man boobs!!!!

So over the past few years I have slowly developed the dreaded man boobs.  When I started on this site two weeks ago I was 185 lbs (5'10")  I have begun going to the gym 5 days a week I work on my chest twice a week, and I purchased the perfect pushup things.  I am now at 182 and my goal is 160.  I know that with hard work at the gym and diet, I can get rid of them, but are there any other tips anyone has for me to get rid of these unsightly monstrosities?

You and me both.  sometimes it has nothing to do with weight or fitness.  I'm 6'0 and have always had them, even when I only weighed 150 pounds.  This is a way out:

http://www.plasticsurgery.org/patients_consum ers/procedures/Gynecomastia.cfm?CFID=10163627 7&CFTOKEN=30560908

Thanks for the link, but I'm not interested in surgury.  I really want to lose a lot of body fat naturally, and hopefully that and weight training will help the problem.  If not I guess I'll have to live with them, but atleast I'll be in shape.  But thanks for the comment.

Sure it's not gynecomastia?

Eat more flax seeds. The lignands in flax seed are anti-estrogenic with effects comparable to Tamoxifen in clinical trials - this anti-estrogenic property leads to interesting effects when it comes to fat loss. Steroid-abusing bodybuilders with full-blown gyno have managed to get rid of theirs just by including flax seed in their diet. Fresh ground for preference. 

Can I get flax seeds at my local grocery store?  Where do I find them? 

Yup - check in the baking goods section for whole or milled flax seed, should be somewhere near the whole wheat flour. You can go to the health food store and buy the health food version, but it's 3 times the price for essentially the same product.

 Note that it needs to be milled; whole flax goes straight through your digestive system. so if you buy the whole seed, get a mortar or a coffee grinder to grind up your flax. A couple teaspoons to a couple regular spoons a day, depending on severity; start small and see how your digestive system handles it. The flax is full of fiber!

 This guy makes like it's a real big secret, but really - flax seed, and maybe some zink supplement will optimize your hormonal environment and persuade your body to release the stubborn fat mediated by the estrogen-sensitive betareceptors in your moobs. The lignands in the flax will block those receptor sites, making the stubborn estrogen-sensitive fat more amenable to being burned (this works for hips and love handles too, btw.)

Thank you so much for the advice on my moobs.  I will definitely try flax seed.  I've seen ads on the internet for drugs like gynexin and gynemax, but they are expensive and I am skeptical.  Thanks a lot.

Ahhh!  YIKES, you set a panic in me....currently googling what flax seed will do to me!!

I use it in my smoothie every freakin day!

 Heh, it will block the beta-(estrogen)receptors in stubborn fat on your hips, thighs, love handles and other trouble spots, allowing the adrenogenic alpha-receptors to take over and release the fat from the stubborn trouble spots. In addition, it functions just as well as tamoxifen at supressing the growth of breast cancers, counteracting the effect of soy phytoestrogens.

 The effect isn't humonguous unless you're chowing down a pound of flax seed a day, and if you did you'd have more immediate problems - flax seeds are very oil rich :)

 Though really - flax seed has numerous health benefits to pick a few at random; it ranks up there with fatty fish in delivering essential fatty acids.

Melkor--

What about flax seed oil in a pill form? Same effect, or is a milled seed better?

Thanks

 Fresh milled seed is probably better - lignands are temperature-sensitive and the alpha-lipoic acid in flax oxidizes quickly so it it doesn't have a very long shelf life. If the flax oil isn't cold-pressed the lignands are toast even before the oil extration is done - it's even more sensitve than extra-virgin oilve oil. You can get some in health food stores that are kept refrigerated in a sealed and opaque container with the lignands added back in after the extraction process is finished (Udo's Choice comes to mind) , and that would presumably have most of the good stuff intact, but once you open the bottle the shelf life is measured in weeks at most.

