Okay so here is the deal I am working my butt off to lose weight both literally and figuratively; however my husband, Tim Davis, is eating everything that is not nailed down and people keep asking him if he has lost weight– are you kidding me?
It is not unusual for me to get up and eat my breakfast which includes: fruit, turkey bacon and cereal or whatever Jenny Craig has on the calendar for that day and Tim eats a Swiss cake rolls and diet coke and it does not phase him. I eat lunch which is a salad, fat free dressing, and some Jenny planned lunch and Tim eats Mexican. Dinner is often a good time as well, again I am eating my veggies and Jenny Dinner and Tim is eating some burger and bag of chips. Now in his defense Tim is working out with me so I have to say that it is not like he just sitting and eating junk, but the kicker is that more than one person has recently asked him how much weight he has lost? Seriously, this is the same man that drove to Kroger to pick up Spinach for me and bought a whole box of Swiss Cake Rolls and ate them in the parking lot so he did not come home and tempt me.
To Tim’s credit he has lost 80 lbs in a little over 2 years by stopping sodas and working out. Really, I cannot help but get a little jealous that he just has to do 2 things and drops the poundage. I know that men lose weight faster then women, but I am going to be immature for a moment and throw the “Not Fair Flag.” I was researching why men can twiddle their thumbs and lose weight and discovered Dr. Phil did a show about a weight loss challenge which featured a husband and wife who had the exact same issue and according to Dr. Phil and his Weight Loss Experts here is the reason:
“More often than not, men lose weight faster because they have more muscle mass. He further explains, “Think of muscle as the factory that burns fat. So many women do so much cardio, and not much — if any — weight training.” This can be a big mistake, he says, “because weight training is one of most efficient ways for you to accelerate your weight loss.”
So not only did Tim have the muscle factor going during this time he was doing cardio and weights. During this go-around with my weight loss I am doing a balance of workouts that include cardio and toning (which is sometimes weights or using my own body weight as a tool). I am noticing that I am getting less muffin and more muscle.
Here are some other fun facts from the Biggest Loser website about those Men who lose weight in the blink of an eye while we sweat like pigs:
Women tend to be more prone to “emotional eating.”– Seriously I am NOT UPSET, really!
In 2009, the Brookhaven National Laboratory conducted a brain imaging study to look at how we control our brain response to our favorite foods. Men were better able to control their responses. This may explain part of the puzzle on why women typically have a harder time dropping the pounds.
Men may be more competitive than women. — Making fun of how men can make Tiddlywinks into a full contact sport- maybe they are on to something!
Some research has shown that when money was awarded for every pound lost, men did better than women. It is interesting to note the percentage of men winners on the Biggest Loser compared to women (70% of the winners have been male).
Men have more muscle mass. Yeah, Yeah– Genetics– ” Not Fair Flag”
Men tend to have more muscle than women, and we all know that muscle burns more calories than fat. Having a higher muscle composition leads to a higher metabolism. Based on several studies, the metabolism of a man has been found to be anywhere from 3-10% higher than that of a women of the same weight and age.
Female hormones play a role.– ” Not Fair Flag!!!!”
Female hormones, such as estrogen, make it easier for the body to deposit fat. With all this stacked against women, don’t be discouraged. Focus on you and don’t compare to yourself to your man! Pay attention to your eating habits and take note if you’re eating for emotional reasons or for true hunger. Keep a food journal and record your emotions/feelings in it throughout the day. Add resistance/weight training to your workout routine to help increase your muscle mass (and metabolism).
In the end, life is not fair, but that is not an excuse not to work hard or let your health and well being go. The truth is I am very proud of my husband and he has stood by me skinny, fat, fatter, and fattest that being said I have no where to go but to a healthy weight and I am going to get there via a good diet, exercise which includes cardio and weights, and a no excuse attitude. FYI- I was squatting while typing this post.
