How men trim inches off their waists

THEY might be unable to see their feet, but overweight men often can’t even see their paunches. Or rather, they fail to take notice of them and often under-estimate their waist-size by more than two inches, a survey has found. Refusal to admit burgeoning beer bellies was yesterday branded a “recipe for danger”, putting tubby men at risk of developing cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The survey comes as three of the country’s main health charities, the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and Diabetes UK, teamed up to urge men to face the music and do something about their waist size as part of their Active Fat campaign. The average British man estimates his waist at just 35.8inches. But this is more than two inches less than the actual English national average of 37.9in and Scottish average of 38in. It seems that the nation’s men are in denial about just how fat they have become.The survey of 1,000 men found just one in six admitting they have a 40in or above waist, which is just half the actual number who do have that high-risk waistline. And nearly a third of English men and more than a third of Scottish men are over the dangerous threshold. Men are at increased risk of cancer, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease when their waist size strays above 37in and high-risk when they bulge past the 40in mark. Yet, nearly nine out of 10 admit they have no idea how to measure their waists, with almost half incorrectly believing they can get away with measuring just above their hips. Only one in eight knows the correct method, which involves measuring at the midpoint between the ribs and the top of the hips. Tracy Parker, heart health dietitian at the BHF said: “The results of this survey are worrying; they suggest men might not know they are in the danger zone. “Taking action doesn’t have to be a chore. If your waist strays above the 37 inch mark, arrange some healthy activities around your day for maximum efficiency and minimum fuss.”