Men, Women and Weight loss

In my first 16 weeks of weight watchers I watched a coworker transform becoming 30lbs lighter.  He made it seem so easy, so naturally I was a little jealous.  He said it was easy if you do this or that . . .I thought no way it’s a man thing!! He is a man so he is losing weight faster than us ladies.  This is the one and only time I wished jeeze why wasn’t I a man . . .While he lost his weight I struggled to keep the 5lbs I lost  off for good.

                November began the new Weight Watchers session at work which meant new faces, goals and a whole new support system. 38 new faces to be exact, and with a new job opportunity taking the one male away from the group we gained a new one.  The new male in the group is a friend; we will call him “K”.  I was extremely happy that K decided to join the group 1. That means one more of my friends wanted to be healthy! &  2. I can now pick his brain and find out what works best for him and is it easier for men?    

                Common struggles . . . realizing that you don’t have to starve to lose weight.  Also that eating right does not mean you have to eat a pre made cardboard meal.   We also both discovered that the times of day you eat can really make a difference.  Luckily for him, he came to this conclusion early in the process.  Also how much you eat, we both agree that portions make all the difference. I used to eat until the plate was full, not because I was hungry, just because I paid for it and I didn’t want to waste it.   

The major similarity I found with this whole process is that we had both become self-conscience of the weight gain.  He told me “a big part of it for me, which most men won’t admit, it’s a self-conscience issue”.  I was shocked by this because I see my friend as a confident, intelligent and handsome man.  Just an example of how wrong me and my one track mind was, you just never know.  I felt senses of relief that he knows exactly what all of us ladies are talking about when we have WW meetings.  We share many of the same struggles and concerns.

8 Weeks and  17lbs lighter I had found a new perspective on the men v. women debate.  K is only 8 weeks in a 10lbs lighter, which is a huge success!!   He recently said on a social media site that he is down two sizes.  Which is another major success but also a difference between men and women.  I am down 2 sizes with 17 lbs and he is down 2 sizes with 10lbs lost.  I have a ton of “non scale victories” though, like my boots don’t stay up.  I also no longer use the extender for my bra, a month ago it was on the last clasp.  Now I don’t even need it!!  Not only do I see the changes in me and K but in all of my friends who have taken the challenge to get healthy.  I’m excited to see what’s next. . .