Healthy Diet Base Better choice for better life!
No, it is not a myth, men lose weight faster than women do and this is a scientifically proven fact. But what does gender have to do with losing weight and how come men shed excess weight faster than women? Let’s investigate.
1. Food Preference: Women Love the Carbs
According to clinical studies, one of the reasons women tends to gain unwanted weight faster than men is their food preference. While men prefer to eat meats – such as steaks, ribs, pork chops, and briskets – women cannot get enough of carbs like cakes, pastries, and bread.
According to Katherine Tallmadge, RD, the author of Diet Simple, although eating a certain type of food does not give one gender an edge over the other, proteins burn much slower than carbohydrates. Although proteins and carbohydrates are equally high in calories, protein prolongs the feeling of fullness so a person is less likely to “graze” over the course of the day.
The same thing cannot be said with carbohydrates. The body burns off carbs at a much faster rate and once burned, the blood sugar level surges and plummets, leading to hunger pangs and hunger. The result? Incessant snacking and unwanted weight gain.
2. Physical Fitness: Men have more Muscles
Another likely reason why men lose weight faster than women is the percentage of muscles men have compared to women. Men are larger, more muscular. They are genetically designed to have a higher percentage of muscles and less fat. This works in their favor in terms of keeping fit. When on the move, men burn off more calories than women. Why? Keeping muscles require serious calorie burning. Since men have a lot of muscles, their body naturally burn more calories.
On the other hand, women have slightly more fat compared to men. A woman’s body naturally stores fat in the hips and thigh area. More stored fat means larger fat cells. The preference for carbs and the percentage of fat in a woman’s body makes women more likely to gain weight. That said, women can achieve a fit, slim body by working out regularly and building more muscles. If you are a woman, you can increase your muscle mass by lifting weights and doing cardio exercises at least twice per week.
3. Psychology: Women Obsess about Food
Statistics show that 25% of women think about food every half an hour and only 10% about sex. On the other hand, 5% of men think about sex once a minute and 36% of men let their minds wander off to other things that do not include eating.
In another study, researchers found that women are more likely to relate emotionally to food than men. According to a study published in the book “Conquering Heart Attack & Stroke,” researchers found that women are less likely to fight temptation related to food than men.
In the study, participants were inhibited from eating all day. Researchers flashed tempting foods in front of the hungry participants, which include men and women. They were told to fight hunger as they look at the food. When their brain was scanned, men’s brain showed less activity in areas that correspond to motivation, emotional regulation and memory. The opposite is recorded on women’s brain. Results show that men are more adept at “switching off” their cravings for tempting foods than women.
4. Metabolism: Men Burn Fat Faster
Men are able to lose more weight at a much faster rate than women simply because their bodies are designed for massive fat burning. Weight Watchers cited multiple studies confirming that men’s bodies are able to metabolize fat 5% to 10% faster than women of the same weight and height.
And the faster metabolic rate of a man is attributed to his size. Because men carry around more weight and have more muscles than women, their bodies require more fuel to function. Hence, the faster metabolic rate.