Man boobs

Z

zetec1

New member
First things first, this is quite a large thread so I appreciate anyone who gives the time to read it and help me out.

Hey everyone, I've lost 50lbs so far and I'm still feeling just as bad about myself as I did when I started. This is because of two things, I'm sure you can work out what they are. These have been plaguing my life since I was a child, I always have to wear layers when I got out and I'm devastated I can't see signs of them going down after working so hard on my weight loss.

I have lost weight all over my body, arms, legs, face, stomach etc. But my chest area still seems to me rather big in contrast to the rest of my body. I've seen people on this forum who are much bigger than me yet have much much smaller man boobs.

I'm starting to wonder if this is normal or not, I've been to my doctor and he just said tone up. But when I Google this problem I'm starting to think I might have Gynecomastia. The thing is half the sites I visit are just trying to sell you surgery so I don't really know. I've only got about another 14lb to loose (I think) and I can't really picture them going when they haven't changed much in the past 50lb.

What I'm really asking is just for people to check out the pictures and tell me what they think, if they have seen people like me and have lost them fine, or if they think they are rather big for my size etc.

Can you also give me your opinion on how my body (stomach mainly) is looking for loose skin/fat? I don't know the signs but if someone call tell me if it's looking good or dare I say it showing signs of either that would be great.

One last thing, it's took me a long time to get the courage to post they pictures so please be sensive, it's something I'm very conscious about.

Thanks.
 
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I'll be very honest - it looks to me like what you've got is "skinny fat". :)

If you lost a lot of weight using diet and some cardio, what you've got is some loose skin, maybe a little leftover fat, and a lot of flabby/underused muscle that is causing the "saggy" look.

I would suggest that you read the threads that are sticky in the Exercise area, paying special attention to the weight lifting threads. There is one in particular: The Conceptual Side of Weight Lifting that would be very useful to you.

Building some muscle would take care of the problem you're having, I suspect - and make you feel better about your body overall.
 
Thanks for the reply, I do just want to point out when you talk about loose skin that I can't actually pinch any skin like I have seen a lot of people do on this forum in photos.

Do you think I should carry on weight loss then if I need to tone? I was planning on loosing another stone.

Thanks.
 
Read the sticky threads. :)

And yes it's "skinny fat". :)

And no, you shouldn't lose weight first and then "tone up". That's a myth. What you're seeing is a lack of muscle tone covered by some residual fat and loose skin. If you work your muscles (not tone up - there's no such thing) and build muscles, your problem will go away.
 
I agree with Kara, when I lost my weight I was the same, my man boobs seemed to stay big even after getting down to 190, 180. After getting a solid routine down to build some muscle you'll notice a difference after time passes by. If you're concerned you do have gynecomastia, ask your doctor. They can do a little test to see if it is the condition, or if it is just fat. Gynecomastia has something to do with a hard storage of fat loacted under the nipple or something, causing the nipple to puff out
 
KaraCooks said:
Read the sticky threads. :)

And yes it's "skinny fat". :)

And no, you shouldn't lose weight first and then "tone up". That's a myth. What you're seeing is a lack of muscle tone covered by some residual fat and loose skin. If you work your muscles (not tone up - there's no such thing) and build muscles, your problem will go away.
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I can't actually see the sticky you first mentioned, can you link me to it?
 
Yea, I received your PM and I tend to agree with Kara here. You're still carrying a hefty portion of fat. That's not to detract from the great strides you've made already. But patience is a virtue.

Remember, we don't lose fat evenly. It comes off in a genetically predetermined pattern. Some of us are fortunate in that it'll come off relatively evenly. For others, they have massive stubborn spots that tend to store fat first and lose fat last.

Your chest and belly might be just that.

I wouldn't sweat the possibility of gynecomastia until you lose more fat. For all you know the last 10-20 lbs will make a world of difference.

Lift weights as outlined in the sticky Kara referred you to.

Eat adequate amounts of protein, healthy fats, fruits and veggies.

