Is it really true that men lose weight quicker than women? This article looks at the reasons why this may be true.
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Why Do Men Lose Weight Quicker Than Women?
There a common belief that men lose weight quicker than women do.
Sorry ladies, but it’s actually true. Men do find it easier to lose weight. At least in the initial stages of their diets.
Slimming down is a long process and, over time, things even out. Losing weight is not a race. It’s the end result that counts.
However, if it were a race, men would start at a sprint and then start running short of puff, allowing women to catch up. ultimately middle aged spread can affect us all!
Men who wish to lose weight have an initial advantage over their female counterparts because the male body generally has more lean muscle tissue.
The presence of this extra muscle increases metabolism, helping men to burn slightly more calories per day—even at rest.
When sedentary men and women begin their weight loss journeys together, as couples sometimes do, the men often lose weight so much quicker than their partners it can seem very unfair.
Especially when both parties are making similar efforts with diet and exercise and try not to overeat.
In one study, carried out in England, the men lost twice as much weight as the women did during the first two months.
They also lost three times as much body fat. That’s a significant difference.
However, four months later, things evened out, making the rate of weight loss more or less the same.
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Hormonal Advantages
Although the presence of extra muscle can help men to initially lose weight quicker than women do, that’s only really half the story.
Men normally have more muscle than women do because they have higher levels of testosterone.
One of the things testosterone does is assist muscle growth. [1]
As men age their T – level start to fall, thankfully there are natural testosterone boosters than can help address these issues.
Men also have less estrogen than women do. That’s another advantage because estrogen can encourage the body to store fat.
The average woman has 6-11 percent more body fat than the average man.
Estrogen has a role to play in this and fluctuations in estrogen during mensuration cause many women to put on additional weight.
The same thing happens when estrogen levels fluctuate at menopause.
However, the fact that women normally have more fat than men do is not entirely bad. It’s been speculated that women evolved this way to ease the process of pregnancy.
Women also have breasts. Men do not. Much of the tissue that forms the breasts is fat.
Data collected from a study involving 45 adult women shows their breast weight accounted for 3.5 percent of their total body fat.
In the years between puberty and menopause, women maintain a greater amount of body fat than men do, even if they consume fewer calories.
It may seem unfair, but it’s just the way the female body is built.
So, just because a woman has 11 percent more fat than a man it does not mean she is “fatter.” A slim woman will have a greater percentage of body fat than a slim man because her genetics require it.
Appearances Can Be Deceptive
The differences between male and female genetics also have the potential to make it look like men are lose weight quicker than women do.
Even at times when their levels of overall weight loss are similar.
When men and women gain weight, they often don’t pay too much attention to their situation until they become noticeably “fatter” in a specific region of their bodies.
In most cases, the belly is the area of focus.
Although there can be differences from person to person, when men start making serious efforts to lose weight, they tend to begin burning belly fat very early in the game.
Female fat stores are generally spread out throughout the body. This means a woman’s fat loss is not always as noticeable.
Let’s look at a hypothetical scenario.
A man and woman are both following diets that cause them to have an energy shortfall of 500 calories per day. Both are also walking 30 minutes per day.
In a scenario like this, both will lose weight. However, after a month, if both parties burn 8 pounds of fat during the first month, the man’s fat loss may be more apparent because most of the fat has gone from the belly whereas, in the woman’s case, the fat loss may be less localized.
Why Men May Have It Worse Than Women
This difference between the sexes may seem a little unfair. However, you have to remember there is a flip-side.
Although men may appear to lose weight quicker than women. Because they generally store more belly fat, men also appear to gain weight faster.
Carrying around so much extra fat around the mid-section also causes men to face greater risks of heart disease.
To put it another way, an overweight male may have a greater risk of heart attack than a similarly overweight female.
Even when things go pear-shaped and women gain a lot of weight around their thighs and bottoms, they have a slight advantage.
Although, women may not find this look appealing, storing fat around the thigh and bottom is healthier than storing it around the stomach.
The weight loss industry is more geared towards women than men, for all the reasons mentioned above.
There are dedicated women’s fat burners such as the popular LeanBean that include ingredients that are said to be more effective for use on the female body.
Why Do Men Lose Weight Quicker Than Women? – In Summary
Due to hormonal advantages that allow them to have a higher percentage of muscle, men often begin to lose weight faster than women do.
However, despite this initial advantage, after a few months of making similar efforts to lose weight, the speed of weight loss between men and women is often the same.
Due to the fact that men tend to store more fat around their bellies, they often appear to be losing weight quicker than they are.
That particular advantage is like a double-edged sword because storing so much fat in the belly area presents an increased risk of heart disease.
So, although it’s never healthy to be overweight, slightly overweight women do not face the same level of health risks as overweight men do.
In the end, it’s the weight loss that’s important. The fact that men may initially lose weight a little quicker than women and attain more noticeable benefits is neither here nor there.
Weight Loss Product Specifically Made for Women
There are several diet products on the market that are entirely female focused. Here are a few of the market leaders
- LeanBean – fat burner and appetite suppressant
- Lady Boss Lean Shake – weight loss shake
- PowHer Cut – female fat burning pill
