Do guys have it easier...

...when it comes to weight?

My boyfriend and I were debating this a few minutes ago. I mentioned how I need to start watching what I eat again, and he mentioned that he's making cookies...argh.  That's where it started.

I was explaining how I feel that guys could get away with carrying extra pounds more so than women. It seems like guys are judged less harshly than women when it comes to being overweight.

Am I completely in the wrong? He seems to think I am...

Original Post by jblarghp:

 

I was explaining how I feel that guys could get away with carrying extra pounds more so than women. It seems like guys are judged less harshly than women when it comes to being overweight.

Am I completely in the wrong? He seems to think I am...

Nope you are right. He's a 'Big guy' is a compliment or badge of honor.  Guys can get away with being overweight. And it is easier for them to lose it.

I think SOME men have it easier; but there are other men that gain weight just as quickly as women.  My DH is very lean and eats pretty much whatever and whenever he wants; and he never gains an inch.  I, on the other hand, will wear the ice cream on my hips the next day.

I also think; that for the men who carry extra weight; it may be harder for them mentally; because it's somewhat more accepted and expected for women to carry extra weight instead of men who want to appear protecting, manly and masculine, and strong. 

I have dated both men who carried a little extra weight and men who were lean (and sometimes mean...).  It's funny; becuase men who are on the skinny/lanky side  can/may have a whole other world of issues.  But not all.  Depends on their Brain Makeup and how they were raised?  I'm going off on a tangent here.

Yep.

Being a guy is awesome.

Girls are plagued with poor engineering when it comes to weight...the need to eat less than guys on a daily basis to lose it, the body's natural instinct to store fat for babymaking, the bloating around that ridiculously inefficient process of shedding that silly temporary uterine lining...all sorts of inherent problems with the design.  What a disaster. You'd think women were designed by committee.  :D

Original Post by dnrothx:

Yep.

Being a guy is awesome.

Girls are plagued with poor engineering when it comes to weight...the need to eat less than guys on a daily basis to lose it, the body's natural instinct to store fat for babymaking, the bloating around that ridiculously inefficient process of shedding that silly temporary uterine lining...all sorts of inherent problems with the design.  What a disaster. You'd think women were designed by committee.  :D

You always word things so eloquently thonx. :)

Obsessing about weight isn't considered to be a "manly" virtue.  Besides, guys tend to be far less judgemental of each other regarding weight.

I think women are harder on themselves then men about weight (on a general basis). I know when I started loosing weight because I had become 20 lbs over the healthy BMI I got arguments from the males that I knew that I did not need to loose weight.

They get it easier because they are being judged by women and by all accounts we are not quite so harsh as men are.

I work with a group of guys who I would say at least half of them are overweight some more than others, none of them (including those slim ones) are surface ugly but neither are they Greek gods, just normal average people, but you should here some of the stuff they say about how women look....I stand looking at them thinking "yeah I can see what makes you think you have the right to be so critical of others looks!" I don't know who they see when they look in the mirror  but it ain't what I'm looking at.

There is one guy who actually asks women what size of jeans they wear before he asks them out!

Original Post by dnrothx:

Yep.

Being a guy is awesome.

Girls are plagued with poor engineering when it comes to weight...the need to eat less than guys on a daily basis to lose it, the body's natural instinct to store fat for babymaking, the bloating around that ridiculously inefficient process of shedding that silly temporary uterine lining...all sorts of inherent problems with the design.  What a disaster. You'd think women were designed by committee.  :D

Sigh! Not to mention all the testosterone that allows them to have more lean body mass than us women. 

Oh well, unless you want to have a sex change we just have to accept, besides I like having boobs to play with (when they are not sore).

Its, true..sadly, men have a naturally higher BMR than women, in general. And, they don't have to deal with the "female" issues we have. But, that being said, i still would not trade places with them...equipment wise.

I don't know how they walk around with those things... ;)

aww plz evryone knws its more fun to be a woman we get to wear makeup and flashy stones and guys.....the beer belly says it all

Yep, all we have to do is say "weight be gone" in a stern voice, and it falls right off.

