You and your partner have made a pact to get healthy. You're both determined to shed those extra tires. You're both eating healthy and exercising. After just one week, he's lost five pounds and you've only lost one pound. The following week, he drops three pounds while you shed one measly pound. Overcome with frustration, you don't understand why he's losing so much faster. Take heart. Research indicates that men lose at a faster pace than their female counterparts. The truth is men generally have faster metabolisms than women -- their basal metabolic rate is an estimated 10 to 15 percent higher than women's. Men can also thank testosterone for their weight loss - it helps men maintain more muscle than women, who tend to carry more fat. To even the score when it comes to muscle mass, women should incorporate at least two strength training workouts per week into their routine. Building muscle not only helps you burn more calories - even when you're at rest - but it also strengthens bones.
Food preferences among the sexes factor into weight loss as well. Men tend to enjoy their meat, while women like carbohydrates. But not everything weighs in men's favor. Whether you call the area his "spare tire," "beer gut" or "love handles," they carry an extra health risk. People who carry fat mostly around their middles are at higher risk of developing heart disease than those who are pear-shaped, or carry fat in their hips and thighs, as women tend to. Positive thinking and celebrating even modest weight loss and healthy habits will go a long way in sticking with a plan to live healthier -- regardless of whether you're male or female.
