Why is it easier for men to lose weight?

28 August 2018

Women might often feel frustrated that, while they can take weeks to lose just a few pounds and then end up swiftly putting them back on, men can apparently just give up one unhealthy habit for a week and see quick results. "It's not fair," women might cry - but it is backed by science.

It might reassure the ladies that, yes, men's better success in shifting blubber can largely be attributed to science rather than a lack of effort on the women's part. Allow us to explain...

Men have a higher basal metabolic rate

If you have ever groaned and shaken your head when a friend has blamed their weight difficulties on a "slow metabolism", stop to think that, well... they may be right, even inadvertently.

Men tend to be larger than women - and, as a result, burn more energy from simply moving or even sitting in a sedentary fashion on a sofa. This helps to explain why men fare better in their basal metabolic rate, which is responsible for roughly 70% of the body's daily energy expenditure.

Men are also more muscular than women

Men also do better in the energy-burning stakes due to having a generally higher muscle composition compared to women. It doesn't help ladies that, once their age reaches 40, their muscle mass will fall by approximately 8% in each of the following decades of their life, says the Daily Mail.

It is because of this condition, called sarcopenia, that women will lose more of what was already a relatively low amount of muscle to begin with.

Women tend to cook more often than men

It might seem like a broad generalisation, but when a family is preparing to make food for a special occasion, the responsibility of cooking is often assigned to the matriarch of the household.

As a result, women tend to be around food more often; they might not only make and prepare it but also serve it out to their children and partner. Therefore, these women can be tempted to nibble on those meals and so accumulate "forgotten" calories.

Women are more prone to emotional eating

Research cited by Prevention hints that, when women are stressed, they might eat more as a coping mechanism. Meanwhile, men experiencing stress may drink alcohol instead.

Other research from Brookhaven National Laboratory has demonstrated that, after seeing and smelling pizza and cake, men can be better than women at switching off cravings. In the study, the women struggled to block thoughts about their favourite foods even on instruction.

So, can women level the playing field?

Yes, they can. Through engaging in muscle-building exercise, women can enjoy more of the energy-burning benefits usually reserved for men. They don't have to fear looking like bodybuilders, either - as women's relative lack of testosterone counts against the probability of such.

If you are a woman who is currently unfit and lacking muscle, you can ease yourself into an exercise regime by joining a London boot camp for just a day or weekend.