Getting older sucks. Seems like one day you’re stopping at Taco Bell at 2am after a night of drinking and hanging out with your buddies and you’re able to wake up to lift the next morning without skipping a beat, the next day you’re weighing the pros and cons of eating that one slice of pizza because you know it’ll make your gut jiggle for the next week. You sit there and reminisce about the kind of shape you were in during college and high school; how you used to bench 225, squat 350 and could wheel whatever woman you set your eyes on. Then you look in the mirror and see that you’re filling out the torso of that large shirt, and the sleeves are a little loose on ya. You feel like you’re skinny, but when you take your shirt off your body looks like a wet sack of potatoes. There’s no doubt that life’s gotten in the way and you’ve fallen victim to the dreaded Dad Bod!

There was a moment in time when we were trying to “normalize” and even lift up this body type, because it showed someone who was more than likely established in their lives, who had put their own health on the back burner in favor of sacrificing for and raising a family while creating and building wealth for their futures. This is obviously a super noble thing to do, however we need to realize that it’s just as noble to put your health first at times so you can be there for your family down the road and set a good example for your children, and be a better partner in your marriage.

And I get it, I can absolutely empathize with someone who has a job/runs a small business, has to run around dropping off and picking up the kids, is left with little to no time for themselves and feels like there’s not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Dinner often becomes takeout, regular sleep is hard to find, and working out is completely out of the question for a lot of working dads (and moms) out there. But it doesn’t have to be that way! We’re going to take a look at the causes of, and solutions to this horrid condition.

Low T

Without a doubt this is the number one reason you’re suffering from this condition. There’s a ton of information about the steady decline of testosterone levels and fertility rates in men here in the US, and it’s honestly pretty horrifying. There’s even some evidence that the average fertility rate will be close to zero within the next 9 years. This is a huge problem. I’m not going to get into the specifics of it because it’s outside the scope of this article, however more information can be found here in The Urology Times, and in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The graph below shows average testosterone levels in men in the US over the course of the past 20 years and as you can see, it’s steadily gone down throughout that time period. There’s no real data as to the specific reasons why but we can at the very least, conclude that the decrease in average testosterone levels and the increase in obesity are more than likely related and pretty damn alarming.

The average 22 year old male today has roughly the same testosterone levels as a 67 year old had just 20 years ago and while the internet’s trying to tell you that “toxic masculinity” is a problem or even exists, it’s looking more and more like we have a toxic femininity problem as far as the average male is concerned. I honestly don’t care what your political leanings are or what you’re inclined to believe from a cultural standpoint, the data doesn’t lie nor does it care about your political/cultural affiliations. Test levels are going down, obesity (and obesity related illnesses) is on the rise and neither of these things are good.

So what’s a low level of testosterone? Well, there’s no real answer to that question because optimal levels have never really been established in the medical world. While there’s a bunch of data available, we’ll focus on what is considered healthy for men above the age of 18 and that’s between 240 and 900 nanograms per deciliter, or 240-900ng/dl. We also know that after the age of 30 there’s a steady decline in testosterone in both men and even in women which can lead to a lot of undesired outcomes including:

For Men

• Hair loss

• Reduced muscle tone and size

• More fragile skin

• Decline in sex drive

• Depression/Anxiety

• Cognitive declines

• Fertility problems

• Fat gain

For Women

• Irregular or missed periods

• Decline in sex drive

• Vaginal dryness

• Osteoporosis

• Fertility problems

• Fat gain

Lack of testosterone is literally killing you, slowly but surely. And as you can see from the above information it doesn’t just cause dad bods, but can lead to an unfulfilling sex life, fertility issues and even depression. Want to lose that dad bod? You’ve got to put yourself in a position to game our hormones and that’s done through stress management, diet, sleep and in some cases with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

High Stress Environments

Life is stressful! Stress can lead to a lot of unwanted outcomes in your life. From sleep deprivation, to poor eating choices, elevated blood pressure and even impotence stress is something that can absolutely destroy the gym gains. Stress can trigger cortisol to spike (which isn’t always a bad thing as it’s also a byproduct of exercise) leading to us packing on those unwanted pounds due to the hormonal sh*t storm is can cause. Now there’s no real way to eliminate stress in our lives, however you can absolutely learn to manage it in a much healthier way. Here’s some tips that I have found to be incredibly helpful:

• Don’t let things pile up

  • Now this seems like it would be a no brainer but we still all find ways to allow this to happen. If you have something important that you didn’t get to today, make a note and place it in a place you can’t miss then tackle it first thing in the morning. If any of you deal with anxiety or depression, you KNOW how “the one thing” can weigh you down, fix it!

