• some cancers (for example, breast, colon)
• snoring and sleep apnoea
• stress, anxiety and depression

Why does it happen?

It’s an equation of balance – if you eat more calories than you use in daily activity, the spare energy is stored as fat and weight increases. It’s as simple as that.  Nowadays the average diet contains too many calories in the form of sugar and fat, and as a nation we’ve become more inactive. For example, many men spend their time sitting and watching sport when in the past they would have been actively taking part.  Jobs have become more sedentary too, with many men now sitting in front of a computer whereas in the past jobs would have been more physically demanding.

Can I stop it?

If you’re not overweight and eat roughly the same number of calories as you burn up daily then you shouldn’t become overweight.  If you’re already overweight the first thing to acknowledge is that there’s no quick fix. To lose some weight you need to burn more calories than you’re consuming. For most men the solution is to:

• always eat breakfast
• eat meals that contain more starchy foods (such as pasta, rice, bread, potatoes) and less sugar and fat
• drink less alcohol
• snack on fruit rather than chocolate or crisps, for example
• reduce daily calorie intake by about 500 calories
• exercise for at least 30 minutes on a minimum of five days in the week (such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, running)

A realistic goal is to lose 1lb to 2lb each week.

Should I see a doctor?

If despite these measures the weight isn’t falling off, then some advice from the doctor, practice nurse or dietician may help.

Treatments

In some cases doctors are able to prescribe medication to help achieve weight loss as part of a weight reduction programme. Many doctors are also able to refer men to an exercise-on-prescription scheme at their local leisure centre, where a course of exercise can be provided to help them lose weight. This article was last medically reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks in April 2007.First published in October 1997.