Physical & Mental Fitness
Your Big Belly Might Be a Sign You're Not Okay
by
Adekunle Olopade
Minute read
6 minutes
Published Date
What exactly are men doing with love handles?
I have been working all year - but not in a way that’s healthy: rarely eating, barely sleeping, definitely stressing, and it has only gotten worse over the months, but I adapted.
On Monday this week, something happened. I started the day off getting into that Monday morning vibe; I was looking through my itinerary and planning my day amidst scheduled meetings, and suddenly I told myself no. I wasn’t going to do any of that. Instead, I was going to spend my Monday (specifically) cooking.
A bit of a backstory: I had once worked in finance, followed the path of my parents, and as I got older, I was able to appreciate that experience from different perspectives. The first, from a child who grew up hardly seeing his parents because they were working; the second, as an adult who understood why parents were always working and could hardly see their kids. At the time, I thought it was absurd to live life that way, and I left the sector. Only for me to realize that I had subconsciously gone back into that pattern. So I decided to break it and do something different on a Monday.
That Monday stunt reminded me of something - how far I have strayed. I have not eaten healthy in almost a year: survived on noodles, spaghetti, late-night eating, and alcohol. Now I have a pot belly, my joints and back ache, I am not as fit as I used to be, and I don't feel healthy anymore.
I used to be really committed to the gym and a healthy lifestyle, but then I was kidnapped sometime last year, and during this ordeal, my life flashed before my eyes; all the going to the gym did not help LOL, and I think for a while I got depressed. Throwing myself into work became my coping mechanism, and thinking about it now with all the knowledge I have, I think many men throw themselves into work as a way of coping or dealing with a problem, and the result usually shows on their body.
I am sharing this because I do not think my story is rare. A lot of men lose their drive, libido and testosterone included, because life happened to them. The stress of life gets transferred to work, work gets too much, or grief builds up, and they ultimately stop looking after themselves. It is rarely laziness (or that men don’t care about their looks). When you are in survival mode, food and sleep are the first things to go, and your body keeps the receipt.
Most men do not understand what is happening, and fewer can put it into words. So the belly grows, the energy drops, and nobody says anything.
What Your Belly Is Actually Telling You
Not all fat is the same. The fat that collects around your middle, deep inside the abdomen, is linked to a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. That is why a growing waistline deserves attention, and not only because of how it looks in a shirt.
It is also not purely a food problem. Chronic stress, poor sleep, and skipped meals followed by heavy ones all make it harder to manage weight, and they tend to feed each other. You also cannot burn fat from one spot. Sit-ups tighten the muscle underneath, but the belly only shrinks as overall body fat comes down.
Weight, sleep, and stress can also affect hormones. Excess weight and poor sleep are both associated with lower testosterone and lower drive in men, which can turn into a loop: you feel flat, you move less, you gain more. None of this is a diagnosis. As a rough guide, a waist above about 94cm (37 inches) is commonly flagged as raising health risk, and above about 102cm (40 inches) as raising it further.
If your joints or back already hurt, or you have not exercised in a long time, get a check-up before you start. Ask for your blood pressure and blood sugar to be checked while you are there. It’s very important also.
Don't Believe Me? These Men Said It Publicly
I didn't want to guess what disciplined men do, so I looked at what four public figures and men most people admire have said about their own bodies. None of them are doctors, and that's the point. They are men who let things slide, life happened, admitted it, were open about it, and started again. Everything below comes from their own posts as seen across social media. Maybe you’d have seen some of them before.
1. Look at what you drink.
Davido, who has shared his gym routine since 2022, admitted his stomach was the stubborn part and pointed to his drinking. Davido said he went from 85kg to 79.1kg within weeks of starting. Later he complained that three weeks of training without watching his diet left the scale stuck, and said he was going back on his diet. What goes into your stomach is also important.
Try this: for 30 days, drop sugary drinks and keep alcohol to events or the weekend. Liquid calories are the easiest thing to remove. Fix your plate first. Track your waist and your energy, not only the scale.
2. Get a walking partner, like Ice Prince.
Ice Prince tweeted last year that his earlier size came from bad habits and choices, not illness. In April 2026, Ice Prince said he cut out sugar, alcohol, wine, energy drinks, soda, and bread, and quit smoking. What changed things was a friend telling him it was time to lose the belly, then turning up every evening so the two could walk his estate for an hour after dinner. If your lifestyle allows, take walks after dinner. If you barely eat dinner because of your busy work schedule, maybe ask a colleague to join you. Adjust your schedule so you can take out 30 minutes after work before you head home to get those steps in, or work around something comfortable for you. It is easier to quit alone than to cancel on a friend.
3. Be patient with slow progress, like Banky W.
In an Instagram post, he shared that his fitness progress swung between good days and bad ones, credited small, gradual steps, and thanked the friends who pushed him. Try this: judge the week, not the day. A bad day between two good ones is still a trend. Being honest about where you started makes the change feel possible, to others and to you.
4. Let a rough year be the reset, like Ebuka Obi-Uchendu.
Ebuka had once posted that he had three health scares in 2023 and ended the year in surgery, after which he adopted a healthier lifestyle and planned to focus on his body. His answer to a rough year: commit to looking after yourself.
When was the last time you went for a checkup? If you have been ignoring a symptom, it’s probably best to book the appointment this week. What are you waiting for?
Lastly, I’ll say: show your starting point.
Sometimes, all you need is a little bit of accountability and something to always look back to. If you don’t like what you see in the mirror, take a picture and let that be your motivation for change. Your constant reminder that you can do better. Try a 30-day challenge: change your routine, your diet, incorporate exercises/walks, and see how you feel after 30 days. Then take another picture and then compare.
None of these men found a trick. They found a friend, a habit, a number to watch, and a reason. You can borrow all four.
"A lot of men lose their drive because life happened to them, and this isn't something many men understand or can articulate." - Adekunle
Where To Begin? Your First 30 Days
This is a starting point, not a transformation. The goal is to build a base you can keep.
Get checked. See a doctor, especially if you have random, unexplainable pain. Ask about blood pressure and blood sugar.
Walk every day. Start with 20 to 30 minutes and build up. Health guidelines suggest roughly 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, and walking counts.
Lift, simply. Do two or three short strength sessions a week: squats or sit-to-stands, push-ups, rows and carries. If your joints complain, choose low-impact versions and go lighter.
Eat on a schedule. Three regular meals with protein and vegetables at each, fewer sugary drinks, less alcohol. Cook once and portion for the week, as in our stew piece.
Protect your sleep. Most adults need about seven to nine hours. Pick a fixed bedtime and put the phone away before it.
Measure more than weight. Track your waist, your energy, and how you sleep. They improve before the scale does.
Say it out loud. Tell one person you trust that you have been running on empty. Carrying stress silently is part of how the belly grows.
Miss a day and carry on. Consistency beats intensity every time. Now you might not be able to do all 7, but 4-5 is a pretty good number.
Coming Back To The Beginning
Something about taking time out on a Monday to cook changed something in me. The defiance, the abnormality of it.
What I know is this. Boys learn what a man's life looks like by watching how men treat their own bodies. If the men around them run on no sleep, no food, and no rest, that becomes the template, and then we wonder why so many grow into men who burn out quietly. That is part of why PTBCI exists. If we want better men, they need to see men who look after themselves.
So this week (or you can start in November), start small: one walk, one proper meal, one early night. If you are carrying more than that, whether it is stress, low mood, or something you have never told anyone, please talk to a doctor, a counsellor, or someone you trust. Coming back starts with admitting you left.
Mentor. Educate. Nurture.
