Do men lose weight easier than women?

PSmillie

I'm in a weight loss class that meets once a week, and every week there is a "winner" who lost the most weight over that period. Every week, there is some guy who made the slightest change in his diet and lost a ton. One week, a guy said, "I didn't really change anything. I guess I quit drinking soda, and I lost six pounds." Another guy skipped all of his exercise days and lost 3.5 pounds anyway.

I, on the other hand, had a perfect food log and extra exercise sessions for a whoppin' loss of 0.5 pounds. Grawr! How do men do this? It's never women in the class with these huge weight loss miracles.

Vicky14174

congrats on the weight loss for you this week. i don't know if they can lose faster than us. sorry i can't help you with that part.

ztkraf01

I don't know but really heavy people lose weight easier than those of us that want to lose that last 10 lbs

IndyRick

I can tell you it's not easier for me. I'm VERY committed to what I do. No cheat days, watch my sodium, exercise every day, drink my water. I'm having really great losses, but I'm working my *kitten* off to do it and it's certainly not easy. Drastic results take drastic measures.

ropedancer

I've always suspected that. If you think about it historically, it makes sense. Men used to be the hunter/gatherer types. It was beneficial for them to be muscular. Women got pregnant and needed to nurture children, so some fat was beneficial. Of course, things are different now, but I bet our bodies are still thinking that way.

EDIT- of course I don't want to belittle all the guys here working out hard, and not losing much! Those are just my thoughts, and I don't think they apply to every guy.

You should probably do the contest by percentage of body fat, although total pounds lost seems easier to calculate. Congrats on your weight loss so far

boomstick13s

i calculated my BMR a few days ago, and out of curiosity switched it to male. A guy my size would burn 200 more calories a day than a female. Mind boggling... also leaves an opening for jokes about why?

ashleyxnicole89

Are you doing a lot of strengthening exercise? Because you're weight loss may be lacking because you're turning fat into muscle. Which is actually just as good. Muscle weighs more than fat. Keep an eye on you body fat%. If that's changing then you know you're doing great.

nurse_chris

losing weight is an unfair contest. now if it was based on percentage of weight lost, that might be a better indicator. I wonder if it might have something to do with testosterone levels?

atucker0821

my fiance cut back on drinking beer and lost 10 pounds...and doesn't even try to lose weight...yes he is overweight but it supports you theory that men lose weight easier than women (i know it's not all inclusive for all men)...

i have always said men did it easier...it bites!!

kbray003

IN general I think they do.... It may have something to do with the fact that women have babies and our biology causes our body to want us to hold on to additional fat.... blah, blah, blah.... I dont know if this is true or not. I think men in general have a faster metabolism and their muscles are more dense.

Amb1976

less use of brain cells??? KIDDING!

LBATL

Yes, men lose weight more efficiently than women. They typically have more muscle mass which means more calories burned per day. Also, hormones have a LOT to do with weight loss. The hormonal makeup of women makes our bodies want to store fat. Men on the other hand have more testosterone which again means more calories burned. Just hang in there and try not to focus on the guys' successes. Slow and steady wins the race

alecta337

There is scientific research that suggest that although men loose weight more quickly than women, it is easier for women to keep it off. So we get a mixed deal ladies: we work harder, but the results are there to stay (more so than for men anyway)

The thing about BMR is that the calculator probably assumes that a man has a higher muscle/body fat ratio (which is usually true) and muscle burns more calories than fat, even if you're just sitting there

IndyRick

By saying we do it easier, you do realize you're minimizing our efforts, right?

kabullard

Because guys are bigger already.....we go by percentage of weight lost. We did a biggest loser challenge on my campus, and a male teacher who weighs a lot more than me, lost a lot more than me. However, I had a higher percentage of weight lost, and I won!

KWright76

I found this on the net
1.Men have more muscle. This allows them to burn more calories, even when at rest.
2.Women are predisposed to store and retain fat. Women have higher levels of estrogen, a hormone that works works to keep the fat on a woman's body so it's easier for her to get pregnant. That means women have to work harder to lose weight at the same rate as men.
3.Men's bodies respond more quickly to exercise. Women's bodies, meanwhile, actually go into a sort of starvation mode, slowing the metabolism to hang onto more fat.
4.Women may have a lower tolerance for exercise. Women have smaller lung capacity than men, which can make women feel as though they are working harder than men even if the women are working at the same level. This can also make exercise feel harder in the heat or high humidity.
This doesn't mean it's impossible for women to lose weight and, when you think about, excellent reasons are behind a woman's tendency to store fat. After all, creating and nurturing a new life is nothing to sneeze at.

erickirb

Men have more muscles mass which burns more caloires at work and at rest. So if 2 people weighed the same the one with more muscle will burn more calories at rest, if they are both the same fitness level the one with more muscle will also burn more when exercising.

OLP76

:grumble: I'm curious :noway:

mcbrika

It is proven that men lose weight/fat faster than women. It is mainly due to the level of testosterone in them. Women are built to carry more fat simply to help with child bearing. To help us women, we need to strength train since muscle is a more metabolically active tissue. Therefore the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism even at rest. Not to say you have to give up. I know from my experience the heavier I lift the slimmer I get. I can actually eat more...as long as its clean/nutritious food and not junk. So we have it a little harder than men. It is all a balancing act and finding out what works for your individual body. My husband can think about doing sit ups and his abs look better. Not fair, but oh well.

