Healthy Eating

By Lori

February 2, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this

I think part of the problem with women is that our weight fluctuates with our hormone levels throughout the month anyway, so getting started on a diet is difficult because you can’t tell right away if its working. And if I don’t see results quickly I tend to get discouraged.

By jeff

February 2, 2007 10:55 AM | Link to this

I think it is more an image issue. Men aren’t as “hung up” on being a certain weight as women are. Men are also more comfortable with their size, so when we want to drop a few lbs, we knock it out.

Women say they aren’t concerned with being a plus size (see Oprah or Tyra or Kirsty Alley) but they ALL end up on diets when people talk about their weight.

By Lori

February 2, 2007 11:04 AM | Link to this

There seems to be more overweight women out there than men. I wonder if women gain weight more easily than men. Anyone know? Of course, pregnancy can change your body dramatically too.

By jeff

February 2, 2007 11:40 AM | Link to this

There is also a cultural perception. The average size for a woman in Nigeria is 150 lbs. They are not considered overweight. Here, size 2 is in (if you listen to TV). White women tend to see themselves as fat in a size 10 where most black women don’t.

By TR

February 2, 2007 11:40 AM | Link to this

I think women are under more pressure to be thin. As a result, women seem to agonize over dieting much more than men. At least that is what I have seen. As a man, I avoid having diet conversations with women.

I have a question for the ladies. Why continue to patronize stores like Victoria’s Secret when they use Models that in no way resemble the average sized woman?

Real women please take your power back!

By Ed

February 2, 2007 11:49 AM | Link to this

I think a woman panics more about a few extra pounds than a man does. I also think women look at unrealistic images of young super thin women on magazine covers and wish they could look like that. On the other hand, as a man I may look at a guy on a magazine and wish I had his money or his cars, or the women he can get… but I don’t think I want to look like him. I also think women think men care about a few extra pounds on them, unless it is a health issue, more than we really do. My wife panics when she goes up in weight, while I usually can’t tell the difference in her appearance. Give me a size 10 woman over a size 2 any day.

By Maria

February 2, 2007 11:58 AM | Link to this

My husband, nearing 30, discovered that he was getting a belly for the first time in his life. Insprired by my love of running, he decided to take up running a few days a week. He started out slow — just 30 minutes on the treadmill, 3 days a week. It’s only been a few weeks, but good god! He’s already lost his belly pudge and has enviable running muscles in his calves and thighs. I don’t have that kind of visible muscle tone even when I’m running 25 miles a week. I’m not talking about bulging muscles (women’s bodies aren’t able to build muscles like that without the addition of extra hormones. Testosterone injection, anyone?), but rather just an all-over lean, athletic look.

As others have said, hormones may have a lot to do with it. Women’s hormone fluctuations cause us to take on more water weight at various times of the month. I’m sure that sort of thing discourages female dieters who don’t know about the natural changes in their bodies.

Beyond that, diets and diet foods marketed to women seem to emphasize a lot of processed junk, none of it very filling (Lean Cuisine, Progresso soup, low-fat yogurt). And there’s always the idea present in the diet food commercial that women are depriving themselves of the things they love to be able to fit into a smaller size. Sometimes the food item is supposed to calm the woman’s craving for rich food, but nevertheless, the idea of deprivation is always there. Ever notice how much the word “indulge” is used on food commercials? Ooh, dieting woman, you’ll feel so guilty for indulging in your favorite treat! Women are constantly hit with the idea that losing weight will be an uphill battle, one fraught with cravings, guilt, and trying to find the one tasty Lean Cuisine in the frozen food case.

By Brad

February 2, 2007 01:02 PM | Link to this

I agree that it is tougher on women to see immediate results. Men on the other hand don’t have to deal with the same things as women. I started a diet on Jan. 2nd and as of today have dropped 28lbs. It is really encouraging, but I’ve been here before and I know can put it on as fast as I lose. That is where I think men have more difficulty. I hope I do better this time around on the keeping it off part!

By jon

February 2, 2007 01:43 PM | Link to this

Men naturally have more muscle mass than women which is the key reason why men lose weight faster. I also started a diet on Jan 2nd and I already lost 20lbs. My girlfriend is p** because she has not had the same results as of yet. I also never cheat at all. When men diet I think they take it to an extreme. I have not had anything to drink but water for the last month and never cheated w/ food either. I would like to mention I play tennis 2-3 times a week and I am positive that had a lot to do w/ it.

By Lori

February 2, 2007 01:53 PM | Link to this

28 lbs since Jan 2. I’m jealous. There is no way for a woman to lose that much weight in a month unless she does something dangerous to her health. The best we can do is 1 or 2 lbs a week.

