Why are men so smug about losing weight?

[Bikergran]

Is it just me, or do other women get utterly p*ssed off when men stop scarfing down beer and chips, lose weight, then a) strut round like they're Mr Universe and b) tell women they don't understand why they're making such a fuss about dieting, it's easy. BIL has just come to stay for a few days, first thing he announced when he walked in was his weight. He's stopped drinking 4-5 pints a night, of course he's going to lose weight!! Of course I said "Well done!" but I just wanted to throw something at him........

Yes it’s annoying.

An ex bragged he had lost 5 stone when he was in his late 20s and declared its not “difficult ”🙄 I said it wasn’t difficult for him but doesn't mean it’s the same for everyone.

Aside from the fact he’s a man he was very tall so for him to be in deficit he could still eat a fair bit.

I tend to follow mainly female fitness coaches online because they tend to “get” it more regarding weight fluctuations at various points of the month. Although I appreciate some of the male coaches that have made the occasional social media post about periods/hormones etc

What you mean is "Why is my BiL so smug about losing weight?".

'Men' aren't.

In my experience, they are. BIL is just the most recent one I've encountered.

I've not found this to be true ...

I've never heard a man talk about weight loss tbh. Everyone who has talked about weight loss has been a women.

I don't think they're being smug. I think people who secretly eat and don't stick to the diet commitments they made are bitter when they don't lose weight and other people do.

Same here.

In your example though OP a woman would lose weight quickly if they were having hundreds of excess calories a day and subsequently cut that thing out? Not sure it's just a man thing.

I have. The men are very practical. They'll either say they can't lose weight because they like stuffing themselves too much, or they'll say they've lost weight because they've committed to an eating and exercise plan. They don't say they are and then you find takeaway receipts around their house.

Your experience is some men are. All those overweight men who are struggling aren’t exactly saying it are they

I have never experienced this but I have experienced lots of people who have issues who twist things to find a way to be annoyed or upset or take offense to them and it seems every single person these days is obessed with weight?

Not in my experience.

My husband can still easily fit into his 30 inch waist wedding suit from the 90s. His weight has stayed the same and he never talks about it. In fact, I can’t think of a single man I know that talks about their weight.

I think men tend to lose weight more quickly than women if they follow a healthy diet with a calorie deficit. They don't have hormonal fluctuations to deal with, so don't have the depressing experience of following an eating plan rigorously for a week only to gain 3lb because their period is due. They also have more muscle mass on average, which helps them burn calories, and they can eat more and still be in a calorie deficit - how easy a diet would be for a woman if her daily allowance was 2000 calories!

I’ve never heard of a man talk about losing weight. I regularly hear women boast about losing weight when they’ve been on Ozempic or Mountjaro so they haven’t made an effort.

My DH is like this. I gain weight eating 1500 calories a day so I have to stick to around 1200 just to stay level and it’s a real boring slog. DH just cuts out crisps or something and he’s dropping lbs. He’ll still be filling his face with tonnes of bread and cheese and stuff. It’s really unfair.

Men have consistent hormones day in day out. Women fluctuate during the month. Most advice is based on men! Of course they find it easier. Not all of them are a dick about it though. I’ve met a couple of very different examples - one used his own regime as a way to rib me, wanted to twist my arm into joining him on runs (urgh) and wasn’t open to listening to my experience. One mentioned his own experience and didn’t at all use it to comment on me.

That 3lb doesn't stay though as it's water retention and things. If you eat less and move more, you'll gain weight more slowly and eventually lose weight as you increase your exercise.

A lot of men are more active and less emotionally attached to food, as someone has said they're generally more practical and happy to recognise why they've gained weight which is key in knowing what to do to lose it.

This.

Your BIL sounds unusual

Oh, yes, I understand that - I'm talking about the demotivating effect if you are on a diet. Even if you know it's only water retention, it's the kind of thing that can trigger a 'fuck it' response if you have been denying yourself all week, and send your eating plan off the rails.

Of course, in the new world of weight loss injections all this might change, if we ever reach a point where they are available/affordable to anyone who is obese.

Nah. Men have to be strong and all that, so it’s just historical narrative for some. And the 3 men I currently know who are losing masses of weight are not like that. One’s delighted and giddy with the results (mounjaro), a knowledges that it comes from less calorie intake & weekly gym classes & is soooo much healthier for it, one rarely mentions it but when he does it’s: “you have to move, eat less and stop being an idiot” (true - and acknowledges that it takes effort). Third one’s all shy about his appearance so we just chat about how healthy he looks and feels.
And women are smug too here and there. I am SUPER smug to have lost 23 kilos / 50lbs over 2 years. First 35 all by myself with calorie counting, exercise offsetting extra calories etc - bloody hard work! And the rest is a mounjaro journey. All hard too for different reasons. But I am DELIGHTED with both approaches and the overall result. I was perimenopausal, carried hormonal weight and the corona stone after lockdown too, pre diabetic, high cholesterol (family history for us all to have that even when “skinny”). ALL numbers now down, I FEEL fucking fantastic, my pre diabetic numbers are firmly in the NON risk group and below my age expectation numbers. I can move, fit into size 10-12 (am tall), hug my knees to my chest sitting on the sofa, and just FEEL so much better (and obviously look it too). Comfortable, confident and - yes - very very smug about it :D

I think that sort of attitude is why women tend to find it much harder to truly commit to a diet. They don't lose as much as they hoped or have a period and think "fuck it, I'll have a whole cake".

Men don’t bang on about weight loss half as much as women do.

I find that men are smug with any achievement.
They are determined once they start, a male colleague who was very overweight joined SW, the women in tbe group were shocked at how quickly he lost 6st.
Some men are better at focusing on one thing, when women usually have 100 other things on their mind.

Some people are just that pleased they genuinely want to announce it to the world

tbh I’ve only come across women doing this

why wouldn’t you be pleased for them

I’m guessing you don’t like BIL

I joined Slimming world with my ex, I did all the shopping, cooking and stuck to it religiously. He still drank beer and ate snacks but he lost so much more than me every week.

That definitely made him very smug.