Small Steps to Health

Men vs. Women – Different Approaches When Trying to Lose Weight

January 16th, 2008 by asithi · No Comments

Tagged Gender Differences, Weight

We know that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Since we are from different planets, it is no surprise for me to find that the two genders approach losing weight differently.

Mentality
When women think about loosing weight, they think about going on a diet. When men think about losing weight, they think about getting fit.

Eating
Though both genders tend to eat in response to positive emotions (ie. celebrations or promotions), men usually can stop at the positive emotions. Women eat during all the emotions in between as well – stress, boredom, anger, depression, anxiety, etc.

I had to explain the concept of emotional eating to my friend, Jason. He just does not understand how women can eat when they are sad. Jason tells me that he loses weight when he is depressed (hmm…do I sense a weight loss scam/opportunity here for me?). Hey, when I am not happy, I need comfort. Give me ice cream and cake – at least I feel better for those 30 minutes while I am eating it

Support
When trying to lose weight, men use the Lone Ranger approach. The only feedback they want is from their wives. While women, on the other hand, prefers to tell people and solicit feedback from their support system. I think this might all tie back to the fact that women rely on other women for emotional support, while men tend to rely on their wives for emotional support.

Though I personally do not use my friends for support in helping me to loose weight, I have used the internet for support. It is easier to turn the computer off when you don’t want advice anymore, but much harder once your friends and relatives find out that you are trying to loose weight. It is just like when you are single, everyone has a son, friend, and nephew that they think is a good match for you.

Until next time and thanks for stopping by.

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• A Coping Strategy for Emotional Eating
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• Gender Matters when it comes to Sugar Addiction
• Kick Emotional Eating to the Curb

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