What is a Dad Bod?
Dad Bod is a colorful and lighthearted term that refers to a man’s body once he stops paying attention to his appearance. Specifically, as the phase suggest, distracted by the lifestyle of raising kids and being a busy dad. The result is getting chubby around the midsection and often associated with not paying as much attention to clothes and fashion, becoming outdated and poorly dressed.
A dad bod is the softening of his midsection, as a direct effect of 20-40 lbs of weight gain. For the most part, this weight goes unnoticed. Many guys will experience just waking up one morning and realizing, “I officially have a dad bod.”
Why do I have a Dad Bod?
For the most part, getting a dad bod is a direct effect of a lifestyle. But putting on a few extra pounds can also be a result of aging or the stress of working and raising a family. Here are a few possible reasons for a Dad Bod.
- Age
- Imbalance of Time
- Food
- Loss of Motivation
- Stress
Does age cause Dad Bod?
Yes. When did you start to get your dad bod? 30? 35? 40? As men age, testosterone levels decrease. Age affects the body’s ability to burn off extra calories. The result is that men have to work a bit harder to burn the same amount of calories as you did when he was younger amongst other factors. Men and women alike have less muscle mass and more fat as they age.
Another effect of aging is that your joints and muscles may be sore. If you have played sports or spent time in the gym, you almost certainly deal with permit injuries or the same injury that keeps coming back. These injuries can affect your ability to take part in the activities at the level that kept you in shape as a younger man.
Is your busy life giving you a dad bod?
Yes. Having a family puts your time in high demand. Yes, you have always been busy but now that time is not spent playing sports or going to the gym. This imbalance of time for yourself will undoubtedly affect your body shape. Not only do you not have time to spend 2 hours at the gym every day, but you also may not get enough rest or sleep. Both of these time restraints affect your bodies ability to relax, recover and burn off fat.
Is your happy, comfortable life giving you a dad bod?
Yes. Have you got in the habit of having a beer in the garage every day? The suburb life can be a very comfortable place to be. But all those BBQs and beers can catch up with you. Throughout our culture, having a few extra pounds is associated with having a comfortable and prospers life. If this is your place in life, you surely have a grin on your face right now, because who can feel sorry for being happy.
Being happy and comfortable will also affect your motivation to go to the gym or be on a strict diet. Most people go to the gym to lose weight and build to increase their value in the sexual marketplace. If you are married and have kids, this once motivating factor has passed. So a few extra pounds is not a big concern.
Is your diet giving you a dad bod?
Yes. Settling into a family comes with the daily question of “what’s for dinner?” Kids don’t think about calories or nutrition. They want to eat fast food and other snacks and processed foods. And let’s face it your not going to cook two meals, you are just going to have what the kids are having. Eating like the kids will often result in eating higher fat foods.
Is stress giving me a dad bod?
Yes. Your job is stressful. People are counting on you to keep the numbers up or the production moving. We all want to do a good job, so when things aren’t going our way life can get stressful as we try to get our ducks in a row. Research has shown that the stress hormone, cortisol, is responsible for many health problems. One of the side effects of stress and the increase of cortisol is weight gain and the resistance of weight loss. It is always a good idea to reduce stress wherever you can.
Is your dad bod a health problem?
We all have different body types, but the Center for Disease Control (CDC) does recommend that to be a healthy weight your BMI be in the range of 18.5 % to a maximum of 24.9 %. Another useful and straightforward measurement that can be helpful is a waist circumference measurement. The CDC says that this is a good indication of crucial health factors and should not exceed 40 inches.
Many of us will have a BMI less than 24.9% and waist circumference less than 40 inches but still have a dad bod. So although you are not in your prime physical condition, a dad bod is not necessarily unhealthy.
Looking good with a dad bod
Ok, we all have that perfect shirt that fits just right. This could also be said for the perfect pair of jeans, But the fact is to look your best, you need a whole wardrobe of clothing that fits your body just right. Wearing the right clothes to hide your dad bod is not always the most straightforward task. This website is devoted to helping you with tips and direct suggestions to look your best all the time.
Look thinner today by using these 10 tips.
- Posture, pull your shoulders back and keep your chin up.
- Clothing that fits you, no more than 2 inches of loose fabric anywhere, No baggy clothes.
- Regular or Stright cut jeans and have the denim tailored to your height.
- Broden your shoulders by wearing a jacket.
- A shirt with two breast pockets will enhance your chest and hide your gut.
- Wear dark colors to hide your bulge.
- Solid colors or tight stripes, thin stripes make you look tall, wide stripes make you look wide
- Clean and simple boots or shoes. No bulky footwear.
- Empty your pockets, all that stuff is adding to your midsection.
- Slimming undershirts, known as compression shirts or spanks.
Sources.
CDC https://www.cdc.gov/healthcommunication/toolstemplates/entertainmented/tips/StressWork.html
CDC https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/index.html