When it comes to weight loss, it often seems like men and women are from different planets. That’s the topic of my Today Show segment (check back later for the video). Does gender really make a difference in your ability to lose weight and keep it off? Read on, as I answer some questions I’m often asked. The answers are both biological and behavioral – not a surprise when it comes to Mother Nature. Do you have others? Let me know what you’re thinking!

Is it easier for men to lose weight than women?
It often can be. Men have more testosterone, which does two things: (1)supports greater muscle mass (so resting metabolism is usually higher); and (2) promotes more muscle mass with exercise – both which burn greater numbers of calories.

Plus, women have a biological “yo-yo” – childbearing, where excursions of weight are normal, and it’s often a struggle to get exactly back to the same pre-pregnancy weight. Monthly changes in hormonal status (up to and including menopause) also can stimulate appetite.

Do men and women accumulate different kinds of fat?
The fat is the same, but it’s distributed differently. Men typically have “belly” fat – around the middle, and women tend to have lower body fat, around the hips, thighs, and buttocks.

Is one kind of fat harder to lose than another?
Belly fat, most common in men, actually is targeted first during exercise. So, if you’re an exerciser, the biggest changes first seen will be in abdominal fat. The lower body fat is often deposited during the child-bearing years – where it is meant to be used when the baby is born to nourish (via breastfeeding). There are female hormones that target this fat at that time.

Do men and women eat differently for comfort?
In general, women are greater consumers of fruits and vegetables than men. When it comes to comfort, women seek out sweet/fat foods – think ice cream, baked goods, candy and chocolate, while men tend to look for savory and salty/fat foods – think pizza and cheeseburgers.

What about keeping weight off?
Weight maintenance is the great equalizer! Both women and men struggle with long term weight maintenance. Both sexes are “yo-yo” dieters. It appears that the same strategies for long term weight changes are the same for both men and women. One thing for sure, no matter how it comes off, we all need social support as a key strategy to keep it off!!

What do you think about this?

说到减肥，男人和女人似乎有着千差万别。今天节目就围绕这个话题。。。。。在减肥和保持体重上，性别真的起到至关重要的作用？继续听下去，我将回答一些我经常被问到的问题。引起这种差别的有生理上的原因和行为上的原因—如果归结到母性，那这些区别也就不足为奇了。你还知道其他原因吗？知道就请告诉我吧~

男人会比女人更容易减肥吗？

一般是这样的。男人有更多的雄性激素，这不仅保证了有着男人更大块的肌肉，从而使得他们的新陈代谢旺盛，同时促进肌肉的运动。而这两者恰恰会燃烧大量的卡路里。

再者，生育使得女人的体重变化不定。生育期间，体重增加甚为正常，想要减到生育前的体重很是辛苦。再加上一月一次荷尔蒙数量的起伏变化（包括升高或是更年期）又使得女人胃口大开。

男人和女人堆积的脂肪是一类吗？

一样的脂肪，不同的分布。男人的脂肪一般在腹部—在身体的正中间，而女人的脂肪一般堆积在下半身，比如在臀部和大腿、

不同脂肪有难减易减之分吗？

男性经常堆积的腹部脂肪，通常在运动中首先被消耗的。所以说，如果你是个做运动的人，你将发现，肚子上的变化将是最先注意到的。而下半生的脂肪一般是在怀孕期间对堆积的，因为这些脂肪将用于母乳喂养。这时雌性激素会作用于这些脂肪。

在吃的方面，男女有没有不同的趋好？

一般来说，女人会吃更多的水果和蔬菜。但说到喜欢吃什么，那么诸如冰激凌，烘烤的食物，糖果，巧克力等甜的高脂肪食物将是女性的首选，而男性则喜欢可口的，咸味的高脂肪食物，如匹萨和奶酪三明治。

在保持体重方面有区别吗？

在保持体重方面男女是完全一样的，他们都要为长期体重的维持而奋斗着，都是摇摆不定的减肥者。我们发现，同一种减肥策略对男女长期维持体重效果是一样的。。但有一点是毋庸置疑的，那就是无论男女减肥是又怎样的千差万别，别人的帮助支持才是让我们保持体重最重要的战略。

你认为呢？