Toning Your Upper Body and Chest
Include regular cardio. Although aerobic exercises will not necessarily tone your upper body, they will help support weight loss and the decrease in your overall body fat. As your body fat amount decreases, the toned muscles underneath will be more visible. Include at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio exercises each week. This is any type of activity that gets you to sweat and makes you slightly out of breath. For more results like quicker weight loss, increase your cardio time to 200 or 300 minutes per week. Exercises to try include: jogging/running, playing sports, swimming or using the elliptical. Remember that to lose fat, you need to aim to achieve a sustained elevated heart rate of 70% to 80% of your heart rate maximum.
Do push-ups. This common exercise is a great move that specifically targets and isolates the chest muscles. To do this exercise: Bring your body down into a plank position. Your hands should be placed on the floor at a width slightly wider than your shoulders. While keeping your body in a straight line, slowly lower your body by bending your elbows back, pointing towards the ribs or hips, and away from your body. Lower until your chest is about 1-2 inches off the floor. Slowly push back up into the starting position. Increase the intensity of this exercise by turning regular push-ups into plyo-push-ups. Once you have lowered your body, instead of coming back up slowly to the starting position, explosively push yourself up into the air. Aim to be able to clap your hands in front of your chest while you're mid air.
Use dumbbells for a bench press. This exercise move uses the weight of two dumbbells to work your pectoral muscles. To do this exercise: Grab two dumbbells. Lay down on a bench with your legs bent and feet flat on the ground. Hold one dumbbell in each hand. Lift both arms straight up towards the ceiling with your palms facing away from you. Slowly lower the dumbbells down toward your body. Your elbows should be bent at a 90 degree angle and your upper arms parallel to the floor in the finishing position. Push weights back up towards the ceiling and repeat.
Try dumbbell flys. Similar to the bench press, dumbbell flys work your pectoral muscles and your inner arms. Grab two dumbbells. Lay down on a bench facing the ceiling. Your legs should be bent so your feet are flat on the floor. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Extend your arms out to the sides and parallel to the floor. Your elbow should just be slightly bent. Bring your hands together, palms facing each other, in front of your body. Arms should remain extended. Slowly lower your arms back down until they are again parallel to the floor. Repeat the exercise eight to 12 times and when you are strong enough, perform two or three sets of eight to 12 repetitions.
Include exercises for your whole body as well. While toning your arms and chest can be helpful, it is also important to do exercises that will target, your legs, back, and abs. Aim to develop a total body strength routine and include cardiovascular exercise as well. Develop a fitness plan for yourself that includes at least 30 minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity five days per week and that includes two weekly strength training sessions that target all of your major muscle groups.
Changing Your Diet to Reduce Excess Fat
Cut out some calories. To lose weight, especially excess fat, you'll need to cut some calories out of your diet. You need this calorie deficit to help you lose weight and decrease excess fat from your chest area. Cutting out around 500-750 calories daily will generally result in about a 1-2 pound weight loss per week. This slower, more gradual weight loss is considered the safest and most easy to maintain long term. Get a rough idea of how many calories you currently consume on an average day. You may want to use an online program or smart phone app to help you get an accurate result. Subtract the amount of calories you want to cut each day to get an estimate of your new daily calorie limit. If you cut out more calories in addition to doing a lot of exercise or weight training, you may become fatigued, weak and have poor recovery.
Skip the carbs. If you want to drop weight quickly and lose the excess fat in your chest, experts recommend adopting a low carb diet. Studies have shown this particular type of diet results in the quickest decrease in body fat. Carbs are found in a large variety of foods (you won't be able to limit them all). They're found in: grains, dairy foods, fruits, starchy vegetables and legumes. Depending on how restrictive you want to be, you can limit or restrict a variety of these foods. However, it's not recommended to restrict all of these foods or you'd be eating a very, very limited diet which could result in deficiencies. Choosing to limit grains and some starchy vegetables is a good place to start. These are some of the foods with the highest amount of carbohydrates and the nutrients they provide are also available in other food groups. Dairy does contain some carbohydrates but is an excellent source of protein and calcium and it can actually help with your weight loss. Fruit is another higher carbohydrate food group, but comes with a lot of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Limit your servings, but it's not wise to completely cut fruit out. Choose whole fruit over fruit juice.
