Randy Lemmon knew it was time for a change. Overweight and often tired, the popular gardening guru remembers the moment it clicked.
"My catalyst was Facebook. Our marketing guy posted a picture of me at an appearance," Lemmon said. "The day after I saw the pictures posted on the internet I went, 'I gotta do something about this.' A week later I was in the Men Only Weight Loss office."
Men Only Weight Loss is a program that focuses specifically on what men should and should not be eating -- foods that program founder Wendy Meyers says are feminizing our men.
"They are getting the equivalent of several female birth control pills on a weekly or monthly basis. Men aren't supposed to have that happen," Meyers said.
The biggest culprits, according to Meyers? Processed foods filled with preservatives, dyes, or soy, which she says mimics estrogen, a female hormone in the body.
Also on the bad food list, starchy carbs like bread and desserts. And -- get this -- beer.
"Red wine is encouraged. And the clear alcohols like clear tequila, vodkas, if you're not mixing with sugary drinks," said Lemmon.
Meyers says too much of these feminizing foods and you'll get, "Frequent trips to the bathroom, breast tissue. We see that an awful lot. More and more men are dealing with very large breasts that they are very embarrassed about."
And if that's not bad enough.
"Sex drive, the big one. Libido, it really takes a nose dive," Meyers said.
The good news is Meyers says if you follow the plan, it can be corrected.
"Because of the way this eating program works, it does naturally raise the male testosterone levels and guys like me who are 50 years and older. That's important in our later years," Lemmon said.
Surprisingly, the plan requires little exercise, no calorie-counting or portion control.
But are the program's claims of "feminizing foods" based on fact? We asked registered dietician Penny Wilson to weigh in.
"I don't necessarily agree ... that the current standard American diet, as they call it, is emasculating men and some of the claims on the hormone changes. I don't necessarily think there is research there to back that up," said Wilson with Ironman Sports Medicine Institute at Memorial Hermann Hospital.
Still, Wilson says the diet does seems sound. And anything based on making better food choices is the right step.
"Anytime we start eating really great choices of protein of our meats, really great vegetables and then adding fruits in as well that is a really good diet to have," said Wilson.
Lemmon tells us he has lost more than 40 pounds on the Men Only Weight Loss program. It's a welcome change, appreciated most of all by his wife, Yvonne.
"He's excited about going shopping for clothes and getting some new jeans and cool shirts, not just so much for the looks of it. But I'm excited for the health of it," Yvonne Lemmon said.
Randy Lemmon is a paid spokesperson for Men Only Weight Loss. The program is $1,500 for 90 days. That includes counseling and 24-hour access to weight loss coaches.
For more information, visit <a href="http://www.menonlyweightloss.com/">MenOnlyWeightLoss.com.
