Ii was when his wife, Una, exclaimed in horror at holiday snaps showing Alan Manley's body in swimming shorts that he knew it was time to take action.

Wincing at his overflowing paunch and "man boobs", the 32-year-old care home manager decided enough was enough.

In his early 20s he had been trim but at 27 a six-month period in a wheelchair and on crutches after an accident saw the weight pile on.

"I'd just met Una and we were going out for meals all the time. I was content and didn't really think about my weight," he recalls.

By the age of 30 he was 112.04kg and officially obese.

In July, he joined an online group run by Man v Fat (manvfat.com), a site aimed squarely at the male market. With support from other men - members have weekly weigh-ins and post details of their food intake and exercise twice a day - and the website's free diet plans, he lost 4.54kg in 30 days. So far, the weight has stayed off.

"It's the accountability that motivates you. You feel like you've let the other men down if you haven't lost any weight. If you've splurged and had a burger and fries that day, your fellow members spur you on to do an extra run or 10 more minutes on the exercise bike. That support makes you really persevere," he says.

Manley is not alone in his struggle with weight. More than two thirds of men in the UK are overweight.

And being overweight is a key risk factor for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers - all major killers.

Unlike many men, Manley at least acknowledged he had a weight problem.

One 2013 study from the University of London found that while two thirds of men and around half of women in their early forties were overweight or obese, the men were far less likely to realise they were carrying excess weight. It concluded that for men, being overweight has become "normalised" and is more socially acceptable.

For some men, weight issues are a "female thing", says weight loss surgeon Dr Sally Norton from the Spire Hospital in Bristol.

"Men only take their weight seriously when it affects their health, or they can't play with their kids without getting out of breath."

Yet this could be changing. A slimmed-down Jamie Oliver has gone public with his health kick, revealing he has given up alcohol during the week and favours healthy foods such as seaweed, nuts and eggs.

Research on behalf of Alpha Man magazine, published last month, also found that 82% of men "feel more stressed about not having an impressive physique than they did five years ago".

The survey of 1200 men found that 69% would give up alcohol forever in return for a perfect body, and 30% would sacrifice a year of their lives if it meant having their dream physique.

So what help is out there for men like these?

"In general," says Professor Kate Hunt, head of Glasgow University's research on gender and health, "there's a lack of support for men, who find dieting clubs and weight loss programmes a feminised space".

When a men-only alternative is offered, research finds that men's weight improves dramatically.

Researchers from the Universities of Aberdeen, Bournemouth and Stirling who analysed evidence from weight loss trials found that men prefer the use of simple "business-like" language and humour (used sensitively) in strategies to tackle obesity, and also benefit from the moral support of other men.

Weight loss programmes designed with men in mind could well be more effective, they concluded. - The Daily Telegraph