Even though both genders care deeply about their figure, it is no secret and definitely not a stereotype that, in general, women tend to worry more about their weight. Unfortunately for them, there are numerous researches out there that show that men lose weight much easier. Any woman who has decided to go on the same diet as her boyfriend, husband or brother could tell you the same thing after just several weeks. Here are some of the reasons why this is so.
Basic Anatomy
Anatomically, the differences between men and women are not that great. Still, the greatest one might be the muscles-fat ratio. Men simply have larger muscles and proportionally less fat tissues than women do. This is significant for weight loss purposes for numerous reasons, the most important one being the difference in the way metabolism works. Because there are more muscles in their body, the metabolism of men works faster than that of a woman, leading to increased loss in calories. In other words, men lose more calories daily even while doing nothing at all.
Nutrient cravings
Another thing that makes men lose weight much faster is the fact that their body craves more carbs. This naturally means that a male organism can process more carbohydrates than a female one can. Now, we know that carbohydrates are what fattens the most. This alone can be a major factor in the weight loss game. It is also a fact that in their diet women rely more on carbohydrates while men usually prefer meat which is full of proteins. Still, this doesn’t mean that meat is mandatory for weight loss. There are some awesome vegetarian recipes out there that are an adequate alternative.
Psychological endurance
Even though in a lot of cases in life, women are able to think more rationally than men are (who are traditionally considered to be hot-headed), when it comes to food, things are quite different. Up to the present day, scientists all across the world do not know the reason why, but women seem to be more attached to food than men are. This leads to yet another male advantage in the weight loss struggle: when it comes to food, men demonstrate more discipline. Diet breaches are rare, and even if they happen, the guilt about it is usually not big enough for one to succumb to temptation again.
Comfort eating
The fact that women are more emotionally tied to food is universally known. Some nutritionists have even coined terms emotional eaters and comfort eating because of this. In cases of distress or even mild depression, women often tend to find their succor in food. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how this could be yet another setback in losing weight.
The temptation is stronger
On the other side, not everything is just about discipline and emotions, there is something about the proximity to the temptation as well. The truth is that even in this day and age, women are primarily responsible for preparing the meal for the family. This constant exposure to the delicious ingredients and the very process of meal making have a potential to increase the appetite. For this reason alone, it just might be a great idea if chores around the home were to be divided in a more equalitarian spirit.
Training to turn the odds
As we have already stated, it is clearly easier for men to lose weight, this however does not mean that there is nothing that woman can do about it. This difference can be rectified with proper exercise, however, when it comes to recreational sports and gym membership, the advantages again speak for the male side. This advantage is strictly numerical and the difference is made more and more insignificant by the minute. Still, women are more likely to hire a trainer which is just an enormous plus. This alone means that when it comes to training properly, women have the edge.
Workout stereotypes
Even though it is significantly harder for women to gain the same amount of muscle as it is for men, most of women are afraid of looking like female bodybuilders if they start lifting. This simple urban legend has a devastating effect on their training efforts since let’s face it, nothing beats lifting when it comes to getting in shape. In fact, physiques that most women falsely attribute to yoga are usually results of lifting.
Cardio is essential
If your goal is to lose some serious weight, than there is nothing that beats cardio. The most effective and by far the most popular cardio exercise is running. Because women are usually lighter than men (on average) the pressure on their joints is smaller. This means that it is safer for women to run than it is for men.
In the end, from all this information we can see just two things. First, that there are many advantages in losing weight that men have over women. The second thing is however more important, and that is the fact that apart from muscles percentage and metabolism, all male advantages are purely habitual. This means that with the right amount of discipline, determination and will, all of these disadvantages that women have can easily be compensated.
