Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Why it Really Is Harder for Women to Lose Weight
Washington Post ^ | 8/12 | Jennifer Van Allen

Posted on 08/17/2014 1:25:31 PM PDT by nickcarraway

You’re not imagining it: There really are differences between the way men and women diet, lose weight and respond to exercise.

Some of the differences stem from biology; other differences are behavioral. But though many of these seem to give men a head start, they shouldn’t be taken to imply that guys have it easy. No matter who you are or where you’re starting, the road to your ideal weight is difficult at best, and confusing for most.

But the information that researchers are unearthing about the differences in the way that men and women lose weight inspires hope that the next generation of weight-loss advice will be more tailored and effective than the generic tips that have gotten Americans no closer to sliding into their dream jeans. (More than a quarter of Americans are obese, according to a May Gallup poll, a number that has been ticking upward for years). Although experts have long insisted that losing weight is simply a matter of burning more calories than you consume, they now say that it’s much more complicated than that.

Exercise and nutrition First, there is the matter of muscles and metabolism. Men tend to have more muscle than women, and because muscle burns more calories than fat, men tend to have a faster metabolism, too — anywhere between 3 to 10 percent higher than women, studies have shown.

And at the gym, that difference just gets exacerbated. Women, worried about bulking up, tend to lift lighter weights and focus more on cardiovascular fitness, while men tend to gravitate toward the kind of heavy lifting that boosts muscle composition and metabolic rate, says Jim White, a Virginia Beach-based nutrition expert and certified personal trainer.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine
KEYWORDS: bonbons; burnfat; butter; carbohydrates; carbs; diet; fat; metabolism; muscle; waronwomen; waronwomenmeme; weightloss; women
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-56 next last

1 posted on 08/17/2014 1:25:31 PM PDT by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Because they go to dinner and pretend they aren’t hungry and when they get home they dig into their stash of Dove Bars.


2 posted on 08/17/2014 1:27:52 PM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway-Enjoy Yourself ala Louis Prima)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Yes, it is harder. We store fat differently.


3 posted on 08/17/2014 1:29:21 PM PDT by Hildy (Falling down is how you grow. Staying down is how you die.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I recommend a book called “Eating Alive” by Dr. Jonn Matson. Google it.


4 posted on 08/17/2014 1:29:52 PM PDT by Talisker (One who commands, must obey.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vendome

Dove is for amateurs.


5 posted on 08/17/2014 1:30:05 PM PDT by Shugee
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
A lot of the megafauna in my area just decided that they were no longer fat, but rather "curvy". They then proceeded to declare it to be "beautiful".

See? Problem solved.

6 posted on 08/17/2014 1:30:28 PM PDT by SIDENET
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hildy; KC_Lion

MMA girl Song Ga-Yeon lost 15 kg in the last few months to make the weight class for her pro-debut which happened about 5AM today.

Of course, she is far more disciplined than most people. And she fights like a guy too.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x23wrpy_sdfatdr_lifestyle?start=252


7 posted on 08/17/2014 1:32:08 PM PDT by GeronL (Vote for Conservatives not for Republicans)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Pie, cinnamon rolls, and bon-bons.


8 posted on 08/17/2014 1:33:03 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vendome

I thought they told me those calories don’t count.


9 posted on 08/17/2014 1:34:43 PM PDT by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Insufficient muscle mass to burn the calories


10 posted on 08/17/2014 1:35:26 PM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie (zerogottago)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vendome

Hmmm, sounds like you have some spy cams going.


11 posted on 08/17/2014 1:36:31 PM PDT by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Click Col Freeper's Pic To Donate

Support FR, Donate Monthly If You Can

12 posted on 08/17/2014 1:36:36 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Vendome

Not my wife. She eats everything on her plate and half of whats on mine.


13 posted on 08/17/2014 1:38:34 PM PDT by skeeter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Vendome

I used to do that. Eat sparingly in public, then go home and gorge. It’s a terrible habit, but I’ve conquered it.


14 posted on 08/17/2014 1:40:10 PM PDT by fatnotlazy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
I find it confusing since they burn more calories:


15 posted on 08/17/2014 1:41:00 PM PDT by QT3.14 (USA born 7.4.1776 fathered by geniuses - died 11.4.2008 (Suicide) by idiots and traitors)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

One of the ways it differs is that men seriously TRY to lose weight, while all women do is talk about it endlessly, buy the new miracle-du-jour to lose the weight for them, and eat half a gallon of Haagen-Dazs while watching Oprah’s latest special on “Why Women Can’t Lose Weight.”


16 posted on 08/17/2014 1:41:37 PM PDT by IronJack
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

“Although experts have long insisted that losing weight is simply a matter of burning more calories than you consume, they now say that it’s much more complicated than that.”

No it isn’t. The complication is that you start making excuses. You get rid of the excuses and then you get rid of the weight.


17 posted on 08/17/2014 1:41:57 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (Pubbies = national collectivists; Dems = international collectivists; We need a second party!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Jack Hydrazine

As my farmer father inlaw once told once a cow never a heifer again.


18 posted on 08/17/2014 1:44:42 PM PDT by riverrunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Well I have to do all the cooking. How can I cook all this great stuff for husband and not eat it too?? If I was single I would no doubt be thin as a rail.


19 posted on 08/17/2014 1:47:13 PM PDT by Hattie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Seems pretty much on target, to me. The rest of the article goes on to say that women tend more toward emotional eating, which I can believe. If I let myself, I would do it-—oh, look, a plate of brownies, I’m not hungry but I’ll have one-—while my husband just isn’t interested in food unless he is really hungry. But I don’t want to be fat, so I don’t allow myself to do it.

It’s my personal theory that women tend to like carbohydrates more than men...from what I’ve seen, anyway. I have a good friend who has been trying for a long time to lose some pounds, but she loves her carbs, and until she can make a change there, she’s not likely to see the weight come off.


20 posted on 08/17/2014 1:48:28 PM PDT by CatherineofAragon ((Support Christian white males---the architects of the jewel known as Western Civilization).)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-56 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson