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Dr. Christopher Keroack says the psychology of men differs dramatically from women when it comes to their weight and self-image.
"When a man's body-mass index goes up, he feels more powerful even though it puts him in a high health-risk category; men want to be warriors and leaders of their clan," said the medical director of Pioneer Valley Weight Loss Centers in Springfield. "A man who is 35 pounds overweight won't seek help because he feels good when he goes from a size large to extra large. Men view football players and knights in shining armor as heroes because it is ingrained in them that strength and size are connected."
Dr. John Romanelli agrees. "Every year NFL players are getting bigger and bigger," said the director of Baystate Medical Center's Weight Loss Surgery Program. "In the '70s, a defensive lineman weighed 225 pounds. But if they weigh that today, they are usually a cornerback or safety."
In fact, today's players often reach weights of 340 pounds. And although that size isn't appropriate for the average man, many forget that these athletes engage in high-impact, high-calorie-burning exercise every day and also have a problem with weight gain when they stop playing, Romanelli said.
Studies show that the majority of American men weigh far too much. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, 72% of men in the U.S. are overweight or obese, and many have no idea of how serious the consequences can be.
"Many obese men are oblivious to the damage that is happening within their bodies on a day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month, and year-to-year basis," said Romanelli, citing a long list of conditions which include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, coronary heart disease, vascular problems, obstructive sleep apnea, bladder incontinence, gallbladder disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, osteoarthritis, some forms of cancer, and knee, back, and hip problems.
"If you are morbidly obese, you are four times more likely to die from sudden cardiac death - obesity is a silent killer," he said. "It's slow, it's indolent, and it's unfortunate. Every system is the body is negatively affected by it."
And excess weight tends to settle differently in men than in women. "Fat or adipose deposition is driven by the sex hormone," Romanelli...