Ensure a calorie deficit... but not too great of one.

Throw in cardio when you like.

Rinse and repeat.
 
Sorry I know I'm probably sounding really annoying, I just want to make sure I get everything right.

Are you saying carry on what I have been doing, just had muscle building into the mix?

If so are doing sit ups/push ups everyday fine? Or would you say I would have to use actual weights.

Thanks again.
 
Read. The. Sticky. Posts.

Then come back and ask questions. All the things you're asking are explained in those posts and you're askign people to spoon feed it out of those posts to you.

The posts are there and stuck to the top for a reason.

Read them.
 
Great job on the weight loss. You look pretty normal to me for somebody who has lost some weight. Some overweight guys have man boobs, some don't. I do. I lost weight, and they are still there. I still got more weight to lose, but i suspect that even once I get down to my healthy weight I will still have the "man boobs" and the stomach flab.

Working out will turn them into more strong looking man boobs:



but will you ever get them flat? I don't know.

Try to stop thinking about it. Does your whole family make fun of you? From a young age till the end of high school I was pretty insecure about my weight and how I looked shirtless. Then I started to realize my friends did not care at all, and I was the only one thinking about it. Sure it still bothers me a bit, but I don't really worry about it. Change your way of thinking man! :driving:
 
KaraCooks said:
Read. The. Sticky. Posts.

Then come back and ask questions. All the things you're asking are explained in those posts and you're askign people to spoon feed it out of those posts to you.

The posts are there and stuck to the top for a reason.

Read them.
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Theres no need to be like that.

I've read all the sticky posts, but there is pages and pages of information and it's a lot to take in. I just wanted to know what I had taken from them was correct, and I'm not just going to spend the next few month wasting my time and doing the wrong thing.
 
Have you read the conceptual side of weight lifting sticky?

If so, compare what you're asking against what's presented in that thread.

Then ask specific questions.
 
Theres no need to be like that.

I've read all the sticky posts, but there is pages and pages of information and it's a lot to take in
Click to expand...
If you'd read the sticky, you'd have seen the answer to your question.

I'm not trying to be "like that" ... but yes, it is a lot of information. That's because the questions you're asking aren't simple yes/no questions - they require complex answers. And saying you don't have time to read the stickies and absorb the information is asking us to spoon feed you the information, rather than doing the research yourself.

We've taken all the pain out of it; we've put all the information in one location and even provided you links to them. You have to do some of the work yourself.

Asking you to do so is not "being like that" - it's asking you to bear some of the responsibility for finding the answers you want.

(Hint - if you'd read the thread both Steve and I suggested, you'd see that situps/pushups are not enough and yes, you need to use actual weights. That's in the very first post in the bit about "overload" and "progress".)
 
I had the same problem, but worse. The easiest way to fix this is lift heavy weights. I did bench, hammer strength, and free weights. Do low reps but with more weight. I do 10 sets of bench, 5 where I struggle to lift and 4 sets of 3 with more weight and the last set try 3 but get a spotter to help u bc u should be struggling. I did this for 6 weeks and looked tone as hell.
 
If you get your body fat % down below 10% those moobs will disappear, guaranteed. All it takes a lot of discipline.
 
KaraCooks has a point. Read up. If it's worth it for you to lose the weight it should be worth the time to do your research. Know what you are getting yourself into, otherwise you are destined for failure.
 
My opinion is you probably have more than 14 pounds to lose. It's not just your man boobs, you have a pot gut as well. When you lose that weight, I think your man boob problem will go away.
 
Hey man, VERY good job on the 50lbs so far!

I was a lot like you at one stage of my weightloss journey.

Truthfully, I feel as though you have quite a bit more than 14lbs to lose. Don't focus on the scales or that BMI rubbish some people blabber on about. Focus on body fat percentage and your appearance.

You also look to me as if you're quite young. What is your age?

I see people have pointed you towards some of the weightlifting stickies and they're good, but I also saw you wanted some more specific advice. So here goes.

