Weight loss - men vs. women

[meowren]

Hi all!

 

So last month, my significant other & I completed our very first Whole 30. Yay!!! We were both happy with our results. However...

 

He lost 17 pounds and several notches off his belt. I also lost QUITE a few inches, my figure had changed drastically - but I only lost HALF a pound...

 

Anyone have any idea what that's about? We didn't have IDENTICAL meal/exercise plans, but we ate most meals together. If anything, I think I may have had more nuts than he did, but I think I might have done more exercise. Considering how similarly we approached the program, I was just really surprised that he lost so many pounds and I didn't lose any.

 

I'm not devastated about it - like I said, my figure changed quite a lot, so realizing that instead of 'weight' it was all INFLAMMATION that I had gotten rid of was a disturbing but informative realization. However... for future reference, is there any way I can help to encourage my body to drop some pounds? Although I love my body, I know that it doesn't need to be as heavy as it is.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

- Lauren

[katieblue]

First of all, congrats on losing the inches!! We had a very similar thing happen! My boyfriend lost 12 pounds during our Whole 30, while I gained 2. I didn't take measurements, but I know by the way my clothes fit that I didn't lose any inches, either. At first I was frustrated, but I've learned a few things.

 

I think it depends on a lot of different things. I think there are definitely differences between how men and women process things, because our bodies just work differently (especially at different times). But it's also so individual. Each person is going to have different results, regardless of gender. It depends on where you were coming from before the program, any health/medical issues, different intolerances to different foods, different consumption needs/realities. Some bodies just need more time than 30 days to adjust to the changes. There are so many different factors, it would be hard to really pinpoint why you guys had different results.

 

Also, you might have had better results in different areas than the scale - did your sleep change? Your skin? Your attitude/outlook? I know I felt SO different eating this way and so much happier, while my boyfriend didn't actually "feel" any difference. And I think I'd take the inner improvements over the outer ones - not to sound cheesy, but happiness is so much more than a number.

[Tom Denham]

It is common for men to lose a lot more weight than women.

 

Losing inches may be more important than losing pounds.

 

Weight loss is not a linear process. Your body can spend a month getting ready to lose weight. Many women report not beginning to lose weight until week 5 or 8 of following a good program. And your body may not lose the same amount every month even when you are doing everything "right." 

 

You might have lost more weight if you had not eaten any nuts. The calories of nuts often sneak up on people. People often eat 1000 calories per day of nuts. We don't count calories in the world of the Whole30, but 1000 calories tips scales. The other big deal with nuts is that they disrupt digestion and so can cause other disruptions in the body that throw things off.