We’ve seen it time and again: men put on a few extra pounds, and whenever they feel like it, they lose them just as fast. Sometimes, they barely have to be motivated to drop the pounds or even seem like they’re trying. Women, on the other hand, tend to take more time and have a slower rate of weight loss than the opposite sex. There are few reasons why men lose weight much faster than women.

The physical differences between the sexes make a huge impact on how males can lose weight faster. Men naturally have more lean muscle mass than women. It’s just a genetic thing. Having more lean muscle mass means that men are constantly burning more calories than women, because the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. Men are typically larger or have bigger muscles than women which also means they are burning more calories just because of the sheer size difference.

Hormones also play a role in both male and female weight loss and gain. The hormone testosterone in men is also responsible for them being able to lose weight at a faster pace. The higher level of testosterone in their bodies contributes to the edge men have over women for weight loss. Testosterone tells a man’s body to build more muscle, which in turn burns off calories. Women’s bodies produce higher levels of estrogen, which actually tells their bodies to create fat storage instead of burning off calories. This fat is meant to help their bodies deal with a potential pregnancy. Again, it’s all about genetics! Women naturally have anywhere from 6-11% more body fat naturally than men do. That doesn’t mean they are 11% heavier or “fatter” than men. It’s just that their bodies, even the healthiest ones, are designed to store fat at that rate.

Lastly, to put things into perspective, a man gets on a scale. He sees he has gained weight. What does a typical guy do? Well, if he’s even slightly motivated, he quickly and simply decreases his food intake and increases his activity level. No fuss, no special planning, no worrying. Most of the time he needs only to cut out fast food and sodas for a couple weeks and sees very fast results. A woman gets on a scale and sees she has gained weight. Many women tend to get discouraged, allow the weight gain to damage their self-image, and some may even beat themselves up over it. This sometimes creates a cycle of emotional eating which can lead to even more weight gain.

Studies have shown that within the first few months of weight loss, men can usually lose double the weight that a woman can as well as cut their body fat down almost 3 times as much. After 6 months though, the playing field evens out and men and women lose at about the same pace. There is no reason to get discouraged in the meantime if your male partner, family member or friend loses fat faster. It is often just a short term result. Stick together and reach those weight loss goals with each others support along the way!