What the evidence says
A 2013 review pooled 24 studies of weight loss in men. Losing weight was associated with higher testosterone, and the amount of weight lost was the best predictor of how much it rose.1
Bariatric surgery, which takes off a lot of weight, produced roughly three times the rise that dieting did.1 The direction was the same either way.
What doctors are told to do
The Endocrine Society says that where a man's low testosterone is down to being overweight — a BMI over 27 — and there's no other cause, weight loss is typically the first-line treatment.2
How to actually lose it
Nobody's short of a diet plan. What's missing is week seven.
- Pick a way of eating you can hold for twelve weeks, not one you can survive for two.
- Weigh in once a week — same morning, same scale.
- Measure your waist. It moves when the scale stalls.
- Three things a day. Not thirty.
When to get help
If you've a lot to lose, or other health conditions, talk to your GP. Weight-loss medication and surgery are medical decisions. A coach works alongside them, not instead of them.