Do men lose weight easier than women?

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PSmillie
PSmillie Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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.
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Replies

  • Vicky14174
    Vicky14174 Posts: 715 Member
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    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
    ztkraf01 Posts: 14 Member
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    I don't know but really heavy people lose weight easier than those of us that want to lose that last 10 lbs
  • IndyRick
    IndyRick Posts: 172
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    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
    ropedancer Posts: 115
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    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
    boomstick13s Posts: 70
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    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
    ashleyxnicole89 Posts: 38 Member
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    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
    nurse_chris Posts: 189
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    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
    atucker0821 Posts: 106 Member
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    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
    kbray003 Posts: 52
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    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
    Amb1976 Posts: 241 Member
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    less use of brain cells??? KIDDING!
  • LBATL
    LBATL Posts: 76 Member
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    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
    alecta337 Posts: 622 Member
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    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
    IndyRick Posts: 172
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    By saying we do it easier, you do realize you're minimizing our efforts, right?
  • kabullard
    kabullard Posts: 41
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    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
    KWright76 Posts: 72 Member
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    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
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    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
    OLP76 Posts: 768 Member
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    :grumble: I'm curious :noway:
  • mcbrika
    mcbrika Posts: 12
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    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
    PSmillie Posts: 26 Member
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    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
    hyoung3 Posts: 85 Member
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    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' !! :smile:

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