Get your man to ‘Beltdown’ – The new diet for guys

It appears that men are better than women at dieting, when they actually decide to put their minds to it that is. But getting them excited about weight loss is where the problem lies.

A member of the fairer sex thinks she’s found a way to get men all fired up and focussed about losing weight however. So if you want your man to swap his beer belly for a six pack, get him belting down with the Rinseable Principle.

Jeni Blaskett has a weight loss story to be proud of; she managed to lose 8 stones with the help of her local slimming group and then went on to run one of her own for 5 years, helping many others to achieve their own success stories. During that time though she noticed a trend that was being replicated up and down the country – Whilst about half of her weight loss success stories came from men, only 10% of group members were men. Basically men were very good at dieting, but didn’t like doing it in public. Jeni decided to do something about it.

As in many aspects of life men don’t like to admit they have a problem, especially if they have to stand up in front of a group of women and talk about it. So they naturally tend to shy away from slimming groups. It seems that dieting is something which is very much an accepted part of female life, yet it still remains a taboo subject within the general male population. Watch the reaction a man gets when he suddenly starts ordering a gin and slimline tonic at the bar rather than his normal pint. It’s just not the blokey thing to do. Whilst eradicating male bravado would be the ideal answer, Jeni hopes she’s come up with a more practical solution.

Along with a couple of investors, of male points of view as well as finance, Jeni decided to investigate how she could create a slimming group in which men would flourish and lose weight. She knew, from her weight loss days that, whether you’re a man or a woman, there are four key points that are integral to a successful weight loss programme: a diet plan that you can stick to, a support group, an advisor and a weekly check in.

Jeni wanted to create a diet plan that meant that men could go about their daily routines without feeling they were losing face among their mates. She needed to create one that was easy to follow and one that allowed them to go for a curry with their friends.

A support group needed to be in place with an advisor who has been there themself and has guided hundreds of others to lose weight. The system also required a means of checking your weight loss progress that didn’t embarrass men as much as standing up in front of a group of strangers to get weighed and confess how many fairy cakes they have eaten in the past week…Beltdown.com was born: a weight loss site exclusively for men!

Beltdown’s key diet plan principle is unique, and couldn’t be easier to follow – ‘If you can’t wash it, try to avoid it’. So a cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms makes it onto the tick list, cake and biscuits (unless you like your digestives very soggy) are best avoided. The website is also packed full of print offs and cut outs of things like the lowest calorie beers and curries to eat and tips like – “if you don’t want to be pestered by your mates for drinking a ‘girly’ drink get yourself a bottle of lager in each round, which is lower in calories as it contains less beer than a pint. So while your mates are swilling their pints, you’ll be drinking far less calories without losing face.” You can also see how to “beltdown” your favourite meals, like a roast dinner, to make it fit the guidelines with a few easy modifications.

The Beltdown web format allows for people to stay totally anonymous, whilst still getting the challenge, competitiveness and interaction of a group. You can monitor your own weight loss and interact in forums to talk to other members and the group leader, but no one has to know who you are or whether you weigh 13 stone or 25.

“The dynamic and competitive nature of a group was one of the key factors we wanted to keep. Male competitiveness is probably one of the main reasons they are so good at losing weight when they decide to go for it, but fear of failure is also why they tend to stay away from groups. The website allows for men’s competitive natures to be harnessed without having to risk embarrassment.” - Jeni

This bloke friendly approach to weight loss seems to be working, with success stories starting to permeate the site. “A lot of guys are embarrassed to discuss their weight concerns, and think they can solve it in the gym alone, but you’d have to run 20 miles to burn off the calories from a big McDonalds meal, our more focussed and discreet approach seems to suit guys a lot better, and the results are speaking for themselves” concludes Jeni.

Beltdown is available wherever your man has an internet connection, without having to commit to attending a group one evening a week. At £8 a month, membership is priced to be cheaper than other groups out there, so your man can’t even use cost as an excuse. All that’s left to do is to get ‘him’ to embrace the Rinseable Principle.

For more info go to beltdown.com.