Men worry about their weight

Men now worry as much about their ‘figures’ as women do, a new study has revealed.

A poll found that 50 per cent of British men - around 10 million - now describe themselves as ‘fat’ and are keen to shed a few pounds.

It also emerged a quarter of guys are so embarrassed by their bodies they even feel self-conscious when naked in front of their partner.

More than one in four men admit they felt uncomfortable undressing in gym changing rooms because they felt didn’t shape up.

And one in ten said they would consider undergoing cosmetic surgery to get rid of their love-handles.
Psychologist Jill Owen said: ‘’Men are expected to be ‘new men’ and are expected to look good while they do it.
‘’There are so many images out there in adverts and on television that have become the focus of how they should look.
‘’Traditionally women were the ones who were always worrying about the shape of their bodies, now men are doing the same thing.’’

The poll of 3,000 men by leading home health monitors brand Tanita found a staggering 72 per cent of men said the ads and mag covers featuring chiselled hunks made them feel insecure about their bodies.
The study also discovered more than half of British men are embarrassed by their body image, with 22 per cent admitting they often lied about their weight or waist size when asked.

But a proportion of these men could be worrying for no reason - as many have never actually stood on a pair of scales to weigh themselves.
Despite this 21 per cent said they didn’t like what they see in the mirror and five per cent assumed they were overweight without even knowing how much they weighed.
Two thirds of blokes also have no idea what their body mass index is and 79 per cent don’t know what percentage of their body is fat.

Three quarters of those polled said they felt they needed to lose around 10lbs.
Brenda Mortimore, president of the Association of Fitness Instructors, said: ‘’For a while now women have been under the impression that the ‘perfect’ look involves having a figure like a stick insect.
‘’It seems that notion is now spreading to men too. I would suggest lots of guys aren’t happy with they look when in fact they probably look fine.

‘’There is too much pressure on men to look perfect now with all the images they are seeing in magazines and on television.’’

Tanita’s Head of European marketing, Kim Ramessa said: ‘’Women are openly worried about their body image and are happy to discuss how they look and the way they feel, but men are a lot more guarded and insecure than we think. However so many people have the wrong perception about their body image and may actually be reassured to know exactly what they are really made of.”

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