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It's so annoying, isn't it, that if you actually persuade your man to join you on your calorie controlled diet, the weight will usually fall off him, in comparison to you. Even allowing for the fact that men need more calories to live than a woman, it still seems so unfair. If you are both on a calorie controlled diet your guy will usually be having between three and six hundred calories a day more than you but despite this he will probably seem to lose more weight than you, and do it more quickly.

Some of the problems stem from that old chestnut 'Hormones'. At certain times in a woman's life, such as the menopause, our bodies use of calories seems to change. I understand this well, the age that I am now. At this time of life your body shape seems to change and it becomes much harder to shift those pounds. Your body seems determined to give you a large bust and waist. but thinner legs, no matter what you do.

In the past men usually were much more physically active than women in their daily work. Much of this has changed as equality at work has become widespread. Seeing as 'Men are from Mars and women are from Venus' it's hardly surprising that we differ in our eating patterns also. Many women eat when they are a little down or bored. Comfort eating tends to be a female thing after all. Then again, there is that other problem, menstruation. Once a month you will get the urge to eat and nothing but chocolate may suffice. Men however may be the opposite and really stuff their faces when they are feeling happy. Put a crowd of guys together for a fun night out and they will drink and eat till the cows come home.

The majority of men go on diets rarely. Most women diet occasionally and some of us seem to be constantly starting some new eating plan or other. It is no wonder that our bodies have become adept at coping through 'Starvation' periods'. I think it's true that the more you diet the harder it gets to lose weight.

On the whole women carry more body fat than men. That's a fact pure and simple. It is part of our make-up. I don't know what if any facts medical research has discovered that can explain why men and women often lose weight at different speeds. Perhaps a lot of it boils down to why someone wants to lose weight and their perception of themselves. Many women are much more conscious of their bodies imperfections than men. Excess weight on a woman is usually frowned upon but it may not be if it's on a man.

Many men only really get around to dieting if they have an health issue. As such it may be this that fuels their determination. Nowadays there are no hard and fast rules but on the whole men have bulkier frames than women and perhaps this just means that they burn their calories more easily and rapidly.

Learn more about this author, Ethel Smith.
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