Nutritionist Sarah Di Lorenzo: The ‘dad bod’ has evolved but is it OK to fit the stereotype?

We saw the emergence of the term ‘dad bod’ in a 2015 article by a college student describing a young male physique that balances fat and muscle but also connotes a diet of beer and pizza and living a relaxed sedentary lifestyle.

We all over the years have known the term dad bod and it’s the average guy who is not muscular, ripped or shredded but rather has a beer belly without being overweight.

It is also the stereotypical dad living in the suburbs with a family.

The dad bod is linked to a man who is kind, warm, relatable and easygoing and who likes to relax with his friends or on the couch.

So with the evolution of the ‘dad bod’, we see it now as the middle-aged weight gain for men who do not exercise.

They are generally skinny fat, meaning slim with a pot belly.

The dad bod is now about being somewhat fit but just not super fit, it is a bod with some love handles without letting yourself go and you could say it is in 2024 considered a normal middle-aged male body type.

But now almost 10 years since the birth of the “dad bod” the definitions are blurred, what started as a body-positive, warm, relatable and endearing term is now something of fat shaming or insulting.

So with Father’s Day coming up, I wanted to throw some light on the ‘dad bod’.

Is it OK to have a dad bod?

Should we embrace the dad bod again?

Well after a lot of thought, I have decided the best for our dads is to be healthy with a positive and healthy relationship with lifestyle and food.

We want our dads to live long and healthy lives to be around for us and embrace the later phase in life as a fit, active and healthy grandparent.

We want our dads and the men in our lives to be mentally, and physically healthy and not fall into the trap of thinking a dad bod is a good place to settle because of what society has made of it over the past 10 years.

What men have as an advantage over many women is they can very easily go from ‘dad bod’ which is generally skinny fat to a healthy dad easily.

I see this all the time in my clinic when couples come into my clinic to get healthy together.

The men will always lose weight a lot faster than their partners.

This is because physiologically men are built to burn fat quicker, have more lean muscle mass and a higher metabolic rate.

Lean muscle mass consumes more calories and because of the higher male metabolism, men need to consume more calories each day to meet their resting metabolic rate in simple terms what their body needs for basic functions like breathing and sleeping.

Outside of the benefits of the aesthetics of being at a healthy weight what matters lies in the importance of good health.

My biggest influx of male patients is when they hit 55 and many are diagnosed with hypertension or high cholesterol.

After years of getting away with the dad bod way of life, their GP has told them to go on medication and the patients I see are panicking.

I point out the fork in the road right there.

You address your health or spend the rest of your life on medication for preventable diseases.

My tips for men to stay in shape start with exercising daily and find something you love, it could be football with friends, golf, tennis, gym classes or running.

Keeping muscles strong with age is essential so start resistance training and aim for three to four sessions per week, it is never too late to start.

Minimise or remove alcohol.

Focus on stress management and sleeping well plus make sure you are eating a balanced and healthy diet that includes the right portions of all the food groups plus well hydrated.

Remember you are a role model for your family and this change to long-term health and wellness will rub off on those around you and my final thought is nothing tastes as good as feeling healthy.

Happy Father’s Day…..