Men do have an advantage losing weight—up to a point. Men will lose weight faster during the initial stages of the (hypocaloric) diet. Why?
The reasons are simple. In general, men are larger and have more muscle mass. This translates into more calories burned during exercise. Men—for the same reason—also require more calories. Thus, it easier to go into a caloric deficit.
At a rate of fat loss of 1-2 lb per week, a deficit of 3500-7000 kcal/per week (500-1000kcal/day) is required. Considering that it requires approximately 1000-1200 kcal a day to meet the basic nutritional requirements for health, maintain hormonal balance, and prevent the possible slowing of the basal metabolic rate, women more quickly reach the bottom during a “cut”. Men, thus, have a more room to go a bit extreme on the initial caloric restriction. (Note, this is not ideal for the muscled male looking to maintain that muscle mass.)
My wife, who is quite a bit smaller than me, used (still does) to get frustrated by the calories I could burn in an equivalent time frame—usually twice the rate at which she could burn calories. This was also, in part, due to the fact that I was in better shape. I can do more work. Work (W = force x distance) is greater when there is more weight (i.e., mass or force) being moved. Cardiorespiratory conditioning and strength also permit more mass to be moved—thus, more calories to be burned. When trying to lose fat, my wife has to sacrifice more and exercise longer to lose weight at an equivalent rate. Hormonally, women are also wired to carry more body fat (and for health they should). So, naturally, the body will seek to retain fat.
The good news, ladies, is that, while men will lose weight at a faster rate (initially), over time the gap will close. Just be patient and consistent, and the weight will surely come off. Also, consider resistance training and worrying less about weight loss and focus for on body composition (adding muscle and losing fat). Pay less mind to the scale.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!