Weight Loss Systems for Men

Statistics from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggest that as many as 72 percent of men are overweight or obese (measured as a body mass index of 25 or more). Clearly, there are a lot of men who could stand to lose a few pounds. Newsweek, however, reports that men and women approach weight loss in different ways, so traditional calorie-counting diets may not be as effective for men. It takes a combination of diet and exercise to lose weight, and different diets focus on different methods.

Abs Diet

The Abs Diet was started developed by Men’s Health and focuses on eating well and doing some light exercise. Whenever possible, you should eat foods that are on the “superfoods” list–almonds and nuts, beans and legumes, spinach and green vegetables, dairy, instant oatmeal, eggs, turkey and other lean meats, peanut butter, olive oil, whole grain breads and cereals, extra (whey) protein, and raspberries or other berries. The first letters of those food groupings spell “Abs Diet Power.” You should also eat six small meals rather than three large ones and exercise for 30 minutes, three times a week.

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is a weight-loss system created by body builder Tom Venuto. The focus is on building strong muscles, which will increase your metabolism, helping you to lose weight faster. In order to do this, you need to eat right to support the muscle growth. This system can help you determine a goal weight, help you develop an exercise plan, and teach you what foods to eat.

TNT Diet

The Targeted Nutrition Tactics–or TNT Diet–is also created by Men’s Health magazine and focuses on eating the right foods at the right times. When following, you should eat protein-only foods when you are in the “muscle building zone”–an hour before and after workouts–and other healthy foods when you are in the “fat burning zone.”

Turbulence Training

In Turbulence Training, created by strength and conditioning specialist Craig Ballantyne, the focus is on exercise more than diet. You combine body-weight muscle-building exercises, such as squats and push-ups, with high-intensity interval training. This allows you to get results with working out only a few times a week.

DIY Biggest Loser

As reported in Newsweek, men are more likely to stick to a weight-loss program when faced with competition. The Biggest Loser is a popular TV show in which overweight people compete with each other to lose the most weight, under the care of professional trainers. Although only a few people can get on the show, you can feel motivated if you can get a group of people to create your own Biggest Loser diet. Have all participants throw a few dollars into the pot, and whoever loses the highest percentage of weight in a specified time wins all of the money.