• Don’t fool yourself into thinking that booze at the end of the day is helping you relax

  • Don’t get me wrong I may be sober but I’m not really a teetotaler in the sense that I 100% understand the want to indulge. Booze has its place in a lot of people’s lives and there’s nothing wrong with that. Just don’t use it as a stress reducer or a way to run from your worries, because it unequivocally doesn’t reduce stress and your worries will be there when you wake up in the morning.

• Don’t dwell on the past or even the future, focus on the now

  • This is next to impossible for most of us. There’s too much going on in the world and in our lives most of the time. But try to focus on today, you can’t do anything about yesterday and focusing on today will make sure that tomorrow falls into place.

• Eliminate people who aren’t in your corner, or who are pulling you down

  • I’ve lived this. Not everyone in your life adds value, and worse than that some people look to drag those around them down in an effort to feel better about themselves. Find out if you have these people in your life, and quietly begin to distance yourself.

• Take time for self care

  • I’m horrible at this. Between woes of the future and never feeling like I’m doing enough I find it incredibly hard to relax and unwind without feeling guilty that I’m not doing enough. Now that doesn’t mean to neglect your responsibilities in an effort to take care of yourself as you need to be able to accomplish both, but there’s nothing wrong with taking a day to yourself. Eliminate the thought process of always having to be on and it will pay dividends down the road.

• Make time for your family

  • Time with family and friends can cure all ills. Make the time.

• Get sleep!

  • Sleep is hard to come by when you’re stressed but it’s incredibly important. Find a way to down regulate at the end of the day, and make sure that routine doesn’t have THC or alcohol as part of the equation. Passing out is not sleeping.

While we can’t eliminate stress, we can mitigate it! Find ways that work for you, and make sure you stick to this routine.

Your Diet Sucks

You know it, I know it, everybody knows it: your diet’s a little rough. The way we fuel our bodies has an impact not only on our physical wellbeing, but our emotional and mental health as well. From the snacks we indulge in, to the sodas we’re pouring down our gullets we’re not only consuming unnecessary calories but we’re tipping the hormonal environment towards fat gain. Diets high in processed carbohydrates and sugar are horrible for us. And have you seen labels of the foods you’re eating lately? Legit everything has added sugar in it! It’s insane, but these food companies dump MILLIONS into research every year to figure out how to make their foods more addictive so you consume more of it. Did you know that there are certain cheeses that act on our opiate receptors? Try to say no to overeating at that point, it’s really wild when you really dive into it all.

And it’s not just the calories from the foods we eat. It seems like just about everything has added soy in it today. You can fight me on this but it’s a fact that diets high in soy proteins/soy products (high being 15+ grams per day) can increase estrogen levels in men (and women). Soy has phytoestrogens, which act much like estrogen in the human body and over consuming them can cause a hormonal mess in your body reducing your testosterone to estrogen ratio. This not only kills the gains in the gym it can also lead to fat gain in the torso, reduced sex drive, loss of muscle mass, and even depression. Certain plastics can also have this effect, it’s absolutely amazing to dive into all the things that affect our hormones even when we’re not physically eating it.

Here’s a short list of “do this, don’t do that”:

• Do - Favor whole foods throughout the day

  • Meats, vegetables, fruits and water should make up the bulk of your diet. It takes a little bit of effort, but your body will thank you.

• Do - Stay away from highly processed foods

  • Hydrogenated oils, seed oils, high fructose corn syrup to name a few.

• Do - Consume enough healthy fats

  • This will ensure your body’s hormonal environment tips in your favor towards fat loss. It’s also very satiating, leading you feeling fuller, earlier.

• Do - Consume enough protein every meal

  • Protein is satiating just like fats. Protein also has a higher thermic effect than the other macronutrients so it’s almost like you’re eating fewer calories. Proteins have 4 calories per gram, however the thermic effect drops this down by around 10-15%, leaving you with less to store.

• Do - Consume enough water

  • Dehydration can make you irritable and tired. It also shuts off anabolism (the grow/repair part of your metabolism) making gaining muscle next to impossible.

• Don’t - Eat unnecessary snacks.

  • You’re probably not even hungry, you’re more than likely bored. Also most of the snacks we consume are loaded with sugar leading you to eat more and more and more in one sitting. Sugar releases dopamine in the same way thc and alcohol do, the more you eat the more you want.