By PoliticalMan

February 2, 2007 02:21 PM | Link to this

28 lbs of weight loss in a month borders on impossible. The loss of a pound is a calorie deficit of 3500 cals. It’s very difficult to function with that kind of deficit on a daily basis. I suppose if a person was consuming 5000 cals a day and on up, one could drastically cut back that much, but I don’t think a person would feel good and be able to sustain that.

Secondly, when a person cuts back their carbohydrate stores, they lose some water storage which is not necessarily all that good. But once one loses that water, it can’t be done again. That’s one reason quick weight loss of a few pounds is sometimes seen. It’s pretty difficult to sustain weight loss of more than 1-2 pounds a week or 500 to 1000 calorie deficit a day.

Maybe a nutrition expert will weigh in on this subject.

By Tank Girl

February 2, 2007 02:35 PM | Link to this

It’d be great if my body responded as quickly as some men’s do to diet.

However, getting distracted with that sort of thinking sort of perpetuates the mentality that you’re doomed to be fat/overweight.

And as an interesting side note - I’ll never forget what I overheard at a bar. A guy, early 40’s, at least 80lbs overweight, almost bald, horrible teeth - commented to another guy about ‘that fat chick’ (who was maybe 30lbs overweight). I nearly choked on my drink… I guess sometimes one is rather deluded about their own appearance.

By Lori

February 2, 2007 03:10 PM | Link to this

Can anyone recommend a good nutritionist? I’m tired of being fat.

By Dee

February 2, 2007 03:25 PM | Link to this

My weight has always fluctuated between 130-150 pounds. I joined a gym & started working out with weights and I was amazed at the difference. I weighed 135 pounds, but I could fit into a size 2-4, my body was toned, and I kept my curves. I have maintained my size for 3 years which is very hard to do for women. Before, I just did aerobics & cardio, but the cardio & strength training made all the difference for me.When I first started working out i would jump on the scale & get discouraged if i didnt lose any weight, now i dont pay attention to that, I count the inches rather than the pounds. Ladies, dont be afraid of the weights.

By OnTheSeriousTip

February 2, 2007 03:29 PM | Link to this

People eat too much. That’s the whole thing - really, it is.

Trust me, I was headed toward bigness about 10 years ago. When you eat right and workout, it takes care of itself - gender notwithstanding.

By Nigerian

February 2, 2007 05:05 PM | Link to this

Jeff, you most work for the department of pulling numbers out of the air. The average size of a Nigerian is hardly 150lbs. Americans are fat. The average Nigerian is not up to 150lb. Nigerians, like everyone else, tend to gain weight after a few years in America.

By Jen

February 2, 2007 05:21 PM | Link to this

I think the key difference is something called testosterone…which accounts for a faster metabolism and more muscle mass, etc.

A year ago my husband and I decided to train to do 5Ks. I was sedentary and 30lbs overweight. I could ALMOST run the whole 5K without stopping, but not quite. My husband is a 5’8”, 200lb stack of muscle. A weightlifter (not bodybuilder) who does a very small amount of cardio he was lean but not ripped. No love handles. He couldn’t run the 5K any better. We both couldn’t quite do the whole 5K.

After a little over a month we were running 3 miles 3 or 4 times a week, taking turns pushing our son.

I’d lost not one single pound, even though I got inspired and got on a health kick with diet, and he dropped to 190 pounds without changing one thing in his diet….which includes a daily conversation with a giant chocolate chip cookie from a coffee shop.

I was furious with Mother Nature.

And the cruelest thing of all was that I had to stop running because I was getting terrible patellofemoral syndrome and had pain even walking.

You know what the doctor told me? You’re too heavy to run. It’s bad for your knees.

AGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

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February 2, 2007 05:26 PM | Link to this

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By sincerely trying to exercise

February 6, 2007 12:46 PM | Link to this

Welcome to my world, Jen; you have an empathetic friend here. About 1980 when running became popular, I began doing so after a sedentary lifetime of the weight struggle. After a couple years of happy running, I had knee problems and went to the doctor who just laughed at me and said, “You are soooo not built for running.” Thanks, I’m paying you HOW much to hear that? So I tried other activities including swimming, walking, weight training, and was injured doing all of them including wrist tendinitis from push-ups. Go on, you can say it, who hurts their wrist doing push-ups? Or swimming? Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I am just plain injury-prone. I have osteoporosis and also really enjoy moving my body so I have stayed committed to finding a way to exercise. I lost count of the number of times I’ve been through physical therapy. So at this point in time I do my own rehab. I’m actually stronger than ever right now because I’ve challenged myself; I work out at home with tubing and other weight training and I still try to walk when nothing’s hurting too much.