Do Men Lose Weight More Easily Than Women?

Less than a third of the adult population in the U.S. has a healthy body weight, according to statistics from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Overweight and obese people of both genders try to lose weight, and it has been suggested that men find it easier than women to lose the extra weight and make it into the healthier fraction of the population.

Metabolism

Metabolism may account for men losing weight more easily than women. In a study published in 1993 by the American Physiological Society, the resting metabolic rate of 328 men ages 17 to 80 years and 194 women ages 18 to 81 years was measured in a controlled environment. Differences in body composition and fitness level were taken into consideration, and the results indicated that men had a 3 percent higher RMR than women. This means that just sitting around, men will burn 50 kcal per day more than women, giving them a slight edge over females when it comes to weight loss.

Body Composition

Toronto, Canada-based dietitian Leslie Beck, of the Medcan Clinic, reported in "The Globe and Mail" that the higher quantity of muscle mass found on your typical male contributes to the higher RMR, since muscle burns more calories than fat. This also means that men use more calories during a workout than do women. Women, with their higher estrogen levels, have more body fat than men, Beck says. She cited a research study in which 962 subjects took part in a two-year weight loss program. The researchers noted that men could lose weight when they exercised without making any dietary changes. Women, on the other hand, could not lose weight without decreasing caloric intake, even with extensive exercising.

Response From the Brain

A study carried out at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, New York, and published in 2009 in "Time" magazine, recorded the difference in brain response of male and female subjects to food stimuli. After a 17-hour fast, each subject was presented with a favorite food but not allowed to eat it. Instead, they were asked, in their state of hunger, to concentrate on something else while being bombarded with the sight, smell and just a small taste of the favored food for 40 minutes. Measurements of their brains' response showed that men were better able to suppress the "conscious desire to eat." It was easier for the men to stop thinking about food, which, in the weight loss fight, means less likelihood of eating extra calories.

Consideration

The body composition, metabolic rate, hormonal makeup and brain pattern all seem to skew the weight loss battle in favor of males. It is easier for men to lose weight, but women can lose weight by being more conscious of their caloric intake. Eat less than you burn and the pounds will start to come off, even without the natural advantages that males enjoy.