Get Rid of The Dad Bod: How to Lose It!

Want to get rid of the dad bod? Of course you do… not a great look. 😬

It’s also not as harmless as it may first seem.

But I know – it’s not easy to lose the dad bod, especially when you are a busy guy with stress in all areas of your life.

Don’t worry. 🧘‍♂️

In this article I will explore what the dad bod is, why the dad bod is bad, and – most importantly – how you can get rid of the dad bod!

First things first: I don’t have six pack…

Full disclosure: I don’t have six pack abs. Neither do I have single-digit bodyfat percentage. But I am a dad and I don’t have a dad body. 🙌

And I am incredibly proud of that fact.

When it comes to losing the dad bod, we are not talking about getting six-pack abs or becoming ridiculously shredded.

You can definitely do this – but this article won’t show you how. Besides, having a six pack is not a worthwhile goal for many people (myself included).

Instead, we want to get you feeling fit and healthy, with a body you can be proud of.

Before we start, here’s a quick look at the article:

What is the dad bod?

The dad bod is actually a bit vague. There doesn’t seem to be a universally agreed definition.

Essentially, somebody with a dad bod is not hugely overweight. They are a little overweight, with some fat around their midsection and chest. The term ‘skinny fat’ (also known as normal weight obesity), sums this up quite well.

Ultimately, imagine a semi-athletic guy was left out in the sun too long and melted a bit. That’s a dad bod. 🫠

Why do you get a dad bod?

It’s simple: you put little-to-no effort into working out and/or nutrition.

But I totally get it. Modern life is very f*cking difficult.

The modern man may be juggling most, if not all, of the following: career, kids, parents, chores, side hustles, romantic connections, social lives…

How the hell do you fit in regular exercise and good eating?

Ultimately, this is why many men get a dad bod. With so much happening in life, you basically give up on any regular exercise, or you eat and drink too much – or a combination of both.

You don’t need to have kids to have a dad body. Yet being a parent and having the added stress of kids in your life can certainly contribute to a dad bod.

However, the dad body is not exclusive to men who are fathers.

Anyone can have one.

Do some people find the dad bod attractive?

Strangely, yes. Or at least one person does.

There is a notorious article called Why Girls Love The Dad Bod, written back in 2015 by a college student called Mackenzie Pearson.

In it, she explains what the dad bod is and why she likes it.

She defines the dad bod belonging to someone who goes “…to the gym occasionally, but also drinks heavily on the weekends and enjoys eating eight slices of pizza at a time. It’s not an overweight guy, but it isn’t one with washboard abs, either.“

In it she explains why some women find the dad bod attractive.

This is apparently because it’s less intimidating to women and doesn’t invoke as many insecurities. She says ‘We don’t need a perfectly sculpted guy standing next to us to make us feel worse’.

Basically most of her reasons for finding the dad bod attractive centre around her desire to look better than the man she is standing next to.

This is incredibly selfish and one of the reasons I really dislike the article.

Men, it’s time take a stand. Forget about making women feel better by association. Instead, do your long-term health a favor and lose the dad bod!

Are dad bods bad?

I will admit that not having any real shape and carrying a little extra fat is not the worst thing in the world.

However, this isn’t the full story.

Rocking a dad bod may be sustainable during your 20s and 30s. But, as you grow older, you will be opening the door to more problems.

As you move into your 40s and 50s, your metabolism will slow and your energy levels will decrease. Work, kids, finances, chores, social life, and all the other responsibilities you have will eat into your time. Your current dad bod will turn into full-blown obesity.

Yep, man boobs and more.

Of course, a myriad of potential health concerns arise from obesity, including heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer, as well as mental health problems and erectile dysfunction.

Believe me when I say that it’s much easier to lose the dad bod in your 20s/30s and ‘future proof’ your body, than it is to try losing the extra weight when you are 55 and the doctor tells you to (often with a concerned look on his face).

Some reasons to get rid of the dad bod

Get rid of the dad bod and find it easier to carry your children

Still want to cling to your shapeless chubby body? Or get rid of the dad bod? It’s your call.

However, before you dip out of this article, here are a couple of reasons why losing your dad bod is a good idea.

