Ladies, isn’t it always the case? A guy needs to lose some weight and BOOM, it’s gone meanwhile we are stuck sweating for what seems like years at the gym and counting every single calorie that we think about as we fight for every pound we lose. It’s not fair! Why do they have an easier time losing weight?
There are several reasons why men’s extra weight seems to fall off of them while we limit ourselves to eating carrot sticks.
Fat vs. Muscle
It’s simple physiology. On average, men just have more muscle than women. Yes, muscle is denser than fat, but it also burns more calories. With a higher muscle to fat ratio, metabolism is higher, even while resting.
Women, on the other hand, usually have a higher fat to muscle ratio then their male counterparts, even if they are in good shape. It’s just biology and is linked to what the body requires for reproduction.
Blame it on the Hormones
Estrogen and Testosterone. Found in both men and women, but there is a big difference in the quantity of each hormone depending on the gender. Men have more testosterone, which aids in building muscle mass. Remember, more muscle burns more calories. Higher levels of testosterone increase the body’s metabolism and therefore burns more calories as well.
Meanwhile, women have more estrogen than men. Estrogen regulates menstrual cycles and helps with pregnancy, among other things. It also helps protect women from heart disease, but this benefit decreases as estrogen levels fall after menopause, but are still at a higher level than what a man has.
Placement is Everything
Men tend to put their excess weight in the belly while women usually have it spread over the hips and thighs. If a man was to lose 5 pounds, most of it would come from the one area and the decrease is more noticeable than if the same thing happened to a woman. In addition, men tend to be taller than women, so they have more room to store excess than the ladies.
But storing the excess fat in the belly is a double edged sword. Those with more belly fat carry an increased risk of developing heart disease. That on top of the estrogen in a woman’s body, protects her further from developing heart disease, as least until menopause.
