Who’s Trying to Lose Weight?

There is no sex discrimination when it comes to being overweight it is an issue for both women and men.With two-thirds of adults weighing more than they should, the need to take action is enormous. Fortunately, there are signs that the gap between the genders is narrowing when it comes to who is taking up the weight-loss challenge. The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that tracks what’s happening in the United States on a variety of health-related topics.

One of the areas that the survey deals with is weight loss. In 1989, 23 percent of the men and 40 percent of the women reported that they were attempting to lose weight.Those numbers had risen to 29 percent and 44 percent when the question was asked again in 1996.The question was asked most recently in 2000, when 31 percent of the men and 45 percent of the women said that they were working to reduce their weight. Obviously, the 1990s saw an increase in the percentage of men working to lose weight, suggesting that the gap between the genders is closing.

We don’t know all the reasons for this shift, but can surmise that it is a reflection of the increased rates of excess weight as well as progress in the recognition of the benefits of weight loss. Still, until the rates of overweight and obesity are reversed, it is clear that more men and women who are above a healthy weight or who are gaining weight as adults must decide to lose weight.

FROM A WOMAN’S VIEWPOINT WHO’S TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT?

There is an upside to realizing you’re overweight and it’s to a woman’s advantage. A study published in 2002 by researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville, found that among women and men with the same BMI (where both have a weight classified as healthy, overweight, or obese), men are significantly more likely than women to rate their size as socially acceptable when they are overweight or obese. Since women typically identify their weight problem earlier than most men, women are more likely to do something about it sooner rather than later.

FROM A MAN’S VIEWPOINT WHO’S TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT?

Compared with women, men often take more time to decide to lose weight, even when they identify themselves as being overweight. A national survey of overweight men conducted in 2003 found that 23 percent of the men said they wanted to lose weight but weren’t doing anything about it, 17 percent reported being on a weight-loss diet, and 13 percent had never tried to lose weight.

The remaining 47 percent said they had no interest in losing weight. Unfortunately, the choice to put off losing weight placed the “no interest”guys at a higher risk of becoming even heavier and developing health problems. It’s not all bad news for men, however, because when men do decide to take the weight-loss plunge, they appear to have more realistic weight-loss goals than women.

One large study of overweight male and female dieters found that women considered greater amounts of weight loss to be realistic compared with men. Being realistic offers men a weight-loss advantage because weight-loss expectations that are unachievable can be a setup for failure. When weight-loss expectations are not met, the likelihood of quitting the weight-loss effort is high and nobody can lose weight if he or she is not even trying.

Wrapping Things Up

Although weight has traditionally been viewed as a woman’s issue, there are plenty of reasons why both men and women should be concerned about their weight.

• Currently, there are more overweight adult men than overweight adult women in this country. And although there are still more obese women than obese men, the percentage of women seems to be leveling off and that of men seems to be on the rise. Being aware that women and men view weight from quite different angles can help you and your partner in understanding and assisting each other’s weight-management efforts.

• Women tend to be better than men at accurately assessing their weight status. Some women are too good, believing that they should weigh less than is healthy. On the other hand, many men might benefit from reevaluating their perceptions of a healthy weight.

• In general, women can benefit from reducing their emotional investment in their weight and working to become less concerned with others’ opinions of the size of their body, while most men already do a good job of keeping their weight-related emotions in check.

• Though the gap is narrowing, more women than men are willing to make an effort to lose weight, though some women need to be more realistic about their weight-loss goals. Men are often more realistic in setting achievable goals, but many would benefit from starting a weight-loss program sooner rather than later.