Help needed with job presentation on men losing weight!

SRH7

I've got a job interview coming up and have to do a presentation. While I think I'm on the right track, I thought I would see if any of my fellow MFP-ers have any thoughts on it...

Presentation: I have to give a talk about why men are less likely than women to get help from a weight management service (it would be a service where they attend group sessions, speak to exercise and diet advisors one-to-one etc, rather than an online community like MFP).

My first quick thoughts are:

* Embarassment / social pressure / not something men do
* Not knowing where to get help
* Time constraints
* Many weight management programmes seem overtly feminine – drop a dress size, emphasis on looking better rather than feeling better and improving health etc
* Perhaps more afraid of going to the gym when overweight than women are – difference in what makes men and women confident
* Cost – slimming clubs and gyms cost money, perception that fresh food costs more money than convenience
* Inability to cook fresh food
* Not wanting to go to sessions in a health centre (I was recently involved in mental health sessions for men held at a football stadium instead which was really successful, for example).

Any pearls of wisdom or personal thoughts on the issue?

nxd10

Weight in society is thought of as a 'women's issue'. Every woman's magazine has diet information on the cover. You don't see that every on men's magazines. It would make a good starting slide.

Typically in adolescence, when body image forms, men and women have different issues around puberty. Women want to be thin, but curvy and want to lose weight to do that. Men want to be less skinny and bulk up, including adding weight in the form of muscles.

It is taboo for men to look at other men's bodies. Going to a group and talking about your body is close to taboo, unless you're bragging about your muscles.

For women, body improvement has always involved weight loss, but only recently has started focusing on fitness and muscle building (it's still more unusual). For men, it's about working out. So going to talk about weight less isn't natural. Perhaps talking about fitness and working out (and including diet as well) would be more attractive.

SRH7

Fantastic! This is really helpful.

Koldnomore

Societal pressures are much stronger on women to be 'thin', where as with men it is almost an 'expectation' for them to have a little beer belly or be a little bigger etc.. Many men just don't see being overweight as a 'problem' or they see it much later than a woman with a similar amount of weight to lose.

If you look into society further you will see that there is quite an alarming trend whereby overweight women are much more discriminated against with respect to employment, ability to locate services such as clothing stores which cater to larger people, and general imagery (for instance an ad will depict a large man as 'jolly' where a large woman will often be seen as 'lazy') This means that large men are much more 'accepted as normal' and thus there is less focus and pressure to change for them.

As youngsters, a bigger boy is encouraged to play football or go on the wrestling team where they can use their larger size as an advantage. They are taught that boys should be 'bigger' than girls and boys who do not fit into this mold are bullied and called 'effeminate' or 'gay'. This perception follows boys into manhood and so when a man gets 'bigger' he is called a 'teddy bear' ..but there are no sports for big girls, we are teased if we are bigger or stronger than the boys..little girls are told they should be thin from a young age and when our daughters get a little chubby we panic - not so for boys.

Society does not encourage large men to lose weight, it tells us that there is nothing wrong with a man being large..our sons are told to BE bigger and encouraged to "eat" as teenagers (everyone KNOWS that teenage boys eat like horses right?) It does not surprise me that men shy away from weight loss services at all.

SRH7

Thank you both for your help - really appreciate you taking the time to help me

martintanz

Hmm. Disagree somewhat with the above posters. While males don't have a societal pressure to be small, there is still pressure for young males to be lean and athletic. As an overweight child and pre teenage male, I felt a huge stigma being overweight. IMO, men feel just as depressed and vilified being overweight as women. The reason they don't seek out help as often as women is, men are socialized to try to take care of the problem themselves. In a nutshell, it is the same reason why in the past, we have the stereotype of the man getting lost but stubbornly refusing to get directions.

IMO, many men would like to get help, but they need a little push. In my case, my wife set up an appointment with my doctor and a few months later, set up an appointment with a trainer at the local gym. I knew I needed to get back in shape, but for some reason was reluctant to ask for help. In the distant past, it was a friend that encouraged me to take classes with him at a local martial arts dojo. That is just how many men are. Once the appointments were set up, I went. In the case of the martial arts thing, I wound up doing martial arts for almost 4 years (and losing quite a bit of weight the first year), while my friend whose idea it was got bored after 4 or 5 months.

If I were in marketing for a health club or weight management service, I might suggest marketing your services to women, for men. Wives, girlfriends, even mothers of adolescent boys who need to lose weight.

GoatBoat66

Men have egos. We struggle to ask for directions, let alone admit and seek help for a lifestyle change.

LPCoder

If you look at advertising aimed at men, we can clearly see the expectations placed on men and the stigma if they fall short. My recommendation to you is to collect a few of the ads you see in men's magazines and talk about stereotypes and how that prevents men from getting support in groups. Look for ads that have: The Stoic Man, The Athletic Man, The Successful Business Man, The Wise Graying Man, etc... And look at the body types for each... You will see a similarity.

