"I dropped down to 102 kilograms, but I just couldn't get below 100," Mr Todhunter said.

"I thought, 'there's got to be a way to do this'."

A year earlier, he'd been compelled to change his lifestyle.

He had pancreatitis and his gallbladder removed.

A doctor advised him to cut back on drinking alcohol.

"I was having a few beers every day after I finished work," he said.

"I didn't think I drank too much."

Wanting to lose more weight, he heard about the University of Newcastle SHED-IT program, which helps men lose weight without giving up what they love.

Mr Todhunter had lost a lot of weight, but the program helped him realise he was eating too much.

"There's a very simple equation. Kilojoules in must be less than kilojoules out. It's as simple as that.

"It's all about keeping yourself within a reasonable limit of what you eat, compared to the exercise you'll do for the day," he said.

"I got into walking every day. I said, 'yeah I can do this'."

With the program's help, he's kept his weight at about 88 to 89 kilograms for seven years.

"I must say I've never felt better," he said.

Nowadays, he doesn't eat as much food.

"If I have a steak now, it's only the size of the palm of my hand," he said.

"I eat a lot of vegies, salad and fruit. I have full cream milk and love cheese.

"I still have a beer, but only one standard beer a day on average. A lot of days I don't have a beer at all."

He sticks to dark chocolate, with 70 per cent cocoa.

"It has plenty of antioxidants and it is good for you."

University of Newcastle researcher Myles Young said a new program was about to start called SHED-IT: Recharge.

"It's based on the original program. But we noticed last time that about one in five guys in the study had these low-mood symptoms at a concerning level," Dr Young said.

"About one in two had some symptoms like frustration, crankiness, tiredness, stress - general feelings of being down."

The original program had given participants meaningful improvements in those symptoms.

So the program has been expanded to provide mental, as well as physical, health advice.

"We thought this time around we'd do an adaptive version of the program that targets physical and mental health," he said.

"It builds in some of the strategies from the psychology world about mental fitness, feeling well and thought patterns."

Researchers from the university's psychology school added their knowledge to the program.

The program targets physical health, with "a secondary approach on how to manage mood and reduce stress".

The entire program is accessed online.

The mental side will use the cognitive behavioural therapy technique.

"It's a hands-on, action-orientated approach. We thought that would resonate well with men because it gives them something they can do," he said.

"A lot of it is around recognising negative thought patterns and the concept of mindfulness."

He said mindfulness may sound "a bit new-agey", but it was about "being aware of your thoughts and the impact they're having on your emotions".

"If you're tending towards negative thought patterns, there are things you can do to get on top of that," he said.

Some men are reluctant to attempt weight loss. Australian culture plays a role in this.

"Bigger can be better when it comes to traditional masculinity.

"Also weight loss can be associated with dieting and a more feminine world."

He said men don't necessarily want to "eat rabbit food or give up beer".

"Another factor is that existing programs to help lose weight haven't been targeted towards men. Most programs are predominantly for female participants."

Few programs were designed for men.

The SHED-IT program has been running at the university for about a decade.

"We've had hundreds of men do that program, with improvements in exercise, diet and quality of life, while reducing risky alcohol consumption," Dr Young said.

The $300,000 program is funded by the Heart Foundation and Hunter Medical Research Institute.

The need for the program is clear from the latest data, which shows 75 per cent of men are overweight or obese. Less than 20 per cent of men get enough physical activity and less than 5 per cent are eating enough fruit and vegetables.

"We live in a world in which it's difficult to be healthy," Dr Young said.

"There are a lot of misconceptions about how to be healthy and lose weight.

"Our program tries to give men the knowledge, skills and motivation to make some simple changes to improve their physical and mental health.

"It's some strategies to help men survive."

The program does not direct men to do a particular exercise program.

"It's more trying to build physical activity back into your day," he said.

Health guidelines state that people should get 150 minutes of exercise a week.

"We recommend that people try to increase at a level they're comfortable with. It might be measuring your steps and trying to increase by 10 per cent a week."

The program encourages "incidental physical activity".

This may include things like getting off the bus stop early to do some walking and walking upstairs instead of taking the lift.

It also supports some planned exercise "where you get your huff and puff - the more moderate to vigorous level".

"We don't have a prescribed exercise regime. We try to give men options and let them choose what works for them."

The program is due to begin at the end of August. Recruitment is open now for men aged 18 to 70.

Contact recharge@newcastle.edu.au or phone 4921 2067 for details or visit the website, tinyurl.com/recharge-study.