Study finds men often view dieting as something intended for women

Men may struggle with weight loss partly because they associate dieting with women, restrictions and promises of quick results, according to a study published in PLOS One.

Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University in England interviewed a small group of men aged 30 and older. Most participants were white, married and university graduates. When discussing earlier attempts to lose weight, many criticized diets as restrictive and difficult to maintain.

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I think diets are often short-term intensive programs and very difficult to stick to.

One participant said, “I think diets are often short-term intensive programs and very difficult to stick to.” He added that the word “diet” itself carried a negative meaning because people immediately associate it with restriction.

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When you look at articles online, or sometimes those weight-loss programs on television, it was always women. The message is that women should be thin.

Participants also described diet culture as largely focused on women. One said, “When you look at articles online, or sometimes those weight-loss programs on television, it was always women. The message is that women should be thin.”

The study found that support from female partners could make dieting seem less problematic and increase motivation. Justin Roberts, a professor of nutritional physiology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge and a co-author, said some participants had lost weight in the past only because their partners closely monitored their progress. Others mentioned mentors whose experience or skills they respected, or who had already completed a program and could show them how to proceed.

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For some participants, the only reason they had lost weight in the past was because their partners practically monitored the progress of the diet program.