I would include meal prep classes for men. Make it, Sexy Men Cook for Their Ladies, class. In all the romance novels, the hero knows how to cook!

The support group should focus on how to incorporate fun activity into daily life. Working out doesn't have to be a chore! Nor does it mean you have to have a gym membership.

You should include community partnerships in your presentation. For example, working with the local community college's culinary arts program to set up a class on cooking. Talking with the local YMCA about having a special training time set aside for the group.... Etc. partnerships are what expands the program.

Women do this naturally. We meet up at the mall and go mall walking, or go to the forest preserves with children in the strollers. We meet at the Y and do swim aerobics etc...


Hope this helps!

SRH7

This is all fantastic! I really want to get over lots of (perhaps contradictory) points to also show that research among target groups is vital before marketing the service.

SideSteel

Most men think they already have all the answers.

dmurphy1975

I agree with many of the other posts but will add one more personal point. When I was younger I was in good physical condition and played several sports. As I got older and gained weight I was still able to continue hiking with my kids so I was sure that I must still be in good shape even with the extra weight, in my mind I was sure that I would still be able to play soccer or softball anytime I wanted to. Finally I signed up for a softball league and found out the truth about the weight I had gained when I couldn't even make it to first without gasping for air. The next day I was looking for a workout routine. Bottom line is many of us just have a memory of our "glory days" and can't believe that we aren't still capable of the same.

martintanz

I agree with many of the other posts but will add one more personal point. When I was younger I was in good physical condition and played several sports. As I got older and gained weight I was still able to continue hiking with my kids so I was sure that I must still be in good shape even with the extra weight, in my mind I was sure that I would still be able to play soccer or softball anytime I wanted to. Finally I signed up for a softball league and found out the truth about the weight I had gained when I couldn't even make it to first without gasping for air. The next day I was looking for a workout routine. Bottom line is many of us just have a memory of our "glory days" and can't believe that we aren't still capable of the same.

One aspect of denial. Another is, not noticing the rapidly expanding waistline and large belly staring back at you in the morning. Now that I am actually thinking about it, in many ways I notice my stomach more now, when it is actually objectively smaller than 6 or 8 months ago. We just have an ability to push unpleasant things that are literally, staring us in the face, away.

LPCoder

I also think that if the local group would have a twice or thrice yearly outing based on the interests of the group.

The outings would be a fun activity weekend like, hiking to a remote lake and fishing for the weekend, they could learn how to prepare several healthy fish dishes and then have a time to chat about weight loss issues. Or in the winter, do a cross country or down hill ski weekend and have workshops on nutrition. Or do a weekend bike ride, where you learn about sports injuries and how to minimize them.

You could attract a group of men who enjoy a softball league in the sumer time. After the game, each guy brings a heathy snack that they prepared and a recipe card to share with the other guys...

Or if the local group is more young adult, you could have a game of HvZ in the forrest preserve using nerf!

I like seeing guys being guys with each other.

joannathechef

Very interesting.

I see out of shape men with really good looking slim women all the time in Los Angeles - the 'value' of a male is tied up with their abiltity to support you and your children well, which I think, in the modern world has very little to do with physical fitness and more about power and money. So if they get the girl anyway why be bothered to be slim....perhaps

Also men hate to be in the wrong and avoid this at all costs - being obese and having someone tell you how to lose weight is just like being told you are wrong over and over and over again - great reason to avoid it

If they do realize they are obese they don't like to ask for help - think of them when they are lost askign for directions just kills them....so not knowing what to do but not wanting to ask for help perhaps another reason (I think you had this one)

joannathechef

One aspect of denial. Another is, not noticing the rapidly expanding waistline and large belly staring back at you in the morning. Now that I am actually thinking about it, in many ways I notice my stomach more now, when it is actually objectively smaller than 6 or 8 months ago. We just have an ability to push unpleasant things that are literally, staring us in the face, away.

I think both sexes are great at denial - I totally agree I 'see' more now than I did before I started I think my eye avoided the fat LOL

SRH7

Another big thank you! This has really opened up lots of new ideas for me - would make a really good newspaper feature too.

BigGuy47

Presentation: I have to give a talk about why men are less likely than women to get help from a weight management service (it would be a service where they attend group sessions, speak to exercise and diet advisors one-to-one etc, rather than an online community like MFP).

A man receiving help from a weight management service?

Crazy talk.

A man is supposed to be strong. The head of the household. A provider. A leader.
He doesn't ask for help from others. When he gets punched in the mouth, he wipes the blood away and comes out swinging.
When he gets knocked down he picks himself up again. A man is fearless - facing adversity without hesitation.

A man is not weak.

Going to group sessions, etc. (i.e. asking for help from others) could be perceived as a sign of weakness.
No man wants to been seen as weak.



*Note - before anyone torches me here, I have on many occasions sought and received help from others. I used the language illustrate a point, that is all.