If you're a woman embarking on a diet with a male friend or partner, demand a handicap. Golfers and bowlers get them to even competition and, as a female dieter, you should, too. Dietitians, nutritionists and scientists agree that it's both physically and psychologically easier for men than women to lose weight. Their bodies are hard-wired for speedier weight loss. And so are their brains.
Muscle Burns More Calories
Men, even scrawny ones, have more lean muscle mass than women. And muscle burns calories faster than fat. Even if you and your male dieting partner are the same height and weight, he burns calories faster than you. For every 500 calories you burn, he's burning 525 to 550. And if he's taller and heavier than you, he could burn an extra 1000 calories a day without even trying, according to Leslie Beck, a Canadian dietitian who writes a column for "The Globe and Mail" and her website, Lesliebeck.com.
Blame Evolution
Beck says men have more muscle mass because of higher levels of testosterone, women more fat because of estrogen. Beck and others theorize that the biological difference is because men, historically hunters, required extra muscle to capture and kill animal prey and women needed extra fat stores to get pregnant and nurse their children. Although modern men may hunt for nothing more than a missing remote control and many women today choose not to have children or nurse them if they do, biology hasn't caught up with these present-day realities.
Changing Habits vs. Changing Psyches
Although no clinical studies support the view, women have reputations as emotional eaters and men as eaters of habit. A man who overeats has to change his ideas about portion control, while a woman may have to rethink her approach to stress and disappointment. Weight loss programs such as Jenny Craig are better geared to teaching portion control than providing career and relationship advice, says Steve Bellach, Jenny Craig's vice president for North American marketing. This may give men another edge in dieting.
Food Craving Study
Some studies do show that women think differently than men about food. Men are better than women an inhibiting food cravings, according to a study led by Gene-Jack Wang, of Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, New York. The study asked 13 men and 10 men, none of whom were obese, to fast for 17 hours, then see and smell -- but not taste -- their favorite foods.
All participants were asked to resist their cravings through self control. Their brains were monitored by a positron-emission tomography scanner, which evaluates the way in which the brain uses glucose. When study participants saw and smelled their favorite foods after fasting, the scanners recorded strong reactions. When told to suppress these reactions, only men were successful, according to information accumulated by the scanners.
Anecdotal Evidence
The study published in "Proceedings Of The National Academy of Sciences" did not discern reasons for the differences, but Wang said evolution may play a role in honing women's minds and bodies to take in extra calories to ready themselves for roles in reproduction.
Beck also says that her career as a dietitian has led her to believe that men lose weight more easily than women because they are more likely to exercise -- and further increase their calorie-burning muscles -- and also because they are more confident that they will achieve their weight loss goals. Men, she said, are less likely to berate themselves for dietary setbacks, to push forward with their goals despite lapses and to be satisfied with less than perfect results.
References
- "The Independent (London)"; The secret of successful dieting is in your gender; Steve Connor; Jan. 20, 2009, p. 20
- "The Globe and Mail (Canada)"; Weight loss: Men have the edge; Leslie Beck; July 30, 2008, p. L1
- "The Washington Post": Weight-loss programs say no more living large, big fella; Jennifer LaRue Huget; March 25, 2010, p. 14
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