From Man Boobs to Pecs!

920,000 push ups a year so i like cheese bacon and tomato squirrel with boulder stew. capsicum is good to give tumour growth and paranoia. do you like broccoli with your baseball.

How many pushups should I be doing a day?

To: P. Allston Janoski

My heart goes out to you. I know very well body shame and really wish I can accept who I am and what I look like.

W

High cardio might bring your overall weight, your water weight, and you body fat down, but "man boobs" (a term which has the unique effect of insulting both men and women) is a more complex problem. I suffered from gynecomastia my entire life. While my condition wasn't extreme, my chest contour was nevertheless very feminine. I worked out at the gym every day, an hour and a half of cardio. I worked with weights but was very careful not to build up too much muscle in my chest. When I did, I found I'd get bigger...a solid layer of muscle only pumped up the fat. Early on in life I discovered that being super thin did not cure the problem. Yes, my fat flattened out and was reduced. But the fat in my chest seemed to have a metabolism of its own. I became a very skinny young man with a still-feminine contour to my chest. I suffered every time I was put into a situation where other men were shirtless in public...the gym, the school locker room, the pool, the beach, picnics, you name it. Summer was the worst time of year for obvious reasons. I learned which brands of polo shirts were more or less "clinging." Because the problem worsened in my pre-teens, I developed rounded shoulders from trying to sink in my chest. I still have shortness of breath from years of suppressing a full and satisfying breath. Achest filled with healthy air only drew attention to my problem. My sex life was nearly destroyed. I am a very handsome man. But I could see the odd looks my partners would give me when I removed my shirt. I recall several instances when I was caught in the rain wearing only a polo shirt. The wetness would make my shirt cling. Once, a group of teens yelled out, "Hey, get a bra!" I couldn't afford liposuction until I was in my early 40's. I did my research and went to one of the most respected plastic surgeons in New York City to have my breasts reduced through lipo. The entire procedure cost $14,000. At first, it looked as if I might never have to worry about my chest again. While it wasn't sculpted, it was no longer feminine or full. But I began to notice a hardening beneath my left nipple. When I felt around the area I discovered a larger mass of hard tissue beneath. I hadn't felt anything like this before. My surgeon said it was fibrous tissue combined with internal scar tissue. After 3 years I began to notice that my left breast was clearly fuller than my right. On very humid days it seemed as if my left breast enlarged even more. My surgeon said I probably needed another surgery to remove the hard mass. He'd have to go into the breast through the nipple. He gave me an estimate of $9,000 for this second surgery. That was a year ago...three years after the original surgery. I can't afford to have it done. And so I enjoyed no more than three months of feeling that my chest looked "normal." My surgeon said he was conservative when he performed my surgery in 2006. He explained why it was safer. I felt he was too safe. And so my lifetime of feeling ashamed of my appearance never really ended. It continues. When I hear the term "man boobs" I don't find it funny.