(These are my own reasons – there may be more).

#1 – Better for your health

We’ve just touched upon this, but losing the dad bod will help you sustain a healthier body in the future by avoiding obesity and the myriad health problems that come with it.

And, as I mention, losing it now is much easier than losing it in the future. Even if you are 40 or 50, losing it now will be easier than in your 60s and 70s.

#2 – Playing with your kids is more fun

As a father myself, I know how much energy is required to play with kids. They seem to wake up and be in play mode all day.

This is great fun, but it’s also tiring – especially when they want dad to lift them, throw them, carry them like a horse, make them fly around the garden, and so on.

Having some strength and not getting out of breath so easily makes playing with your kids as a dad so much more pleasant.

#3 – Protecting your family is easier

The world is a f*cking awful place at the moment.

You may not be able to prevent bad things from happening, but if you need to step in to protect your family in one way or another, doing it with a leaner, stronger body is usually easier.

Plus, with more strength and improved fitness, comes greater confidence.

#4 – Better sleep

Being sedentary and being overweight can both cause sleep problems.

Therefore, both losing weight and working out can contribute to better sleep.

As a dad, juggling a career, a family and a social life having had a good night of sleep is usually much easier than trying to do it when you’re chronically tired!

Five principles to get rid of the dad bod

If you want to lose the dad bod (and I suspect you do as you are reading this article), then don’t worry – I have the solution for you.

What follows is five things you have to do to start changing that dad bod into a physique you are proud of.

These are not the only things you need to do, but they are the most important and therefore the things to get started on right away.

#1. Lift weights (2-3 times a week)

Lift weights to help get rid of the dad bod

This is number one on the list because it is imperative. There are multiple reasons for this.

As mentioned, being stronger will make playing with and protecting your family easier. The only way to get stronger is by lifting weights or by performing calisthenics (i.e., bodyweight movements).

In addition to strength, lifting weights will also give your body some shape, which is something that is seriously lacking when you have a dad bod.

Of course, to see this shape, you will have to lose some bodyfat, which the other points on this list will take care of. But another plus of lifting weights and building muscle is that having more muscle can raise your metabolism and burn more calories at rest.

Note that you don’t have to go to the gym to lift weights. Perhaps you suffer from beginners gym anxiety or you simply don’t feel you have the time.

However, avoiding the gym is not an excuse if you want to get rid of the dad bod.

You simply have to work out at home. Buy a pair of dumbbells (adjustable dumbbells are expensive, but cost effective and space saving), find a three-day-per-week workout plan, and stick to it.

Again, this is imperative.

#2. Walk every day

Walking is a good way to lose the dad bod

Don’t underrate walking as a way to lose the dad bod.

Not only is walking an excellent way to boost your general health (from cardiovascular fitness to joint health), but it can help you lose the fat that defines the dad bod.

This is because of two factors.

Firstly, walking is a good calorie burner if you do it for long enough.

Secondly, walking tends to specifically burn fat due to the way the energy systems in the body work. Lower intensity exercise like walking uses mostly fat as fuel, instead of the carbohydrate that higher-intensity exercise uses.

Therefore, if you go walking for a few hours, you are likely to be mainly burning fat. A nice thought.

In an ideal world, you will walk 10,000 steps per day. However, if you do no walking at the moment, then set a smaller target and increase this gradually over the weeks (say 2,000 per day in week one, 2,500 per day in week two, etc.).

It is more important to walk a few thousand steps each day than it is to hit 10,000 steps one day then not walk again for a week.

You may want to schedule in a weekend walk like the Norwegians or enjoy a short after-dinner walk like the Italians. In whatever way you choose to do it, get more steps in each day!

#3. Eat more lean protein

Protein is required for many processes throughout the body, and it can be very useful when you are trying to lose fat and build muscle (both desired outcomes when you want to get rid of the dad bod).

In terms of body composition, it is required for building muscle. You can lift all the weights you like, but without adequate protein intake, you won’t be able to turn that hard work into muscle.

Protein is also the most satiating (satisfying) of the macronutrients. This means that when you eat protein at each meal, you are less likely to be hungry an hour later. This means you are less susceptible to random snacking, which is a big hurdle for people with dad bods.