I've, personally, always favored calisthenics (exercises using your own bodyweight), which you can do at home, over going to the gym. That being said, I'd recommend at least the following:

Push-ups

start with normal push ups and do them on your fists (put some cloth under there to spare your knuckles). Doing them on your flat palms is bad for your wrists (wish someone would tell the army that ;) ). Google the correct form for push-ups.

Once you can do something like 2x20 or 3x20 normal push ups you can start getting into more advanced or varied push up routines. Google push up varieties (like elevated push ups, diamond push ups, maltese push ups, hip push ups, ultra wide push ups, weighted push ups, etc etc) Incorporate several of them into varying and challenging routines. This way they won't get boring either!

Once you have built some strength in your upper body (pecs, triceps, shoulders, rhomboids,...) I would STRONGLY advise you to start coupling your push up regimen with DIPS.

DIPS

These are by far my favorite exercise for triceps and chest. To target the chest, tilt forward more, to target triceps, remain more vertical (perpendicular to the floor, so to say). Start off with these only after you have built some upperbody strength and do not overdo these in the beginning, because they can be hell on the shoulders when done too rigorously or incorrectly.

Once you can fire off 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 12 dips in varying positions, you can start adding weight, like a weighted plate belt or simply even a weighted backpack. Take extreme caution when attempting this and be absolutely, 100% sure you are not doing any damage to your shoulders.

ALWAYS USE PROPER FORM.

I've become quite the DIP addict and I've got the chest, traps and triceps to show for it. This is by far and away my favorite exercise of all time. I have started using quite wide dips, much wider than most "premade" dip-bars (like the ones you'd see at a gym) would allow you to go and it is a monster for building your upper body. But learn how to crawl first, then walk and then at the end you can start 'running' so to say.

PULL UPS / CHIN UPS

I think pretty much everyone knows these. Google for correct forms and differing variations. Do not be discouraged when you can't even complete a single pull up in the beginning, most people can't! Just keep at it every couple of days and the strength will come. It'll build your upper back, biceps and a little of your shoulders.

Couple these with: back extensions.

BACK EXTENSIONS:

These will target more of your LOWER back. This is an extremely vulnerable area of your body, so again don't attempt these right away, but start incorporating them in your workout once you have grown some strength from the other exercises mentioned. Google for correct form and variations. Once you can do them easily, you can start holding dumbbells or any kind of weight and go up from there.


For your ABS:

Sit-ups: NO, NO, NO. Sit-ups are an antiquated and downright irresponsible form of exercise, instead do CRUNCHES:

CRUNCHES:

Do normal crunches (google correct form) and do bicycle crunches for your obliques (believe me, you'll thank yourself in the end, after adequate fat loss, for doing them by NOT having a flabby midsection with flabby sides and love handles)

couple these with: HANGING LEG RAISES.

The king of calisthenic ab builders, IMO. You'll want to start using these once you get more familiar with pull-ups/chin-ups.

You basically hang yourself from the pull up bar or whatever you are using and without using any momentum and while keeping your body under full control, raising your (stretched out and straight) legs up as far you can. Imagine a gymnast hanging from a bar and with perfect control raising his stretched legs up so far his feet touch the bar he's hanging from and going back down under complete control. That is the end goal of this exercise. My gymnast buddy has the tighest most monstrous core (abs) and midsection I have ever witnessed.

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Of course you can also join a gym or buy yourself freeweights for use at home (a hundred lbs spread dumbbell set is a nice start). With free weights you'll eventually have even more options of exercises, but none of these are all that important, IMO.

If you REALLY want to do all these things in a more controlled environment. Sign up for a kickboxing or muay thai class and follow it dilligently, 2 to 3 times a week. I absolutely promise and garantuee you will be RIPPED and have an awesome physique in as little as a year (coupled with a good mealplan of course).



When I say "google this, google that", I mean: DO YOUR RESEARCH. Don't just trust one site or one person (not even me), read up from as many sources as possible and be critical!

Now get to it!
 
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