Your love handles have always been a thorny issue with you. But you won't admit it to anyone- not even your wife who lovingly calls you her "daddy teddy bear". You grin and even made them think that you don't give a care about how you seem to get rounder by the minute. After all, you're a real man.

Whereas weight loss and their desire for sexier versions of themselves are a common topic for women, it's not quite as open a subject for men. The male ego, it seems, gets easily bruised when confronted with the reality that they're not as perfect as they'd like to believe. If you're one of the flabby guys out there who hide your sheer desire to lose weight under what can sometimes be a silly brand of machismo, this article is for you. Here are 7 weight loss tips that we're sure will help you become the real man you've always pictured yourself to be:

1. Admit that you want to lose weight. This is the crucial first step towards your weight loss success. You've got to tell yourself that you don't want those excess bulges anymore, that you're tired of being the flabby guy. And you don't just admit this to yourself, but your family and friends too. They have to know so they can support your efforts.

2. There's no substitute to a healthy diet and exercise. These are the only proven ways to lose weight and keep it off for good. A healthy diet consists of fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, beans and dairy. It also means drinking 8-12 glasses of water everyday and taking a glass before and after every meal. A healthy diet means going for natural foods and staying as much as possible away from highly processed ones. It also means having a hearty breakfast, spreading your meals to 4-6 times in one day and skipping the midnight snacks. If there's anything that you must absolutely eliminate from your diet, it's soda. It's chockfull of calories and will only derail your efforts at achieving your desired weight. Ditching the soda alone can make you lose a considerable amount of weight. And alcohol? The term "beer belly" wasn't just coined to give beer bad rep. It's high in calories and contains nothing else that can be considered good for you. If you can't ditch the alcohol, at least limit your consumption. Meanwhile, exercise means something as easy as a 30-minute brisk walk around the neighborhood everyday to doing your own home workouts to getting yourself a gym membership. It's burning more calories than what you consume. Men have an easier time getting rid of excess fats compared to women so any workout you do is bound to show results in a shorter amount of time.

3. Create a lifestyle change. Weight loss is about a change in paradigm. It's about eating healthy, physical exercise and stress management. It's about getting rid of vices that do not contribute to your overall health. These include such things as drinking, smoking and overeating that we men are by nature more prone to practicing.