If a man and a woman start a weight loss program together, the man will almost always lose weight faster and with less effort. Some men, making no special effort, burn more calories than some women who actively work out. The male weight loss advantage owes largely to biology, and several psychological differences between the sexes also come into play.
Metabolism
A couple of factors that help men lose weight faster than women include a higher rate of metabolism and the fact that they generally have a higher percentage of muscle. The resting metabolic rate of your body can be defined by the minimum energy it needs to stay alive. This is the amount of energy you would need for basic life functions like chewing food, digestion and blood circulation. This metabolic rate is genetically higher among men as compared to women, and therefore they burn more calories whether active or inactive. Muscle mass creates a higher metabolic rate than fat, even when you're at rest.
Lifestyle
Men generally pursue a more active lifestyle than women. A study published in the January 1998 "American Journal of Physiology" found that women burned 16 percent fewer calories than men each day. While some of this difference can be attributed to the lower level of metabolic rate, the rest can be attributed to women not moving around as much as men. Researchers from the University of Vermont department of medicine conducted the study on energy expenditure and obesity among 164 African American and Caucasian volunteers of both sexes. They concluded that women who exercise regularly can offset some of the gender difference in calorie-burning power.
Perception
Men and women also differ in their perceptions of body image and weight loss efforts. Women overestimate both their weight and dieting efforts, according to a 2008 study. Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that women more often identified themselves as overweight than men. Women also more often claimed they were trying to lose weight through diet and exercise, according to the report published in the March 2009 issue of "Body Image." These differences held true across all Body Mass Index groups.
Appetite Control
Women may also possess less self-control than men when it comes to cravings. A nuclear medicine specialist at Brookhaven National Laboratory asked 23 male and female subjects to fast for 17 hours. Participants smelled and viewed their favorite foods and could even taste them with samples placed on cotton swabs. They also listened to descriptions of the food. Women became fixated on thoughts about their favorite foods more often than men, according to measurements taken by PET scans. While the study provides no direct evidence to explain why women may lose weight more slowly than men, it adds another angle to comparisons between male and female weight loss.
References
- Weight Watchers: Why Men Lose Faster than Women
- Marquette General Health System: What Is "Resting Metabolic Rate"?
- "American Journal of Physiology"; Total Daily Energy Expediture in Free-Living Older African Americans and Caucasians; W. H. Carpenter, et al; January 1998
- "Body Image"; Contributions of Weight Perceptions to Weight Loss attempts: Differences by Body Mass Index and Gender; Stephenie C. Lemona, et al; March 2009
- "Time"; Why Men Are Better Dieters Than Women; Jeffery Kluger; Jan. 19 2009
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