There’s A Scientific Reason Men Find It Way Easier To Lose Weight Than You – And It Sucks As Much You’d Imagine

He’s there chowing down on a family sized pizza and you’re chewing on some lettuce leaves and a plain chicken fillet, listening to him lament about how he just ‘accidentally’ lost 4lbs without even trying.

What’s more, you’ve been hitting up the gym just as much as he has and your diet is as clean as a whistle. Why then is he able to see all of the gains while you struggle to make the scales budge an inch?

Well the answer is three fold.

First up, if it seems like your fella is able to put away twice as many calories as you then it’s likely because he has a higher muscle mass, in turn meaning that his metabolism will be higher.

As Sports Dietician Jessica A. Culane, RD, explains to Women’s Health “[Men] require more calories to maintain their weight. Therefore, if they reduce their caloric intake, even a little bit, they’re more likely to reach a caloric deficit and lose weight.”

Basically, the bigger you are the more energy you burn, and men are generally bigger than women and so are able to scarf down more food without it having a negative effect on fat-burning. Sucks, right?

Not surprisingly, the second reason men and women’s ability to lose weight differs so greatly, is down to hormones.

Testosterone, a hormone which helps burn fat and build muscle is roughly 20 times more abundant in the male system, than it is in the female body.

Add to that, women have higher levels of estrogen which can often lead to intense cravings, making you less likely to adhere to that strict calorie plan.

Thirdly, women tend to be more emotional about food, meaning that we may struggle more with temptation than men do. And of course, the more we struggle with temptation, the more calories we’re likely to consume.

Thankfully though, it’s not all bad news, as boosting your metabolism can go someway to bringing your body’s fat-burning ability in line with your fella’s.

Lifting heavier weights and eating more protein are good places to start.