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In your mind, you may have the toned torso of Cristiano Ronaldo and the pulling power of Ashley Cole. But in reality, many men have more in common with the WAGs than the lads.

Spend too much time downing beers and eating unhealthy food in front of the footie and you’ll find yourself putting on weight in unexpected places. There’s no nice way of saying this: you could be growing man-boobs, or moobs.

Calorie counting

An average pint of strong lager contains around 250 calories – so just a couple of pints adds up to as many calories as you’d get from a burger with all the trimmings. And if you’re snacking on crisps or nuts and ordering takeaway food, your calorie count could soon get out of control.

Alcohol also stops you burning off those excess calories. When your liver breaks down alcohol it produces a substance called acetate. Your body uses this acetate as a source of energy instead of drawing on what you eat or your existing fat reserves.

All this means that regular drinking could have you piling on the pounds sooner than you think. Beer bellies, love handles and the dreaded man-boobs are the result.

Confused hormones

At the extreme end of the spectrum, long-term heavy drinking can lead to further unwanted breast enlargements. Alcohol dependence actually reduces the amount of testosterone you produce. Your body becomes hormonally confused, causing your breasts to swell and your testicles to shrink.

Breast reduction tips

So what can you do to make sure you stay more beefcake than Meatloaf?

You’d probably think twice about ordering an extra pizza when the match goes into extra time, but another pint could do just as much damage to your chest- and waistline.

Make sure you’re aware of the calories in your drink, and keep your alcohol intake within the recommended daily guidelines. The guidelines recommend that men should not regularly exceed 3-4 units daily and that women should not regularly exceed 2-3 units daily. A large glass of wine or a pint of strong lager are both 3 units.

Taking exercise is also an essential part of keeping in shape – and it’s all the more important if you’re planning to spend much of June in front of the TV.

Evening games in South Africa kick off at a civilised 7.30pm. So you’ll have plenty of time to get out and do something between finishing work (or the end of the afternoon game) and watching the match.

Meeting your mates for a game of six-a-side or just having a kickabout with the kids will get you in the mood – and help you keep the moobs at bay.

Curious about how much you're drinking over the World Cup? Count up your units and calories with our unit calculator and drink diary
 

Drinkaware advises men not to regularly drink more than 3–4 units of alcohol a day.