Original Post by splitrail:

Yep, all we have to do is say "weight be gone" in a stern voice, and it falls right off.

 you wish

Men might not be as criticized for extra weight as women are.  But they can be just as vain and even less realistic abut their weight.

dh refuses to buy pants that FIT - because that higher number is distasteful to him.  I hate to say it - but the way he crams himself into his pants is distasteful to me!  Not to mention the dozen or so pairs of brand new pants he has purchased this year that he refuses to return (cause one day they will fit again)

Yeah um..so you are down to one pair of pants, there is a ho ho stuck in your mouth and yeah, seriously those 32s are gonna fit next week.  Tip; one appears more attractive, at any size, when your clothes fit.

Original Post by madamq:

Men might not be as criticized for extra weight as women are.  But they can be just as vain and even less realistic abut their weight.

dh refuses to buy pants that FIT - because that higher number is distasteful to him.  I hate to say it - but the way he crams himself into his pants is distasteful to me!  Not to mention the dozen or so pairs of brand new pants he has purchased this year that he refuses to return (cause one day they will fit again)

Yeah um..so you are down to one pair of pants, there is a ho ho stuck in your mouth and yeah, seriously those 32s are gonna fit next week.  Tip; one appears more attractive, at any size, when your clothes fit.

maybe if you buy him a girdle he might fit better in them. im sure they make them for men.

I think men are not judged or scrutinized quite as harshly by society.  I also think women tend to pay attention to the appearance of other women and compare themselves to other women more so than men do in a group setting.

However, just today my husband was talking about how he was having a "fat day."  And lately he's been talking about how he has to lose weight (he's 6' and weighs 170, so I doubt it).  So I do think they aren't totally immune to body issues, and they can be just as unrealistic in their expectations.

Yes...in both ways of being scrutinized by society and when they need to lose it. I have seen on more than one occasion where there is a very large man in a crowd and someone *normally another man* makes the comment that he "must'a played some ball in school" and then if they see a woman who is large sometimes not even as large as the guy they just commented on; she is considered a "fat slob" or doesn't care how she looks. Hmm...a guy who is overweight "played ball" a girl that is is a slob and just doesn't give a sh!+ what she looks like. that seems a little unfair.

On the other hand, my boyfriend recently lost his job after he was injured away from work. He was working in a factory doing heavy lifting for 8-10 hours a day and went to nothing, and he gained some weight, not alot but enough to get a little belly and a little soft in the pec area. As soon as he was able to, he started working out again, just playing basketball at the rec with his brother-in-law and he has started losing that belly already. I on the other hand have to count calories and work my ass off to see any sort of change.

My husband cuts out his daily cupcake or whatever for a month and loses 25lbs. Jerk.

Original Post by andie-1:

They get it easier because they are being judged by women and by all accounts we are not quite so harsh as men are.

I work with a group of guys who I would say at least half of them are overweight some more than others, none of them (including those slim ones) are surface ugly but neither are they Greek gods, just normal average people, but you should here some of the stuff they say about how women look....I stand looking at them thinking "yeah I can see what makes you think you have the right to be so critical of others looks!" I don't know who they see when they look in the mirror  but it ain't what I'm looking at.

There is one guy who actually asks women what size of jeans they wear before he asks them out!

 Andie, any guy who had the nerve to ask what size jeans I wear before he asked me out would be asked to drop his drawers before I answered so I could make an informed decision too :-p

But, sadly, I know exactly what you mean.  Having always been the chick friend at the table full of guys, it's never ceased to amaze me how critical they are of women when they're so far from perfect themselves.  However, I think it's less about their actual opinions coming out and more a type of male bonding.  MOST of the ones that do this would never say the same type of things about a girl when they're sitting around by themselves or with just me as they do when they're in a large group of guys.  And since the other guys in the group all laugh and agree when they say something (laughing harder the meaner it is), it's about being the "big man" so to speak.

Then again, some guys are just @**wipes.

Oh, and as far as the original question:  Yes, guys have it easier on both counts.  It's ok to be an overweight guy.  The guy himself may not like it and may want to drop the weight, but it is socially acceptable for a guy to carry a few extra pounds.  It's also easier for most guys to lose weight.  They have a higher muscle mass than women naturally which means that they burn calories at a higher rate (higher metabolism)

I don't think it's any easier for a man to be morbidly obese (not just heavy) than it is for a woman though.  I think people judge morbit obesity pretty much the same for men and women.

Original Post by madamq:

 

dh refuses to buy pants that FIT - because that higher number is distasteful to him. 

 Mine does this too. It is pure denial. I don't know how anyone can have sensory denial like that. When I wear pants that are too tight I am crabby and cranky all day.

Blessed are those that lack self awareness!