What problems do you face when trying to lose weight?
It’s long been suspected that the battle of the bulge is handled differently by the different sexes.
Research in the US has shown that men and women struggle with different problems – and try to solve them differently, too.
The Polaris report shows that Women are significantly more to say that “too much stress” is an obstacle for weight loss (39% of women vs. 28% of men), while men were significantly more likely to note “eating out in restaurants” (33% of men vs. 26% of women) and bigger portion sizes as the culprits (35% of men vs. 28% of women).
“While both men and women have tried eating less (82% for men vs. 84% for women) and exercising more (82% for men and 79% for women), women are significantly more likely to try other methods for weight loss than are men, such as purchasing books or DVDs or doing Internet research (28% of women), eating pre-packaged meals from the grocery store (22% of women), joining Weight Watchers (13% of women) and purchasing a meal program (7% of women),” said Polaris Marketing Research President Jan Carlson.
This difference in approaches is shown in the UK. Weight Wins, a British weight loss programme that pays members up to £3,000 to lose weight, has seen the same situation among its members.
“Men struggle to find a diet programme that works for them” said Simon Powell, Managing Director of Weight Wins ltd. “Most diet companies are aimed at women, with pink graphics and forgiving representatives.”
“Our motivation system has over 30% male membership. The deadlines, targets and rewards we offer helps men lose weight as it gives them a clear, simple structure.”
“It worked for me – I lost over 7 stone and earned over £1,200 through Weight Wins. I’m sure I could have lost it another way, but Weight Wins gave me targets I could measure my progress against. I knew not only how to lose weight, but I could see how I was getting on, too. It really worked for me – well enough that I’m now working at the company to make sure I can help others achieve the same success”.
Tagged in Diet Healthy eating