With the beginning of a new year, a lot of people are focusing on a determined effort to shed extra pounds picked up during the holidays. While most dieting and health articles focus on generic tips for losing weight and getting in shape, a minor controversy has sprouted up about whether it is easier for men or women to lose weight.
The Short Answer
The unfair truth is that, yes, men do lose weight faster, on average, than women. A number of scientific studies have been conducted which demonstrated that men lose weight faster than women when following identical diet plans and exercise regimes.
While no one fully understands why men have an advantage over women in terms of rapidly shedding excess pounds, it is believed that testosterone plays a key factor. Both men and women naturally have testosterone, but men have far larger amounts. Furthermore, men’s bodies have a higher percentage of muscles and lower percentage of fat than do women’s bodies, giving men an additional advantage for losing weight more rapidly.
How Women Can Even the Score
Muscle mass is the single most efficient method for burning excess calories. Women who engage in strengthening and toning exercises like yoga, weightlifting, and endurance training at the gym will be able to burn fat more quickly. Intensive cardiovascular and aerobic sessions will help burn fat, but increased muscle mass will help women burn off calories around the block.
Not All Fat Is the Same
While many modern women despair over the difficulty of shedding excess weight, it is also important to remember that fat plays a vital role in women’s bodies, being necessary for functions like healthy ovulation, menstruation, and mood regulation. Starving yourself, or engaging in extreme calorie restriction diets, can have far-reaching harmful effects that definitely do not merit the temporarily ability to lose a few pounds. The key to maintaining a healthy weight is to eat a balanced and nutritious diet, and to focus on developing toned muscle mass.
Men tend to accumulate excess fat in the middle of their bodies, which has been demonstrated to lead to an increased risk of developing heart disease. Women, conversely, tend to carry excess weight below their waistline and in other areas of the body, which carries a lower risk of succumbing to a heart attack and other forms of heart disease.
In modern times, the ability to lose weight rapidly is often seen as a blessing. However, it should be always kept in mind that our bodies were designed for periods of both scarcity and abundance. Historically, women’s bodies were more resilient to fluctuations in food availability, giving them the advantage over men when times were leaner. When supplies of food were scarce in the past, it was men who suffered first, as they have a greater need to replenish vital body fat and calories to avoid malnutrition and starvation.
The Multiple Benefits of Getting Stronger
When women perform strength training exercises and start to develop muscle mass, this does a lot more than help burn off excess calories. Stronger muscles leads to stronger bones, and can help women prevent the development of osteoporosis, a degenerative diseases that primarily affects women.
Staying strong and eating healthy will lead to a virtuous cycle, causing you to feel more motivated and happy when you look in the mirror, which will then encourage you to stay strong and focus on your exercise and dietary goals. Then when you do over-indulge on your favorite treats, your increased muscle mass and improved physique will help make losing weight a lot easier.