“My husband and I started a diet at the same time. He’s lost 20 pounds already and I’ve only lost 10. Can you tell me why?”
Many factors are involved in weight loss. Every human being is different and no two bodies will respond in exactly the same way even though they may follow the exact same diet.
Factors such as height, weight, bodyfat, resting metabolic rate, foods eaten, portions eaten and activity levels all contribute how quickly or slowly a person will lose weight.
How tall are you compared to your husband? Are you the same height or is he taller?
Comparing a woman who is 5’1″ to a man who is 6’1 is comparing apples and oranges.
How much do you and your husband each weigh? Do you weigh the same amount or did he start out heavier than you?
People who have more weight to lose will lose more at the start of a diet than someone who doesn’t have as much to lose.
How much bodyfat did each of you have when you started the diet? Did you both have the same level of bodyfat as compared to lean body mass?
Men have naturally higher levels of testosterone and therefore usually have more lean body mass (muscle) than women. The amount of lean body mass you have has a direct effect on your resting metabolic rate. Someone with more muscle will burn more calories than someone with less muscle. This is why I always recommend that people trying to lose weight focus first on building muscle. It makes for slower initial weight loss but once that muscle grows and starts demanding more calories for support (kicking your metabolic rate up a notch) then you’ll start seeing some serious fat loss.
Are you both eating the same foods? Take look at his food choices as compared to yours. Are they the same? Have you cheated at all?
Are you both eating the same portion sizes? Just because a diet says “All you can eat” doesn’t mean you should eat a ton. Consider your portion sizes and make sure they are right for your body.
How do your activity levels compare? Is he lifting weights while you’re jogging on a treadmill? This will make a huge difference in how well each of you loses weight. You may burn 300 calories jogging for half an hour but that’s all you’ll burn. If he is building muscle, that muscle will need more calories to support itself 24/7. Depending upon his level of muscle mass, one weight training workout for him could cause his body to burn thousands of calories in a 24-hour period whereas you just burned 300.
There are many factors that determine how quickly an individual will lose weight. It takes a good deal of effort to dial in all the factors for your particular body but it will certainly pay off in the end.
See also: Weight Loss Terms to Know