Men don't tend to worry as much as women about nutrition, having bypassed the kind of diet and health messages you find in female-orientated advertising and magazines.
But there's a downside to this carefree attitude: 67 per cent of UK men are overweight or obese compared with 57 per cent of women. And while they enjoy the 15th greatest longevity in the world, they have a shorter life expectancy than women (79 compared with 83).
"Men are more likely to experience coronary heart disease, heart attack and diabetes than women," says Dr Dawn Harper.
Even more worrying is that when it comes to excess weight British men take fifth place in Europe, according to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. But it's not a lost cause.
"An individual's chances of enjoying a long, healthy life can be drastically improved by what they eat and drink, and especially by shedding excess weight and being physically fit," says Dawn. "I've seen patients who, by taking these positive steps, have lowered their cholesterol and blood pressure and vastly improved their self-esteem."
10 WAYS TO SHED POUNDS
GET MOTIVATED
"Write down three negative things you want to move away from and three positives you want to move closer to," says Andrew Shanahan, author of Man v Fat: The Weight Loss Manual.
"Negatives may be a doctor warning you about your weight, being too big to go on rides at theme parks or not being able to walk up stairs without wheezing. Positives could include being able to play with your children, looking good in clothes and joining a running club.
"Keep these motivations with you as a daily reminder of where you were and where you want to be."
DIVIDE YOUR PLATE
Nutritionist Juliette Kellow recommends making sure a third of your plate is filled with vegetables or salad, a third with starchy foods (potato, pasta, rice and other grains) and the rest with a mixture of protein-rich foods (lean meat, chicken, eggs, fish, beans or tofu) and low-fat dairy products.
"Choose wholemeal pasta and brown rice and experiment with other grains such as bulgur wheat, quinoa and spelt," says Juliette.
"Chances are you'll find yourself making your meat, potato and pasta portions smaller and filling the space on your plate with veg or salad. All those nutrient-rich veg will make you feel energised and full."
TRACK YOUR PROGRESS
"Seeing the progress you're making can be incredibly motivating," says Andrew. "There's nothing like seeing the numbers on the scales dropping and realising your hard work is paying off."
It's also useful in case your progress slows down.
Looking back at your tracking information can help you identify where you're going wrong.
"You'll also have a blueprint of those weeks where the things you did worked really well, to replicate for future success."
You could use a notepad, an online diary or a tracker app.
"Don't forget to take some 'before' photographs and let it all hang out," says Andrew. "You may not think you'll ever want to look back at them but they'll be a vivid reminder of where you were and where you don't want to end up again."
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Andrew set himself these rules: "Weigh myself regularly; eat healthier foods, smaller portions and log what I eat; be active; have two cheat meals a week; and consider whether a food will help me reach my goal before eating it."
CHOOSE WISELY
"When eating out, make better choices," says nutritionist Amanda Ursell. "Go for nutritious meal options that will satisfy you and give you energy such as chicken and salad on wholegrain bread.
"Buying chip-heavy pub food or a takeaway will make you feel sluggish."
TAKE BABY STEPS
For long-term change don't put pressure on yourself with unattainable ambitions. Make them smaller and more realistic.
For example, if you like tea with two spoonfuls of sugar, drop down to one spoonful, then half, to give your taste buds time to adjust before cutting out sugar altogether.
EAT 'CLEAN' AND AVOID PACKETS
This isn't a blanket rule but it's a good one to follow as often as you can. "If you avoid eating too many pre-packed foods, you'll cut out a lot of sugary, fatty treats such as biscuits, crisps and ready meals," says Juliette.
"The closer food is to its natural state, the more nutritious and less calorific it tends to be."
CUT BACK A LITTLE
Regular drinkers of alcohol or fizzy drinks can quickly score health benefits by cutting down their intake, says Juliette.
"Aim to halve your alcohol and soft drink consumption and you'll soon be ready to tighten up a notch or two on your belt. Cut out just three pints of lager or a bottle of wine a week and you could save up to 500 calories."
Booze, along with stress, is one of the main fat contributors in men, says Andrew. He suggests you either go cold turkey, drink only a couple of times a week or learn to have alcohol in healthy moderation.
Visit downyour drink.org.uk for support. You'll also find easy drink swaps, a guide to alcohol units and a handy drinks tracking app at nhs.uk/change4life.
GIVE MEAT A BREAK
A good way to cut calories and saturated fat, increase your vegetable intake and help the planet is to take the Meat Free Mondays pledge which aims to reduce the amount of meat we eat.
In 2010, a study carried out by Oxford University found that eating meat no more than three times a week could prevent 31,000 deaths a year from heart disease, 9,000 from cancer and 5,000 from strokes.
Visit meatfreemondays.com and meatfreeweek.org to get involved.
FACE UP TO STRESS
"Long-term exposure to stress does terrible things to our weight and health," says Andrew.
"The adrenal glands produce more cortisol, which is largely responsible for blood pressure regulation and insulin release. This means it dictates how quickly we break down fat and carbohydrates."
Besides looking at ways to reduce or remove the source of stress, you can also help your body cope through exercise, good nutrition, meditation and better sleep and seek help in the form of a doctor, partner, friends, therapist or support group.