Natural Ways to Reduce Male Breast Size

Male breasts, sometimes coarsely referred to as "man boobs," are collections of fat on the front of a man's chest, resembling female breasts. The body's levels of testosterone and estrogen can, in certain cases, become unbalanced, causing breast tissue to develop in a condition known medically as gynecomastia. If you want to reduce your breast size without drugs or surgeries, make changes to your eating and exercise habits.

Perform exercise to reduce your breast size. (Image: Minerva Studio/iStock/Getty Images)

Eat Healthy

Eating healthy can help you lose weight. (Image: Barbara Dudzińska/iStock/Getty Images)

Losing weight in one location is known as spot reduction. Although many fitness products try to sell this idea to the consumer, it is simply impossible. You need to lose weight throughout the whole body to see loss in one specific location. So to promote weight loss in your chest, reduce your daily intake by 500 to 1,000 calories. An easy way to do this is by giving up all the high-fat foods in your diet - burgers, fries, pizza, chicken wings, cupcakes, sausages, and doughnuts, to name but a few. Not only are these foods high in calories, but they are also high in sodium and sugar - two other fat-retention ingredients. Follow a diet that is high in foods that are as natural as possible, like fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, whole grains, lean meats, fish, beans, and low-fat dairy. To keep your appetite under control, eat small, balanced meals every two to three hours throughout the day. Lean turkey breast on whole-wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, and mustard is an example of a good such meal.

Perform Cardiovascular Exercise

Try to perform more cardiovascular exercises. (Image: matthewennisphotography/iStock/Getty Images)

Cardiovascular exercise helps strengthen your heart and lungs while burning calories. To add to your daily caloric deficit, perform cardiovascular exercise four to five days a week, for at least 30 minutes per session. To place emphasis on your chest muscles, train on an elliptical machine, on which you move foot pedals back and forth as you push and pull hand poles. Pushing the hand poles forward forces you to contract your chest muscles in a motion similar to cross-country skiing.

During the course of your day, get additional exercise by walking during lunch, or parking at the far end of the parking lot when shopping.

Work Your Chest Muscles

Perform weight training exercises that target the chest. (Image: Ibrakovic/iStock/Getty Images)

The pectoralis major and minor are the muscles in the chest. To effectively reduce the size of your breasts, perform weight-training exercises that target these muscles. This will tone your chest and complement your fat-burning cardio workouts. Choose exercises that target the upper, middle, lower and inner portions of these muscles, such as incline presses, bench presses, decline presses, and dumbbell flys. If you do not have access to a gym, perform decline, conventional, incline and close-grip push-ups to fully work your chest.

Give Up Bad Habits

Bad habits can raise your risk for gynecomastia. (Image: Fuse/Fuse/Getty Images)

Alcohol and drugs are known for the toll they take on the mind and liver, but they also contribute to male breasts. According to CNN Health, amphetamines, heroin, marijuana, and alcohol all raise your risk for gynecomastia. If you currently indulge in any of these substances, give them up.