PSmillie

IndyRick, I don't think there's ever anything "easy" about losing weight -- for men or women. I think every pound lost (by anyone) is a great thing.

hyoung3

From what I've read in several different publications, men can indeed naturally lose weight faster due to muscle density.

The more dense your overall muscle state, the more calories are burned.... even at rest.

This is due to our bodies trying to fuel the muscles to maintain their structure. Yes, it does link us back to primitive times because our physiology hasn't evolved, despite our changes in lifestyle.

Side-by-side in a gym, if a man and a woman were to perform the exact same exercises over a period of time, the man would have denser musculature and thereby, have a lower body fat percentage.

Weight gain due to muscle increase would be most notable in body-building types, but probably not as a result of aerobics.

Just my 2 cents... hope this helps.

Good luck and keep on burnin' !!

Lady_G

It is true that men do lose weight quicker than women, although I don't know why this is.

JennLifts

Womens bodies are naturally made to have more fat on them than men Not to mention, i know it wouldn't show up on the scale as well, but they can build muscle much faster, so they are able to burn more existing having more muscle. Gotta hate em!

JennLifts

less use of brain cells??? KIDDING!

HAH! My kinda girl!

vendygirl

Women are built to have so much fat on their bodies due to the fact that we are built to carry children. We have a different make up so therefore it is different on how we lose weight. Sadly you class should be going by weight loss % like and not the amount lost. I know this is cheesy but I am currently watching the Biggest Loser and the team with all women is winning each week against the team with mainly men. The use weight and % to figure that out.

A lot of men can shed pounds easier, at first, but just remember not all and there are women that can drop pounds easier. The problem is we want to see the "big" numbers that guys make however we aren't built like them so stop comparing. The men that just drop drinking pop for a month still have to keep going and that one change will not be enough to keep that weight loss going. you are changing your life style.

Don't get me wrong I get frustrated when I see my fiancee has lost 11 pounds and I have only lost 7. I have been at this a little longer but I just know that in the end he will have a bigger number than me and that is fine.

Keep up the good work and you will see the results physically. Don't rely on the number on the scale, rely on how you feel and your clothes fit.

Newfiedan

A diet just like exercise needs to be shook up to keep the train moving along at a good pace, it can adapt to damn near anything given some time. a planned cheat day every few weeks will keep that train moving as much as you may not think it does, some say do it once a week, I do it when I feel I need it or I see the numbers (incl measurements) slow down. The scale does not tell the tale of how much fat you are losing, rather it tells you half the story. Look to the measurements as thats the true tale of what the body is doing. People get scale obsessed or as I call them sop's. These people only see the number on it and not what is really happening obsessing about it. Read my blog about meatbolic rate and boosting it, it works for both women and men. The successful weight loss needs to be an ever evolving workout routine and diet regimen, to strict will just land you in a plateau.

nikkionamission

yep, my husband is one of those sickening guys...he puts a bit of weight on so goes running for a couple weeks and loses it all!

He doesn't get it's not as easy for me :noway:

BrianJLamb

Listen...guys don't lose fat easier than girls. Muscles lose fat easier than no muscles or less muscles. You take a guy with a little girly frame like the one I have and you put me up against a chick who has some muscle mass, she is going to burn fat alot faster than me.

I am not at all slamming women here, so please don't take it as that, but my fiance is constantly mentioning how it isn't fair that I can lose weight so easily. I have to remind her that "easily" consists of eating mostly vegetables, nothing fried, no fatty meats, no candy or cakes, a reduced calories diet, and cardio almost every day and sometimes twice a day while she is adding sesame sticks to her salads and eating Burger King here and there. Her period rolls in and she eats chocolate. Her coworkers have a party, so she has a 'small' piece of pizza.

It has been my experience, just going off of the women that I have encountered, that poor food decisions are often justified as hormonal decisions, or as circumstantial necessity. It is also my experience, that often times some people overestimate how much they are working out and underestimate how much other people are working out. I am not saying that about anyone in here, just saying that I have experienced that.

Newfiedan

good post brian, I totally agree with it.

purplepeace

Men have more muscle mass than women and muscle burns 10x more calories than fat. Their bodies are calorie-burning machines just on physiological make up. Thats why I don't think weight-loss competitions should ever be co-ed. It isnt fair. It's comparing apples and oranges. This doesnt even take into consideration hormonal differences and other things.

BrianJLamb

Men have more muscle mass than women and muscle burns 10x more calories than fat. Their bodies are calorie-burning machines just on physiological make up. Thats why I don't think weight-loss competitions should ever be co-ed. It isnt fair. It's comparing apples and oranges. This doesnt even take into consideration hormonal differences and other things.

Men naturally have a predisposition to have more muscles than women. Go to google and type in 'strong woman' and then look at the images. I can assure you that I do NOT have more muscle mass than 97 percent of those women.