What are “Man Boobs”?

What are “Man Boobs”?

Let’s chat about some medical definitions, because it’ll help us put “man boobs” in some proper context.

• Gynecomastia is defined as the benign growth of the male breast glandular tissue. The National Institute of Health states it’s usually caused by “increased estrogen activity, decreased testosterone activity, or the use of numerous medications.[1]”
• Pseudogynecomastia is when male breasts are enlarged by fat deposits, due to an increase in body fat which distributes itself on one’s body according to genetics.

Most men who struggle with “man boobs” or “moobs” are in this second category, and the “pseudo” means they don’t really have the condition “gynecomastia.”

There is no hormonal imbalance.

Instead, the body is just storing extra fat in the chest area.

This panda is sad that his body is storing fat in his chest area.
I’ll mostly be talking about shedding body fat and building muscle to lose “moobs,” but I will also talk about gynecomastia and medical conditions later.

Can you get rid of Man Boobs?

Why do some men store fat in their chest?

We all process and store calories differently in our bodies.

And how our body stores excess calories is a critical concept for our discussion on “man boobs.”  

If you eat more calories than you burn, day after day, month after month, year after year, your body has to do something with that extra energy.

If you’re sedentary, more often than not, the body will choose to store that energy as fat to be used for later.

Depending on your genetics, your body might choose to store that fat in your butt, gut, thighs, or chest.

Probably a combination of all those things.

And for some of us, a large portion of that body fat deposits itself in our chest area.