Fun fact: The weight-loss battle of the sexes

If you’ve ever gone on a diet with a member of the opposite sex, you may have noticed that men tend to lose weight quicker than women.

A recent study tracked the weight loss of 2,000 overweight adults over an eight-week diet. Researchers found that on average, men lost 11.8 kgs while women only lost 10.2 kgs.

An explanation for this difference is the type of fat men and women typically carry. Men tend to carry visceral fat around their internal organs, and losing this fat increases their metabolic rate – leading to more weight loss. But women tend to carry subcutaneous fat: and losing this type of fat doesn’t burn further calories.

One important consideration is that after menopause, women start to carry more fat around their internal organs – like men – but more research is required to find out if that affects weight loss speed.