Man boobs are the epitome of dad bod and can be very discouraging, especially when you feel like you have tried everything.
Just to clarify, “man boobs” are simply an increase in fat tissue in the breasts of men or boys, and are clinically known by the term gynecomastia. This increase in breast tissue happens to many guys and can be caused by a variety of influences including things like genetics, which cannot be changed.
Luckily, there are some ways to decrease this body attribute to help you boost your confidence and get the body you would like to have. It should be said that, even if you do have excess breast tissue, it is something that happens to many men and does not decrease your masculinity or diminish your worth.
Everyone’s body is beautiful, man boobs or not.
What Causes Man Boobs?
Before we can talk about how to get rid of man boobs, it is important to understand how they get there in the first place.
Of course genetics can play a role in your body type so that is one thing, but there are typically multiple factors that go into it. For example, if your parents are overweight, there may be a genetic predisposition to obesity. However, if you exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet, you are less likely to gain weight.
Same thing goes with man boobs. Gaining weight, having unbalanced hormones, losing muscle tone, drinking alcohol, and taking certain medications can all play a role in you developing man boobs.
Weight Gain
When you think of more fat in the body, it is usually throughout the whole body. Weight gain, especially a lot of weight gain can cause an increase of breast tissue in men.
The typical weight gain spots in men are the abdomen, thighs, and butts, but the breasts can also see an increase in fatty tissue as well.
Sometimes, if you have a lot of weight gain and lose it all quickly, you can be left with an increase in skin in the chest, which can have a man boob effect as well. Everyone will gain weight in different areas, so this may or may not impact the amount of fatty tissue in your breasts.
Low Testosterone Levels
As you age, you may notice that you have an increase in body fat, especially in the belly or chest. This can be caused by many things, but one thing that most men have in common is a decrease in certain hormones.
One of the most important hormones to influence this is testosterone. Testosterone is the main sex hormone in men and is well known for encouraging sperm production and boosting sex drive, but it also plays a role in other areas of the body as well. Testosterone can help to support a decrease in fat cells in the body as well as a boost in muscle growth.
So, when the levels of testosterone decrease, you could see a decrease in muscle and an increase in fat, which sounds like the perfect recipe for man boobs.
Muscle Loss
Muscle loss can be related to declining testosterone levels, but it could also occur because you aren’t working out as much as you used to. When muscles stretch out, the skin can leave it lax and begin to sag.
If you previously had large pectoralis muscles and they have begun to diminish, you may be noticing less definition and maybe a “man boob.”
Muscle loss often comes with fat gain as well, so if your muscle is beginning to decrease, fatty tissue may be taking its place. Instead of having a hard and well defined pec muscle, you may be left with a squishier tissue in its place.
Medications
Side effects can be caused by most if not all medications, and with some medications, gynecomastia is a possible side effect. There are multiple medications that can lead to man boobs that you would never even think of.
Some medications that can lead to this unwanted side effect are some anti-anxiety meds, tricyclic antidepressants, and even some antibiotics.
Other medications that can cause gynecomastia include anti-ulcer medications, some heart medications, and even certain cancer treatments.
If you are concerned a medication is causing gynecomastia ask your doctor or pharmacist if your medication could be causing it.
How Can You Get Rid of Man Boobs?
Getting rid of man boobs can be challenging, but there are things that can be done to help the situation. There are nutraceuticals and hormone replacement therapies that may help with gynecomastia. There are also lifestyle choices you can make that may help as well including chest exercises, weight loss methods, and adjusting your diet.
Chest Exercises
Chest exercises are typically muscle building exercises so this can be a great way to increase your chest muscles. While chest exercises alone will likely not support a large amount of weight loss and fat burning, it will help in toning the muscles around the breast tissue. This will result in a tighter looking muscle that looks toned and less soft like a breast.
An example of a great chest exercise is a classic bench press or push ups. These push ups target the pectoralis muscles and can also target other muscles such as the biceps and triceps. You can also try dips and chest presses if you have the appropriate machinery or access to a gym.
Since different chest exercises will target various areas of the chest, mixing multiple exercises can help to make the chest more well rounded.
Weight Loss
Fats are what is accumulating when it comes to man boobs, so losing weight and burning fat are the obvious answers to losing unwanted man boobs. Weight loss can happen from many things, but the most traditional are aerobic exercise and a well balanced diet.
Aerobic exercises are things like walking, running, swimming, and other cardio exercises. They utilize oxygen and help to burn a lot of calories in comparison to exercises like weight lifting. Aerobic exercises can help to burn calories and fat to hopefully remove the fat in your chest area and reduce your man boobs.
A well-balanced diet is almost more important than working out when it comes to losing weight. The diet should have a balance of carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, proteins, dairy, and healthy fats.
Lipotropics
Lipotropics are a substance that helps to burn fat in the body. Lipotropic injections may help you to burn body fat and could help with fat deposits like breast tissue if extra weight is the issue.
A common example of a lipotropic injection is an MIC injection. MIC stands for methionine, inositol, and choline. Methionine is an amino acid, inositol is a vitamin like substance, and choline is a nutrient. All of them work in the body to help break down fat molecules. They work best when paired with diet and exercise and may boost your fat loss and help to rid your chest of extra fat.
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Hormones may be involved with the development of gynecomastia, and a hormone imbalance can lead to unwanted symptoms.
If you are experiencing a hormone deficiency, specifically a testosterone deficiency, you may benefit from hormone replacement therapy. Hormone replacement therapy with testosterone can help to bring the levels back to a normal range.
Proper testosterone levels may help reduce breast tissue as well as provide other benefits, such as supporting exercise recovery, bone health, and a healthy sex drive.
You can get your hormone levels tested and have a custom treatment plan completed for you if appropriate by Elite HRT.
Conclusion
If you have man boobs you do not have to settle for a body you feel uncomfortable in. Man boobs can be caused by a variety of things including hormone deficiencies, weight gain, and even medications that you wouldn’t have expected.
You can take charge of your life and try various weight loss techniques, chest exercises, lipotropic injections, or hormone replacement therapy to get rid of your man boobs. Talk with your doctor to see if any of these options might be right for you.
Try not to become discouraged, and try to exhaust all options to help you improve your self-esteem and overall quality of life.
Sources:
Enlarged breasts in men (gynecomastia) – Symptoms and causes