Bulk up the protein. Protein is an essential nutrient to your diet. In addition it'll help you lose weight, decrease excess fat and support any type of weight lifting routine you start. Protein is very satisfying and incorporating a serving at each meal and snack can help you feel more satiated throughout the day. One serving of protein is about 3-4 oz. This generally comes out to be the size of your palm or a check book. Most men will get enough protein each day as long as they're including a serving at each meal and snack. Stick to leaner sources of protein so you don't rack up a ton of calories throughout the day. Try: poultry, eggs, lean beef, seafood, low-fat dairy, tofu, beans, lentils, chickpeas, and pork.
Fill up on vegetables. Vegetables are a very important food group. They are very low in calories, but are typically high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Most men need several servings of vegetables each day. Aim for 4-5 servings daily. One serving of vegetables is about 1 cup of denser items (like broccoli or tomatoes) and 2 cups of leafy greens (like salads). To reach your daily goal, you'll most likely need to eat 1-2 servings per meal.
Pass on junk foods and treats. Many junk foods (like chips or cookies), fast foods and other indulgent treats should be limited. These food generally carry extra fat and calories and will work against your weight loss attempts. Skip fast foods or fried foods. Try to make more meals at home or order lighter options or low-calorie options if you need to stop by a fast food restaurant. Limit sweet treats like sweetened beverages, cookies, candies or pastries. Grab a piece of fruit or have a very small serving of something sweet to take away your craving. Beware of salty snacks like chips, crackers or pretzels. Eating a lot of these can add in calories and carbohydrates. Get your savory fix with some hummus and raw vegetables or a spoonful of peanut butter and an apple. Consume your favorite foods or treats in moderation. It's not necessary to completely cut them out, but you should limit them if you're actively trying to lose weight.
Drink enough water each day. Drinking adequate water daily will help you with your weight loss and workouts. Be sure to avoid alcohol and other calorie laden beverages, like juice and soda. Drink water instead. Most experts recommend drinking at least 8-13 glasses of water daily. If you're doing a hard workout or sweat a lot during your workout, you may need more than this. Drinking adequate water doesn't just keep your body hydrated. It also helps you distinguish between true hunger signals and thirst signals. The better hydrated you are, the more satisfied and less hungry you may feel throughout the day.
Incorporating Other Types of Fixes
Talk to your doctor. Make an appointment with your doctor to talk about your condition. Sometimes enlarged breasts or fatty breast tissue in men is a sign of a hormonal imbalance which should be treated with medications. Your doctor will help you to rule out gynecomastia as the source of your problem. gynecomastia is the swelling of breast tissue due to hormone imbalances. With proper treatment, you may be able to reverse this condition. Discuss treatment options with your doctor. Changing your prescription or narcotic drug use can usually change the condition quickly. In some cases, where serious illness is involved, you may be asked to remain on the medication.
Buy compression tank tops and shirts. There are specially designed shirts that are very tight and will help hide and mask the look of excess fat in your chest. Tight compression shirts help mask the look of excess fat or gynecomastia by compressing excess fat to your body. These shirts are an excellent quick fix for formal events or work. No one can tell you're wearing one and they do an excellent job at disguising your upper body.
Consider seeing a cosmetic surgeon. If you have tried weight loss methods and still don't see a difference you may want to consider making a consult with a cosmetic or plastic surgeon. Sometimes weight loss or medical treatment doesn't resolve enlarged or fatty breasts in men. A surgeon can perform a few different procedures to help you get rid of the excess fat tissue. Liposuction. This procedure does not remove the actual breast gland, but does remove the excess fat from the breast. However, if you gain weight you may notice the fat may return to this area. Mastectomy. This a procedure that doctors will use to remove the breast tissue and gland. If this procedure is done laparoscopically the recovery time is generally minimal.
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