Success stories - Man Boobs Edition?

batorkin

This is a pretty embarrassing topic.

I'd say the biggest reason I hate being fat is having man boobs. I once got down to 188 (I'm 6'2", so that's considered normal BMI) and it didn't make a dent in them. Infact, it made them stick out more because everything else was slimmer. Regretfully, I gave up and ended back up at 256 about 5 years later. I'm back on my diet again (256 to 237 so far) with a new goal just to be healthy and maintain 170-180.

I was told my problem was giving up at 188, "since most men lose chest fat last, you need to go down to about 170-180 at your height to lose man boobs". Any men out there that stored a lot of fat in the chest willing to show before and after? Did you have to get down to really low body fat levels to start seeing them get smaller?

grinning_chick

Is it adipose (fat) alone or breast glandular tissue and fat enlargement? Men do have breasts comprised of the same corresponding tissue types as women.

If you don't know or are not sure, I recommend you make sure there's no gynecomastia causing the mantits while you're at it. If your testosterone is low/estrogen high in comparison or other pathology/drugs/medications going on, they are not going to respond to and resolve with weight change alone.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gynecomastia/symptoms-causes/syc-20351793

batorkin

grinning_chick wrote: »

Is it adipose (fat) alone or breast glandular tissue and fat enlargement? Men do have breasts comprised of the same corresponding tissue types as women.

If you don't know or are not sure, I recommend you make sure there's no gynecomastia causing the mantits while you're at it. If your testosterone is low/estrogen high in comparison or other pathology/drugs/medications going on, they are not going to respond to and resolve with weight change alone.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/gynecomastia/symptoms-causes/syc-20351793

About 10 years ago, I actually got checked for breast cancer because I felt lumps. I was still obese then, with man boobs. He told me "everything was normal" and that he only felt fatty glands due to being overweight. I assume he would have mentioned if he thought I have gyneocomastia. I do still have these "fatty glands", they are basically semi-hard semi-mobile lumps that can only be felt if I press hard into the surround breast tissue. There's nothing directly under the nipple, and my nipples aren't puffy or sensitive which is usually how gyneocomastia is.

It has been a concern of mine, but checking it out again sadly won't change the fact I still need to loose weight. It basically just means I have to pay for an expensive surgery after I lose my weight if they don't go away.

PAFC84

As you're aware you can't chose which areas you lose fat/weight from so I think your goal needs to be to lose weight in general otherwise you will relapse like last time. You may find that you need to lose more weight than you had previously anticipated and then build up again.

Or Have you tried lifting weights? Great for all round fitness, helps to lose weight and builds muscle.

Spliner1969

tyrindor wrote: »

This is a pretty embarrassing topic.

I'd say the biggest reason I hate being fat is having man boobs. I once got down to 188 (I'm 6'2", so that's considered normal BMI) and it didn't make a dent in them. Infact, it made them stick out more because everything else was slimmer. Regretfully, I gave up and ended back up at 256 about 5 years later. I'm back on my diet again (256 to 237 so far) with a new goal just to be healthy and maintain 170-180.

I was told my problem was giving up at 188, "since most men lose chest fat last, you need to go down to about 170-180 at your height to lose man boobs". Any men out there that stored a lot of fat in the chest willing to show before and after? Did you have to get down to really low body fat levels to start seeing them get smaller?

I'm 6'2" tall and stopped around 178 when I was losing. But then again, I didn't have a huge problem with 'man boobs' disappearing as I was dieting. There's obviously some loose skin in that area which is why I work on building muscle, but it's barely noticeable. Over the last year of recomp and gradual bulking I've gained about 12lbs and hover around 190. I don't really have problems with my chest, lately I've been able to build some muscle there, and continue to do so. So my chest is a bit larger than it was when I was 178 but it's not in a bad way. But as i understand it, hormone imbalances are also a cause. I'd go back to a normal BMI and if you still don't see them disappearing you may want to consult a doctor. You may have a testosterone imbalance or deficiency. Work with your chest muscles, push ups, pull ups, rows, etc. will help you build muscle in that area, because even if you lose fat you may need to build up something under the loose skin to fill the area in a good way. At least that was one of my goals. The midsection has been more of a problem for me, it still fights me, and probably will for the rest of my life since I started getting into shape so late in life (I'm 48).

toxikon

Sounds like gynecomastia. My fiance who is 6'3" started at around 275lbs and is now 200lbs and very thin and muscular and it's still something he struggles with. Unfortunately in a lot of cases, surgery to remove the breast tissue is the only option. It's generally not covered by insurance because it's cosmetic. But definitely worth looking into if it affects your self-confidence.

PS - My fiance's doctor was convinced that it was just due to his weight when he brought it up half a year ago. But looking at pictures of gynecomastia, it's obvious that's what it is. Perhaps a lot of doctors aren't familiar with it.