7 Reasons Why Women Lose Weight Slower Than Men

Most women feel they need to lose weight and make resolutions, try every workout in town, go on dieting, yet their weight loss dreams boomerang. Believe it or not, research has shown that women tend to lose weight slower than men. The differences come down to the biology while others are mostly behavioral. Basically, you lose weight when your body burns more calories that it consumes. Here are 7 reasons why women lose weight slower than men.

Weight Loss Differences Between Men And Women

There are a number of factors that come into play when it comes to how women lose weight in comparison to men. Here are seven of the more common reasons that are associated with the difference in weight loss between men and women.

1. Metabolism

Women’s bodies run on a slower metabolic rate than that of men, making losing and keeping off weight more difficult. Higher body fat content and lower muscle mass in women means that their bodies tend to use less energy during the day as compared to that of men.

2. Sluggish Thyroid

Even though men certainly can develop a sluggish thyroid condition, it is more common in women. Under activated thyroid or hypothyroidism can interfere with your hormone levels and metabolic rates, creating a serious roadblock to weight loss. In other words, if your body produces this hormone slower than needed, your body will use less energy, hence, you will lose weight slower.

3. Brain Activity

Scientific evidence shows that women and men’s brains differ in their response to food. According to the research published in the National Academy of Science Proceedings of the United States, 2009, the brain of women becomes active as they smell, see and taste the food even if they are not hungry. The brain scanning shows its activation in the region that controls the urge to eat. However, the brain activation was not found in men. So, dieting and fasting is not always a fat burning tip for women.

4. Constant Comparison

How often have you chosen a diet simply because it worked for your friend? Women always compare themselves without taking into account that each person is unique and has a diverse body composition. Besides, the food habits are different too. A given diet might be perfect for your friend, but their lifestyle, needs, and food preferences could be totally different from yours. For instance, if a woman begins a diet program together with a man, the man tends to lose weight faster due to their higher metabolic rate. As a woman, if you compare yourself with a man, you will definitely tend to look for an escape because of dissatisfaction.

5. Birth Control And Other Hormones

Hormonal birth control medication has one main side effect, weight gain. Medication-related birth control can add the pounds you want to take off, and make it difficult to keep them off. If you are thinking about using birth control medication, consider more exercise to mitigate its effects. Besides, women shed pounds slower than men because they have more estrogen, which keeps fat on the bodies of women. Body fat and estrogen make it easy for you to get pregnant.

6. Biochemistry

Normally, after exercise women show a higher level of the hunger hormone, ghrelin, while their level of leptin, the
hormone responsible for satisfaction, drops dramatically. Such drastic changes have never been found in men. Women always tend to exaggerate their post-workout meals that might enhance the risk of extreme weight gain. It is just the natural way female bodies fight the energy deficit to stay fertile.

7. Men Are Generally Bigger

When it comes to getting rid of excess fat, the size you are does matter. As strange as it sounds, men do lose weight faster because they are generally bigger than women. However, this goes with any size male or female. Whether a person is bigger because of their height, muscle mass or weight, they have the physiological benefit of shedding pounds a bit quicker than someone who is smaller.