Weight Loss: Men Versus Women

If you’re a man trying to lose weight at the same time as your partner or your female friend, you may notice that you somehow have an unfair advantage and that you’re getting in shape way faster. Men who don’t even try to follow a strict, healthy diet (but exercise regularly) will also lose weight faster than women that eat only healthy food and exercise even more.

If you’re a woman, then the good news is that you aren’t doing something wrong just because you are losing weight at a much slower pace. Actually, there are several reasons why men tend to achieve significant weight loss faster.

Men Have More Muscle

Men have a much higher percentage of lean muscle mass. A study that was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that men have 33% more muscle mass in the lower body and 40% more in the upper body.

Men are genetically designed to have more muscle and less fat, which is mostly a result of the presence of testosterone in the body.

So, why is this significant? Well, when you have more muscle, you will burn more calories (even when you’re resting). In order for women to increase their muscle mass, they need to start doing strength training at least two times a week.

Differences In Exercising

When women want to start losing weight, in most cases they start doing aerobic exercise – swimming, running, or brisk walking. If you do mixed forms of exercise, like most men do, you’ll lose more weight (especially around the waist). So, to make sure you achieve weight loss faster, make sure to add resistance training to your aerobic workout routine.

Keeping A Positive Attitude

When most men become overweight, they simply make a decision to start exercising and paying attention to what they eat. On the other hand, women become much more obsessed over their weight gain. It destroys their self-worth, so they often get depressed and start eating more instead of hitting the gym.

The next time you see that the numbers on the scale have increased, be sure to keep a positive attitude about your weight gain. Remember that there’s nothing to worry about, as it won’t be too hard to lose weight again, as long as you start exercising regularly and go on a diet.

Eating Habits

The main difference between women and men, when it comes to eating habits, is that women tend to be emotional eaters. Women are more likely to eat junk food out of frustration or boredom. So, instead of eating away your problems, try going for a run the next time you’re feeling sad or stressed out. It will provide you with a much healthier way to feel better.

Tolerance For Exercising

A study that was published in the Official Journal of the American College of Sports medicine notes that men and women experience a different response to exercise by the pulmonary system. In fact, women have a reduced lung capacity, which definitely has an effect on their ventilation, airway responsiveness, and respiratory muscle work during exercise.

Because of this, women experience exercises in a very different way than men. Namely, it is harder for them to do vigorous workouts.

Conclusion

Even though men tend to lose weight quicker than women, this fact is not something that you need to obsess over. Just because it may take you more time to experience the same weight loss as men doesn’t mean that it is impossible to reach your goals.

The best thing that you can do is start comparing yourself to others (no matter if they’re male or female), and start focusing on your own goals.