• Don’t - Skip meals

  • I know it sounds counterintuitive because skipping meals would lower your caloric intake for the day. But how often have you not eaten all day and went home to eat a normal amount of food, or even healthy food? You’ll more than likely over consume calories on days that you skip meals.

• Don’t - Think you had a good week eating and blow it out on the weekends

  • Believe it or not it only takes overeating an apple a day’s amount of calories to put on 10 pounds over the course of the year. If you’re eating at a 300-400 calorie deficit throughout the week and have a “cheat day” where you over consume by 2000 calories (it’s incredibly easy to do when you think you’re rewarding yourself for a good week), congratulations because you just undid the entire week’s deficit.

Your diet is a HUGE reason why you’re suffering from having a dad bod, learn to make changes to your way of eating that are sustainable and enjoyable.

Sleep is Important

Believe it or not, your lack of sleep is contributing to your dad bod. Studies have shown that carrying a sleep debt can not only effect your alertness and hormones, but it can also lead to poor food choices throughout the day. Wild right? Lack of adequate sleep affects performance as well. While you may not need to be in Tom Brady shape, you need to be physically capable enough to get through your training sessions. Sleeping an efficient amount will leave you in a much better position to tackle the day (obviously), but it will allow you to not reach for that donut in an effort to gain some level of energy.

So how much sleep is enough? For the average male it’s somewhere between 6-10 hours but for those with high levels of stress through out the day, who also train in the gym it’s closer to that 10 hour mark. But who the hell can sleep 10 hours uninterrupted after a long day of work and training? I don’t even have kids but I’m usually lucky if I get 7-8 hours, I typically hover in that 5-6 hour range. And if you’ve got kids and a spouse forget about it, you’re probably lucky enough to get 5-6 hours after the stress of the day and putting the kids to bed and spending even a few minutes with your partner. While I can’t add hours to the day, I can tell you that prioritizing your sleep over playing that game on your phone while you’re laying bed is a good idea. Here’s a couple of tips on how to develop better down regulation routines and get to sleep earlier:

• Get rid of the blue lights

  • Blue lights like the ones found in our TVs and phones/tablets don’t allow us to create a parasympathetic shift in our autonomic nervous system. Now that probably sounds like Greek to those of us without degrees in physiology, but it’s important. We have two different parts of our autonomic nervous system, a parasympathetic and a sympathetic. When we’re in a sympathetic state, we’re “flight or flight” while being in a parasympathetic state allows us to be in “rest and digest.” Turn the blue lights off at least an hour before bed for an easier time falling asleep.

• Develop an actual end of the day routine

  • Our bodies and minds like routine. Think about Pavlov’s experiment with the dogs and how the bell triggered them to salivate. Our bodies/minds work the same way, when we have a routine our body recognizes it and flips that switch towards that rest and digest state. Whether it’s a shower, unmaking the bed, drinking a tea, etc if it’s constantly a part of your sleep ready routine, your body will make that shift!

• Stop drinking that afternoon coffee/energy drink

  • Did you know that caffeine doesn’t actually give you energy? It’s true, it merely doesn’t allow you to get tired. We wrote about it here earlier this year so you can check it out for yourself. But try to remember that that afternoon coffee/energy drink will hinder your ability to sleep at a decent hour.

• Don’t use alcohol and thc in an effort to sleep

  • These substances can “relax” you, but they don’t lead to better sleep. Passing out is NOT sleep, and anyone who’s gone through having the DT’s can attest.

• Don’t eat foods high in sugar right before bed

  • This can trigger cravings. I don’t know about you, but when I’ve had cravings while trying to fall asleep it’s next to impossible to focus on anything else. Stay away from the sweets prior to bed.

Any way you cut it, sleep is incredibly important in the war against dad bods. Make sure you’re getting enough!

Get in the GYM!

This will be short because this section is a GIANT “duh.” From caloric burn to damage and repair of muscle, getting in the gym can absolutely help combat that dreaded dad bod. Don’t forget that muscle mass is metabolically active, it COSTS energy just to maintain it. Training helps tip your hormones in your favor and can also lead to better sleep and better food choices throughout the day. Its a win-win-win kinda scenario.

While life can tend to get in the way at times, you don’t have to fall victim to the forever dad bod. Make the right changes and you can put yourself in a better position to be a better partner, a better employee/boss, a better father and an overall happier person! Lose the dad bod!