and aren’t happy with the “dad bod.” Or maybe you are a seasoned gym-rat just looking to expand your knowledge and expertise.

I think the information I am passing along can benefit those two groups and anyone in between. After living this lifestyle my entire adult life, I am still open to learning new information and improving myself through the advice of others.

Remember, the only thing stopping you from achieving what you want, IS YOU!