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Men have a few advantages over women when it comes to losing weight and preventing weight gain. These include having a higher basic metabolic weight, taking in more oxygen, a lower percentage of body fat, a higher lean muscle percentage and the hormone testosterone.
Higher BMR
A higher BMR means you use a higher energy intake than women when going on a diet. Adult men need approximately 2900 cal per day to maintain their normal weight. To lose weight, you need to reduce your energy intake by 500 cal a day.
Lower body fat and higher lean muscle percentageEven overweight men will have a higher percentage of lean muscle tissue in their bodies than overweight women of the same age and height. Lean muscle tissue can therefore be stimulated with exercise to burn energy and promote the weight loss process. Men can achieve greater losses by getting active than women, so if you only have a small amount of weight to lose, start exercising on a daily basis.
Higher oxygen intake
Because men have a much larger maximum oxygen intake, they are able to burn more fat while exercising than women. Use this advantage by doing exercises like running, jogging, speed walking, spinning, rowing, cycling or swimming.
Testosterone
This anabolic steroid helps to build lean muscle tissue and promotes weight loss, provided men reduce their energy intake and do regular exercise.
How to lose weight
Cut down on drinks. Jump on the water wagon or limit yourself to one drink every second day and the kilos will begin to drop. If you're addicted to sweetened cold drinks, cut these out and sip on soda water, sparkling water and still water. Recent research shows that having sugar in liquid form can increase weight gain.
Reduce your energy intake. Either reduce the portions you eat (i.e. have a 200g steak instead of a 500g steak) or cut down drastically on fat in your diet.
Burn more energy. Stick to fat-burning exercises if possible. Men like to work out with weights and build large muscles when they train, but these exercises will not burn fat as effectively as cardio. Rather concentrate on exercises that will burn fat like running, skipping and jumping jacks. There will be time to build muscle and firm up once you've lost weight.
Talk to your doctor. It's important that you lose weight, particularly if you have a metabolic condition in order to manage your symptoms. Metabolic conditions include high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and insulin resistance. Talk to your doctor or a dietitian about what diet your should follow. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you need to check with your doctor about which exercises you should do.
