With so much conflicting advice out there, it\u2019s no wonder some men think Slimming World wouldn\u2019t work for them. But Slimming World\u2019s healthy eating plan not only fills you up, no food is off the menu. Food Optimising<\/a> is based on more than 50 years\u2019 experience of helping people to lose weight and keep it off for life, combined with the latest scientific research. It’s designed to be easy to follow, realistic and achievable for everyone. In fact, our research shows that men can actually lose weight faster than women when they join their local group!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n READ RYAN’S STORY: Ryan Money (in our main image above) lost 17st in two years after joining Slimming World<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To help cut through the confusion, we\u2019ve busted five common male myths about weight loss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the fear that you\u2019ll be the only man in the room is holding you back, you\u2019re not the only one. A survey for The Machobesity Report found that four out of five men said they expected group to be female-focused. As our 60,000 male slimmers will tell you, that isn\u2019t the case! In the unlikely event that you do find yourself as the only man, you\u2019ll soon see that everyone in group has been through the same struggles and experiences of losing weight and want to support you through your journey. So whether you\u2019re male or female, you\u2019ll never feel alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vincent Taylor<\/a> was sceptical about joining Slimming World, but after his weight loss surgery failed he decided to give it a try \u2013 and now he\u2019s 8st lighter. He says: \u201cI was nervous about joining \u2013 I felt embarrassed, thinking \u2018blokes don\u2019t do this\u2019. I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong, though. My Consultant made me feel so welcome and, to my surprise, it was great. We all had a good laugh, and I wasn\u2019t the only man there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n How many times have we heard this one? Great news for anyone who hasn\u2019t worn a gym kit since school (my hands are up!) \u2013 you don\u2019t have to break a sweat if you don\u2019t want to. While regular activity is great for your health and improving fitness, when it comes to weight loss, evidence shows that changing your diet is far more effective than exercise in helping to reduce your energy intake and burn off calories. And there is strong evidence to show that regular exercise can help maintain your weight loss, so being more active while Food Optimising is a real win-win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you are ready to move more while losing weight, our Body Magic programme<\/a> will help you find an activity that suits your level of ability and fitness. If you\u2019re just starting out, you can take it slow by adding gentle activity into your day. And if you\u2019re ready for something more challenging, we\u2019ll help you to kick your activity up a notch. Daniel (@danny_mann_sw_lifestyle<\/a>) has lost 10st 8lbs and gets his fitness fix by walking with his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He says: \u201cCan\u2019t beat good weather to get out and do some Body Magic with the family after work, with a walk up to Stoodley Pike this time, instead of normally cycling up there. The kids loved it. Exploring the monument, and seeing the brilliant views of the Calder Valley, just makes a brilliant end to the day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Machobesity Report also found that eating large portions and eating everything on the plate was seen as masculine along with terms such as king size, jumbo and supersize. As our post on the science behind Food Optimising<\/a> shows, our healthy eating plan enables members to eat larger amounts of lower energy dense foods to help them reduce calorie intake without having to cut down down on portion size. Because there\u2019s no counting calories and you can eat until you\u2019re full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Report said that a full English breakfast \u2013 along with ribs, meat pie and fried chicken and chips \u2013 is seen as one of the manliest meals around. If giving up your weekend fry-up has put you off slimming in the past, the great news is that no food is off the menu when you\u2019re Food Optimising. By making a few slimming-friendly tweaks to the way you eat, like cutting the fat off meat and frying with low-calorie cooking spray instead of oil, our members can enjoy all their favourite meals while losing weight \u2013 which is all the more important as we know that feeling hungry and deprived are the most common reasons why people give up on a weight loss attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why we encourage members to fill up on Free Foods to help them feel fuller for longer. And if your favourite food isn\u2019t Free, you can use your Syns to enjoy it in a controlled way and without a shred of guilt \u2013 so you\u2019ll never feel deprived. Barry (@bazjones_sw<\/a>) has lost 6st 9\u00bdlbs and loves that he can still enjoy a big plate of steak and chips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you fancy finding out how good a healthy fry-up tastes, our full English<\/a> has all the best brekkie bits \u2013 and it\u2019s Free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n MORE ON THE BLOG: Guinness-braised steak and chips recipe<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I bet someone has said this to you before \u2013 and if you\u2019ve tried to lose weight in the past, you\u2019ll know it\u2019s about much more than being \u2018strong enough\u2019 to resist temptation. Trigger foods, danger zones, our own emotions… there are lots of things that can throw us off the weight loss wagon. Through the support of your Slimming World group, we\u2019ll help you learn who you are as a slimmer. We\u2019ll listen and support you as you uncover the reasons you gain weight, we\u2019ll help you identify your personal danger zones \u2013 and give you the tools and strategies you need for lasting success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jon (@vidlerjon_sw<\/a>) knows losing weight is about so much more than simply \u2018wanting it\u2019 \u2013 he\u2019s lost over 20st with the support of his group and Slimming World Consultant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n READ LEIGH’S STORY: “I had two heart attacks in one week \u2013 at only 38!”<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Our study found that many male slimmers suffer in silence for five years before sharing their weight worries. As much as we may want to look like the \u2018strong, silent type\u2019, by bottling up our worries and avoiding problems we can actually put ourselves at greater risk of health concerns further down the line. Whether you join a group<\/a> or become part of our online community<\/a>, you\u2019ll be surrounded by fun, friendly people who understand what you\u2019re going through \u2013 and have likely been through the very same struggles themselves. Because our members can empathise with your experience, they\u2019ll support you and suggest strategies to help when things aren\u2019t going so well \u2013 with absolutely no judgement or humiliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark Smith<\/a>, who lost 6st 3\u00bdlbs, hid his eating habits from his wife, Sarah, until his doctor told him that his weight raised his risk of having a heart attack. He says: \u201cI also had prediabetes and fatty liver tissue, and my cholesterol levels were unhealthy. When I joined Slimming World, I gave up my secret takeaways, cut back on the cans of lager and made healthy, satisfying dishes with lots of help from Sarah. Now I have a clean bill of health, a new-found love of cooking and the outdoors, and Sarah and I have more in common than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of our male slimmers \u2013 like Phil Kayes<\/a>, Aaron Snares<\/a> and Dave Lancaster<\/a> \u2013 tell us that they were nervous about joining Slimming World, and then quickly found that they had absolutely nothing to worry about. Male or female, if you\u2019re feeling inspired to take that first step towards achieving the weight you want, we’re waiting to help.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMale myths about slimming: busted<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Myth: \u201cGoing to group is for women, not men\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Vincent](\"http:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/blog-success-vincent-taylor.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMyth: \u201cExercise is the best way to lose weight\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Daniel](\"http:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/daniel-slimming-world-mythbusters-slimming-world-blog.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMyth: \u201cMan food is deep-fried\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"steak](\"http:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/barry-slimming-world-mythbusters-slimming-world-blog.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMyth: \u201cIt\u2019s all about willpower\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Jon](\"http:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/jon-slimming-world-mythbusters-slimming-world-blog.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMyth: \u201cTalking about weight isn\u2019t manly\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Mark](\"http:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/mark-smith-mythbusters-slimming-world-blog.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
![\"Click](\"https:\/\/slimmingworld.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/inspire-CTA-join-group.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"