Pear-shaped? I’m an aubergine man

Forget apples and pears, ‘the aubergine’ is now the most common male body shape. Potato, carrot and string bean are also being used as a new way to categorise men’s figures, according to new research from the UK’s leading weight management supplement LIPObind.

The survey of 5,000 Brits revealed that more than a third said ‘the aubergine’, where the belly is bigger than both the hips and shoulders, is the most common shape category for men, like Ricky Gervais. Twenty-eight per cent of men likened themselves to potatoes – stocky and round but firm like Johnny Vegas – with 26 per cent going for the Russell Brand-like string bean. Only 13 per cent put themselves in the athletically carrot-shaped category, a la David Beckham, where the shoulders are broader than the hips.

‘Man boobs’ are seen as the most unattractive body feature on men with a quarter of Brits voting the ‘moob’ the least aesthetically pleasing, while more than 31 per cent of women cite a muffin top – a roll of flesh spilling over the top of jeans – as the body feature they find least attractive.

Among women, 39 per cent felt they had an hourglass figure, with 32 per cent pear-shaped, 16 per cent akin to an apple – where the middle area and upper body is larger than the hips – and 13 per cent straight up and down bananas. A size 12 is the sexiest dress size for a woman according to men and nearly half of all men and women feel their stomach is the part of their body they would most like to change.

A spokesperson for natural weight management product LIPObind said: “Traditionally, body shapes have been defined with phrases like hourglass, pear and apple. Because of the changing shape of the nation, we are now increasingly looking at things like aubergine, potato and carrot, particularly when referring to a man’s figure.

“The research shows that modern day lifestyles have led to changes in eating habits and more things like snacking at work allied with less active daily routines. Increasingly people are unhappy with their shape and want to do something about it.

“There is no miracle pill or quick fix to weight loss, however millions of people in the UK find taking a dietary weight management supplement, such as LIPObind, gives them the extra boost they need to kick start and sustain a healthy lifestyle programme whilst trying to eat well on the go.”

Recent figures show the average waist size is now 33.5 inches for a female and 38 inches for a male. Accredited nutritionist Dr Chris Fenn added: “People are often unaware of the amount of fat they consume on a daily basis as the typical modern diet is high in fatty foods such as snacks and convenience foods.

“Excessive fat intake not only causes people to be overweight but has more serious health implications such as coronary artery disease and strokes.

“Products that reduce the amount of fat the body absorbs can be effective, especially if people follow a healthy diet and get regular exercise.”

LIPObind is a new weight management product for general weight management and the prevention and treatment of obesity, which helps naturally reduce the amount of fat the body absorbs from food.