Weight loss and women.
It may not be politically correct to acknowledge that men and women are not the same, but it's time to face facts. Men and women really are different at a fundamentally basic level. Our bodies have physical and metabolic differences that cannot be ignored when it comes to developing a good weight loss plan. Diet plans that treat the sexes exactly the same are bound to let one side down.
The male hormone, testosterone, is a major influence on how a man's metabolism is determined. Testosterone not only causes the growth of hair and deepening voices of men. It also increases the size of their bones and muscle mass. Larger bones naturally can support a higher level of muscle than the smaller bone structure of women. Since muscle burns more calories than other types of tissue, men will automatically burn more calories than a woman doing the same activities.
Research has shown us that women gain weight faster and easier than men and then have a harder time burning it off with exercise. Put a man and a woman in the exact same training and diet regimen and it's easy to see the difference in results. Women have to work twice as hard as men to keep fit as well as to lose weight. Doesn't seem fair, does it?
Even harder on the women is the media emphasis on being thin. Magazine covers, television commercials and Hollywood movies have all seemed to conspire to create this image of the perfect woman. This picture of slimness is reinforced in our daughters every day of their lives. Look at the fashion dolls they grow up playing with – all created with an anatomically impossible body shape. These unrealistic expectations are what keep many women constantly dieting and always feeling like they are lacking.
Perhaps a better focus for the weight loss industry would be to help people find a more realistic view of their bodies. Instead of always trying to reach someone else's idea of the perfect body, women should be taught to emphasize overall health and fitness no matter what she might weight.
The BBC published the results of an interesting study recently which focuses on this direction. They followed 62 overweight women that did 4 hours of exercise weekly and were taught how to cook healthier. After three months, the women lost only an average of 9 lbs each.
Even with the small weight loss, all of the women had better blood pressure, heart rates and lower cholesterol levels and you know what else they said? Every woman in the study felt better about themselves.
