Jenny Craig - Jen4Men

Article by: Prof Kerryn Phelps

There are quite a number of health dangers associated with being overweight particularly in the long term as men get older and start suffering from a whole range of obesity related health problems.

Men who are overweight have a higher risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and therefore suffer a higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Then there are the other lifestyle related diseases like sleep apnoea, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers that are related to overweight and obesity. So these are the life threatening conditions.

But there are also the quality of life issues. Things like arthritis in the knees and hips, aches, back pains, and reduced mobility, physical strength, vitality and quality of sleep. These are quality of life issues that can affect men and their relationships.

Snoring and sleep apnoea that are related to weight gain put pressure on the man's sleep quality but also his partner's sleep suffers. Especially when men who are already overweight gain more weight the snoring becomes more of a problem. What can happen when men are overweight is that they develop fatty tissue deposits around the back of the nose and throat that can lead to a condition called sleep apnoea. What happens is that during the night men will partially wake up, you'll hear snoring and then they stop breathing for a little while and then start breathing again and that is the pattern called sleep apnoea. Apnoea means 'stop breathing'. If you do this enough it puts a strain on the heart, increases blood pressure, and increases the risk of heart disease and this can actually be life threatening.

Increased health risk with increase waist

Men's relative risks compared with a waist less than 94cm are as follows:

Source: Cancer Council Victoria

When to start worrying about weight

There are a lot of men out there who are already in a health risk category who don't realise it and don't acknowledge it. But as soon as you are in a health risk category that is the time that you need start thinking 'What does that mean?'

So men need to start worrying about their weight if they go to their doctor or health professional have their height and weight measured and their BMI is in the overweight range. That is the time to start thinking 'Hang on a second there is a problem!'

Another sign can be if the belt starts getting a bit tight and if the normal cloths don't fit so well anymore. In general when the waist measurement gets more than 94cm that is an important sign that you need to take notice and do something about it. If the waist measure is over 102cm the health risk is even higher. So knowing the waist measurement and keeping that under 94cm is very important. These are measures that give some clues whether there is a health risk involved or not.

Tips for men to be healthy

1. First measure up! Size really does matter! There are some questions marks around the BMI particularly for men who are very muscular like incredible body builders or a front row forward rugby player. Their BMI will be higher and still be in a healthy weight range for those men. But for men of average build the BMI is a useful measure. The waist measurement is another useful way to measure up. A waist measurement of 94cm or less is where you want to be. Ideally you want your chest measurement to be higher than your waist measurement. (To measure up yourself click here)


2. It is very important that men look at healthy diet. Understanding what it means to have a healthy balanced diet with potion control. It is one thing to eat really good food but quantity it is very important as well.


3. The next is to exercise regularly. You can't rest on your laurels and say 'I was a fabulous cricketer or swimmer or football player when I was 23' and now in the 40's or 50's you barley get around a golf course once a fortnight. So regularly does not mean once a year or once in a blue moon; it means every day some form of activity including some weight training a few times a week. This means at least three times a week resistance/ weight exercise and every day some form of activity like walking, swimming, cycling, dancing.


4. The other thing is to have regular check-ups. A lot of men don't go to a doctor unless they have some major crises or some problem. Usually it takes something to be bleeding or hurting. But it is really important that men get a grip... that they take a look at their health... that they spend the time to sit down with a health professional on a regular basis look at their health risks.

So diet and exercise with regular check-ups are important fundamental things that everyone can do to improve life and increase the life span. If you get those lifestyle factors under control early then it is not inevitable that you will end up with a big gut and you can look forward to a healthy middle age and beyond. If you need help to implement these strategies, invest in yourself and find a program that can teach these skills.