Do men lose weight easier?

Factual Questions
1

I have been on Weight Watchers for about four months now. So far, at every meeting I’ve gone to, women have comprised about 70-90% of the membership.

Whenever one of the women talk about their rate of weight loss, I often hear them bring up the “fact” that it is far easier for men to lose weight than women.

I have no data to back up this “fact,” nor any data to refute it. I do know that I have had some success on the program and could not be happier with my rate of weight loss.

So, is there any data on whether or not men have an easier time taking off weight than women?

Zev Steinhardt

2

Assuming you mean on average, I believe so. Men have a lower natural body fat percentage than women, and their tendency to have more muscle means that they tend to have higher metabolisms.

3

No, it’s pure B.S.

However, if programs like weight watchers are comprised primarily with women and most of the men are doing weight training, that would explain why men would lose weight faster and keep it off.

Not to get too far off the subject, but pretty much all diet programs (though I’m not sure exactly what weight watchers is) are crap and you should dump it for the gym. Start lifting. There are a lot of misconceptions about weightlifting, especially from the females. Here is a good site to read up on myths, facts, and just all around good things to know.

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

4

There may be something to this.

I’ve heard that it’s easier to lose fat off your stomach than your hips or thighs. Men tend to store fat on their stomachs, whereas women tend to store fat on their hips and thighs. Ergo…

Weight Watchers isn’t crap, but an exercise programming combining weight training and aerobic exercise will help a lot. The site given by dudemanjack is a good reference.

Good luck with the weight loss.

5

As ultrafilter said the difference is where men and women store fat and the nature of the deposits. An Australian group called Gutbusters have done lots of work with Aussie men with great results. They measure success by waist loss not weight loss. They now recommend using the Weight Watchers At Home program. They have several books available in Australia.

6

Also… as to why such a huge majority of Weight Watchers customers are women is probably the same reason why women seem to be more likely to stop at a gas station to ask for directions when lost. Men just don’t like asking for help (in general, of course).