 I prefer getting some from the baking supplies in the grocery store and grind them on an as-needed basis in my mortar, that way they've been ground up a few seconds before I eat them ;)

PHEEEEWWWWWW! (wipes sweat from brow).

Thanks melkor!

Hi Melkor,

 

I'm very intrigued by the flax seed, as I have a similar but minor issue (I simply want a flat lean chest …I’m not so far off).  You had mentioned "soy phytoestrogens" in a previous post.    I love soy milk.  I consume it daily.  I heard that soy milk might be a contributing factor that leads too man boobs.  Is this true?  I would greatly appreciate your comments.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 Depends on how much you consume, really - as part of a balanced diet it won't be a problem; if you consume so much you're starting to get a little bean-shaped, you're in trouble.

 You'd want to read Soy: What's the Big Deal? - but basically, having some soy milk a day won't be a problem, and on the other hand if all your food is soy-based, problem.

Thanks for the QUICK reply! 

In terms of consumption, I think I'm okay -- I drink about 2-3 glasses of soy per day (or less) -- specifically, Silk Plain.  I eat some soy nuts now and again but not much and really no other soy products.  What do you think?  ...and by the way, all your posts are very helpful!

Also...in terms of getting a "flat lean chest" and "getting rid of love handles too!" -- what  exercises you would recommend?

Mmm, sounds like you're within the "low-to-moderate" consumption range; it's only if you're starting your day with a couple morningstar soy burger patties and getting worse from there on out that you're likely to see any real effects.

A few glasses of milk shouldn't be a problem.

 The only time to worry is when you're making drastic changes to your diet and exposing your body to a change in nutrient profile - like, going vegetarian and suddenly getting all your protein from soy. That would be bad, because you'd suddenly increase your phytoestrogen load by a few million percent and how your body will react is anyone's guess. Outside of such dietary extreme sports though, you'd be hard pressed to get a significant signal over and above the xenoestrogenic effect of plastics, pesticides, and all the other gunk you're exposed to.

 Fork put-downs and table push-aways are still the most important part of any program, you can't out-train your diet. Exercise selection is also very much a function of your goal with what you're doing - you cando a lot of general strength training, or you can do a sports-specific conditioning program. If your goal is to look good on the beach you have other training concerns than someone who is strength training to be a better linebacker, yeh?

 You can start with the List of weight training programs from the FAQ and see if you find one that suits your current fitness levels and goals; and then add a bit of cardio to it as desired. And thanks :)

until you are able to reduce them when you lose the weight, there are compression tank tops/shirts you can wear.

my husband had them when he was over-weight and I found them on Ebay.  They aren't cheap at about $20 a pop but they work great!!  only thing is it is summer right now and the material isn't hot weather friendly ...so get the tank tops-but if you are self-consious about them they really do work.

 

 here is the seller:

http://stores.ebay.com/GC2-Compression-Shirt

will flax seed help with reducing big woobs?

 Mmm, possibly - it's certainly recommended for anyone with stubborn fat that isn't coming off proportional to the rest of your fat loss.

 It's not a miracle drug, the effecct is very small - but just like the effect of losing a pound a week for 52 weeks straight isn't very noticeable from week to week, it's very noticeable indeed from year to year. Plus, flax is full of good fiber, healthy fats, and pretty complete vegetable proteins.

 It's not like you'll have a spoonful and change overnight, but including it in your diet will help you reach your goals a little easier. And if you hit the baking section of your regular grocery store you'll find flax seed for a buck or two a pound, which will last you quite a few weeks at a teaspoon or two a day :)

I have been meaning to pick up flax seed anyway, now I will just in case!

I read recently that fat is a useful place for the body to store toxins because of its low metabolic activity.   It makes sense as no matter how hard you push on the burning front,  a lot of folk seem to have this stubborn fat problem.  I can only think that it is because they are still consuming too many toxins thinking of calories as only units of energy and not how the energy is handled as such so the body keeps some of the fat for toxin storage.  So I guess just cutting toxins would help move stubborn fat too though that is way easier said than done.