Why Men and Women Gain Weight Differently

We all have that one lanky friend who can eat everything without putting on a single pound. It’s very common for guys to be munching on cookies, chips, drink a ton of carbonated drinks and not have any troubles with excess weight at all. However if a women had a similar diet consisting of lots of junk and sugary foods then women will gain weight very fast.

Men’s and women’s bodies are very different. From our skeletal structures to our brains, men and women differ in most ways. It’s fitting that the way we gain and lose weight is also very different.

Men tend to take longer when it comes to putting on weight, women on the other hand have no trouble.

Here’s why:

Woman store fat differently

The way fat is stored and the areas of the body in which it is stored in a women’s body is very different from how it is stored in a man’s. Women tend to carry all their weight in their hips and thighs. Can you guess where men store their fat? The belly of course, men have significantly more belly fat than women.

Women metabolize fat differently

Metabolism is the process of burning fat to obtain energy. At rest, women’s bodies burn much less fat in comparison to men’s bodies at rest. This could also be one of the reasons that women’s store fat differently in their bodies.

It’s not all bad for women though; women tend to burn fats much more easily with low-moderate exercise compared to men. This is why certain forms of exercise are appealing to women but are completely ineffective for men (like Pilates and aerobics). Men require high intensity workout that consist of cardio and muscle strengthening in order to burn enough fat to lose weight.

As a woman you should be able to lose weight with low-moderate levels of exercise combined with high-intensity aerobic activities.

Women have lower muscle mass then men

It’s not news that men are bulkier then women because they have more muscle mass. Muscle tissue requires more energy than fat tissue. Having more muscle mass allows men to burn more energy than women; it also allows them to eat more than women. To increase their metabolism they have to eat the right kind of foods and build muscle through resistance training.

Men and women eat differently

There is a difference in the type of food that is appealing to men and women. Women are drawn to foods with high contents of dairy and sugar. Men on the other hand, prefer meat-based foods. Another important factor to keep in mind is that women are more inclined to eat when they are faced with stress.

Emotional eating is one of the main reasons to women gaining weight over a short period of time. Eating out of stress isn’t a healthy coping mechanism. Women often tend to indulge in foods with high amounts of sugar and carbs which may help them feel better initially but later, this forces them into a slump period. Women who do struggle with emotional eating should go for a consultation to a physician or a doctor.

There are many reasons as to why women are inclined to gain weight more easily compared to men. To control their weights, women should find themselves a workout they enjoy and take up a healthy, balanced diet.