5 biggest mistakes guys make when trying to lose their dad bod
First off, I hate the term dad bod. If you’re a dad or a guy in his 30’s or 40’s are you supposed to be out of shape? Are you supposed to just fade into oblivion and have a gut with no butt and be less than you were in your 20’s? I’m going to say hell to the no. Don’t accept it. There’s something you can do about it. Let’s talk about ways to get back to feeling and looking like you did 20 years ago or maybe longer. Here are the top 5 mistakes guys (including me up until a few years ago) make when trying to lose that belly. Without shortcutting or sabotaging your health..first and foremost.
1. Prioritizes cardio — “I used to run 5 miles about 5 days per week back in my 20’s”. Welp that aint gonna work now. Why? Because we start to lose muscle at age 30 and it accelerates more and more every decade. Muscle is our body armor. The more you have, the higher your metabolism. The more you can eat without going straight to your gut. Weird how some people can eat 3,000 calories and others that are similar weight can eat 2,000? Muscle and overall health like a thyroid firing on all cylinders. You want to eat more? Start with more muscle. You won’t build muscle doing cardio. Prioritize building muscle through weight lifting. Anyone at any age should lift. Anyone at any age CAN lift. Cardio is still great for heart health and blood pressure if done the right way which is joint friendly type cardio programmed properly.
2. Cuts out carbs — “My friend did Keto and lost 50 lbs. in 2 months”. Guess what? That same friend lost a lot of muscle in those 50 lbs. What happens when the keto stops? The weight comes back in the form of fat. Who wants to stop eating fruit and totally give up things like pizza and sweet treats? Not most of you I’m sure. There is no need to cut out carbs and many of us actually need more. More carbs? What do you mean? Cookies, cakes, bread? That is what most think of carbs. I’m talking fruit like berries and apples, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, black beans, and even rice. The more muscle, the more fuel you need in the form of carbs. Did you know that carbs help many of you sleep better? They help reduce stress? The body prefers carbs as it’s primary fuel source. It gives you energy. Provides nutrients your body needs to function properly. I’ll hit this a lot but your thyroid is important to how you feel and how your metabolism works. You stop eating carbs and you’ll have to makeup a lot of those nutrients that you most likely won’t make up. I can go on and on. There’s no need to cut these out. Simply eat less calories. Treat your body as if it’s your best friend. Would you deprive your best friend of all that goodness?
3. Speaking of less calories — Undereats protein — Did you know protein fills you up more than anything else? It helps maintain and build muscle? It provides a ton of nutrients? IT’S SUPER HARD TO STORE IT AS FAT. Yeah, read that again. Most of us undereat protein. Try for 1 gram of protein per lb. of your goal weight to start. If you’re 240 but want to be around 200 then start at 200 grams and see how you feel. If you take away anything from this, learn more about ways to eat more, higher quality protein. Anything like meat that is lower in fat but higher in protein works great — chicken boobs, 93/7 beef or higher, 93/7 turkey, shrimp, sirloin steak (yeah steak!), most fish….things like fattier cuts are what gets us in trouble — ribeye, sausage are generally lower protein with higher fat. A good rule of thumb is there should be at least double the amount of protein than fat. Some other good choices are lower fat egg whites, eggs (super healthy), Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, lower fat cheeses, you get the picture. Have 30–60 grams with every meal until you reach your daily goal.
4. Lifts weights like it’s the 1980’s — ‘high reps/low weight’ — The whole ‘higher reps/low weight and less rest to burn fat’ is bull shyte. Everyone needs to build muscle if you want to lose that dad bod. THIS NEEDS TO BE A PRIORITY AT ANY AGE. In order to build muscle the right way it’s simple but most screw this up. Hello. I’m raising my hand because I did this for years. First, your form needs to be correct. Lifting weights is no different than golf. Most of us have taken golf lessons, obsessed about our swing, taken a lot of tips from ‘experts’. We tend to think, when it comes to lifting weights, that we don’t need expert advice. I speak from experience that it’s crazy to think we don’t. If you’re using crap form then you’ll generally lift weights that are too heavy and unnecessary. You probably won’t use the right muscles (like too much biceps during a back exercise). So what? Injuries and no progress. Less muscle means it’s harder to shrink that belly. Take it from someone that has had blown discs, pinched nerves, shoulder issues all until I figured out how to properly lift. It’s no coincidence that lifting properly actually helps your joints feel better, your muscles get bigger in your 40’s and beyond, and miraculously that dad bod disappears into oblivion. So get expert advice and follow a program that is 3 to 4 days per week (5 max), teaches you how to do 1–2 hard work sets per exercise, and teaches how to make progress with better form so that you get stronger even when the scale goes down dramatically.
5. Doesn’t consider the type of booze. Now don’t get me wrong. I love a good IPA. Do you think that leaning out means quitting alcohol altogether? For some, yes. That’s just the truth. But is it a reality forever? For some it might be. I can say that if it’s not then pick your battles. And prioritize the TYPE of booze. That IPA I mentioned? 250–500 calories per bottle. Those add up pretty quickly. For me, reducing was the better option. But….now I switch from a beer snob to a vodka/tequila super snob. A shot of clear liquor like vodka is around 110 calories. 4 or 5 of those could add up to 1 craft beer. You still want to have some drinks while cutting into that gut? Swap out the beers for the clear. It makes me way more selective when I do have those IPA’s. Only the best. Enjoy on occasion.
Hopefully this helps and gets you thinking about ways to adjust or even to get started. Keep in mind that these are all simple but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. If it was easy then we would all be shredded well into our 60’s. Life gets in the way but it’s still doable with a busy schedule with work, kids, and fun. I turned this from an interest into a passion. Injuries and struggles with weight loss drove me to seek professional mentors and coaching. Over the past 4 years I’ve become a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach so I can use my experiences, struggles, and knowledge to help guys like you! Thank you for reading and please hit me up if you have questions, comments or simply want to connect!
Jeff.shansky.wellness@gmail.com
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