You will want to aim for around 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, spread across the day.

What is lean protein? Personally I go for plant-based protein, which are things like tofu, tempeh, seitan, high-protein meat alternatives, lentils and protein powders.

I tend to use this protein powder, although you can choose one based on your own needs and tastes!

If you eat meat or dairy, you can add things like meat, fish and eggs, although these are higher in saturated fat and should be eaten sparingly.

#4. Eat more unprocessed foods

Eat more unprocessed foods to lose the dad bod.

We all know that processed foods are convenient. Truth be told, not all processed foods are bad for you.

For example, tofu, frozen vegetables, roasted nuts, dried fruits and protein powders are all a good addition to any diet.

It’s the highly-processed foods such as ready meals, cheese, processed meats (bacon, salami, burgers, chicken nuggets), breakfast cereals, white bread and candy that we need to eat less of.

This is because highly processed foods like these are usually easier to eat. At the same time, they are not as nutrient or fiber dense, and therefore don’t satisfy or nourish you as much as a wholefood alternative.

Think about eating a 220-calorie bag of fast food fries vs a 100-calorie baked potato. The fries give you more calories and fat, and you will be able to eat a lot more of them before you are satisfied. In fact, you could probably whip through 500 calories of fries without thinking.

Eating 500 calories of baked potato, on the other hand, is a lot more difficult…

The lesson here is that, instead of banning ALL processed foods, simply try to replace a few of your typical processed foods with a wholefoods alternative.

For example:

Eat a piece of fruit instead of a fruit rollup
Eat oatmeal instead of sugary breakfast cereal
Eat popcorn instead of cheesy puffs
Eat homemade muffins instead of store-bought versions
…and so on

Again, don’t try to ban all processed foods – just replace a few here and there to enjoy the benefits of more fibre, more nutrients, and less chemicals in your diet.

Start by changing one item per day, then increase this over the weeks.

This is a very useful infographic about adding more unprocessed foods to your diet.

#5. Curb the booze

I love beer and red wine as much as the next guy. Who doesn’t?

But you probably don’t need me to tell you that cutting back on the alcohol will help you reduce your bodyfat levels.

While drinking a little alcohol isn’t a bad thing, especially if you do it socially, it is ultimately the consumption of pretty empty calories. There’s a reason they are called ‘beer guts’ or ‘beer bellies’.

Alcohol works against your weight goals in a few ways.

Firstly, when you consume alcohol, the body becomes busy trying to metabolize it. Other processes, such as fat burning, are shut down until the alcohol is eliminated.

Secondly, when you drink alcohol, you may tend to eat more and make poor food choices. For example, chips, pretzels, pizza, and so on. Again, nothing is bad about a little of these foods, but combine five beers with a full pizza and you are suddenly in the 3,000 calorie zone for an evening… 😲

Good news: If you enjoy alcohol, you don’t need to stop drinking it to get rid of the dad bod!

However, you would be wise to curb what you drink.

If you find that you can sink a six pack of beer on a Saturday night, make it your mission this week to replace half those beers with non-alcoholic beers or sugar-free soft drinks.

Reduce the amount you drink each week and watch the changes happen!

Final word on how to get rid of the dad bod

Let’s sum this up.

If you have one, the dad bod is not something worth keeping.

Yes, some people find it cute, but it’s not cute. It’s lazy. It’s also something that can lead to everything from confidence issues to severe health problems.

Get rid of it now, while it’s easier.

To do this, begin with these five actions. Don’t try to do everything perfectly – just add do one or two of these every day each week, then add more actions and do them more frequently over time.

Lift weights (three times a week is ideal)
Walk every day (aim for 5,000+ steps a day at least)
Eat more lean protein
Eat more unprocessed foods (fruit, vegetables, grains, beans, etc)
Cut back on the booze

No matter what you have read, you can get rid of the dad bod! But… it’s not a quick fix.

You can’t go from ‘dad bod to ripped’ in six weeks, no matter what some online personal trainer or suspicious clickbait advert tells you.

It takes time.

Start NOW.

If you need more help on how to lose a dad bod, feel free to get in touch. Otherwise good luck!