2008 Woodie Awards
Exercise is not as simple as 1-2-3
Kassandra Barnes
Issue date: 5/3/06 Section: Features
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Every Monday night I sit at a Weight Watchers facility in Fairfield. I try to arrive earlier than the 5:30 p.m. start time to discuss recipes, secrets and successes with other members. One evening I talked to another member, who happened to be male. Curious, I asked how much weight he had lost that week.
"Nine pounds! And I did not even work out," he said.
Frustrated and disappointed by my mere two-pound weight loss, I thought of my hours at the gym and strict no-cookie policy. How could I be so disciplined and lose so much less than a male?
According to Danielle Allocco, a personal trainer at Spa Lady in Fairfield, weight loss differences between men and women is not uncommon.
"Women unfortunately deal with a variety of hormonal differences that can account for slower weight loss than men," says Allocco.
According to The Society for Women's Health Research, the key factor is leptin, a molecule produced by fat cells to help regulate appetite and energy expenditure. Higher leptin levels in a person means a higher probability for obesity. Women on the average tend to have higher leptin rates than males.
Approximately 64 percent of the population is overweight today and women make up more than half of that number.
"Women are not like men, as far as exercise is concerned," states Allocco. "A man can walk into a gym and lift weights the entire time and see results. A woman, on the other hand, needs to focus on cardio to lose weight."
Obesity researchers at Columbia University in New York say the reason is based on how many calories it takes to lose one pound of fat. Men need to create a 2,500-calorie deficit, while women need to create a 3,500-calorie deficit.
The discrepancy in calorie deficits can be explained through simple biological tendencies of women's bodies. In evolutionary terms, nature tends to be protective of a woman's role as child bearer. Therefore, women must maintain a certain amount of body fat to help nourish a healthy baby.
"Nine pounds! And I did not even work out," he said.
Frustrated and disappointed by my mere two-pound weight loss, I thought of my hours at the gym and strict no-cookie policy. How could I be so disciplined and lose so much less than a male?
According to Danielle Allocco, a personal trainer at Spa Lady in Fairfield, weight loss differences between men and women is not uncommon.
"Women unfortunately deal with a variety of hormonal differences that can account for slower weight loss than men," says Allocco.
According to The Society for Women's Health Research, the key factor is leptin, a molecule produced by fat cells to help regulate appetite and energy expenditure. Higher leptin levels in a person means a higher probability for obesity. Women on the average tend to have higher leptin rates than males.
Approximately 64 percent of the population is overweight today and women make up more than half of that number.
"Women are not like men, as far as exercise is concerned," states Allocco. "A man can walk into a gym and lift weights the entire time and see results. A woman, on the other hand, needs to focus on cardio to lose weight."
Obesity researchers at Columbia University in New York say the reason is based on how many calories it takes to lose one pound of fat. Men need to create a 2,500-calorie deficit, while women need to create a 3,500-calorie deficit.
The discrepancy in calorie deficits can be explained through simple biological tendencies of women's bodies. In evolutionary terms, nature tends to be protective of a woman's role as child bearer. Therefore, women must maintain a certain amount of body fat to help nourish a healthy baby.
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