Women's attitude to health and fitness

BrianD3

I was just thinking about how most girls I know don't seem to give a crap about their health, diet, fitness etc. Most do no exercise at all. Their diets are really poor, they skip meals and survive on crisps, chocolate, coffee and diet drinks. Every once in a while they'll decide to go on a fad diet and may even start doing some exercise in order to "tone up" but they never stick with it.

They are usually completely uninformed about basic stuff like the effect of surplus calorie intake, bodyfat percentages, BMI etc. Smoking seems to be extremely common among young college graduate/professional women too.

I know far more males who make an effort to take care of themselves. It's ironic seeing as men are often criticsed as being "too macho" to look after themselves.

disillusioned

Funny thing that, most men I know are fat!

Are most of the females you know fat?

Every single female I know is fully aware of the need for diet and exercise. They all see the glam photos of modles, celebs etc and try to emulate the look. Every last one of them has dieted at some point on either WW or Atkins, and all of them talk incessently about losing a few pounds here or there. Funny thing is though most of them are not fat.

BrianD3

I'd say I know more slim women than fat women. However many of the slim women have terrible diets and are extremely unfit eg cannot walk up a few steps without getting out of breath.

seamus

disillusioned wrote:

Every single female I know is fully aware of the need for diet and exercise. They all see the glam photos of modles, celebs etc and try to emulate the look. Every last one of them has dieted at some point on either WW or Atkins, and all of them talk incessently about losing a few pounds here or there. Funny thing is though most of them are not fat.

While this is true, I'll agree completely with Brian's statement that most don't seem to know the idea behind lowering calories, etc. Actually, it's not that they don't know the information, but they're misinformed. They read magazines about how movie star X lost 30 lbs by subsisting on 3 full meals a day, when the magazine leaves out the 2 hours of hands-on personal training, and the meals carefully prepared by a hired chef. Then women go out thinking they can do the same and eat all the wrong things.

Insane notions like "The biscuit has less calories if you break it in half" and "I eat celery all day, in a week I'll be skinny" all come from women, because
a) A lot of women are obsessive about their weight,
b) Few men I know have these notions. They either know how to eat properly or they don't - they don't have any made-up notions on how to lose weight.

dudara

I know an incredible amount of intelligent women who are so clueless when it comes to exercise. They just don't realise that doing the smallest amount of exercise will be so beneficial. There are lots of thin attractive women, who like Brian said, are incredibly unfit and couldn't run for a bus.

annR

It's a very interesting topic. I agree that there are a lot of slim women who are so weak and unfit. They probably don't bother with exercise if they're already slim, as they don't need to lose anymore weight so wouldn't have the reason. Developing some muscle would probably motivate slim guys to go to the gym.

But I have also noticed a lot of men in their 30s with awful beer bellies, with women of that same age appearing to look after themselves better and be more active. The slim weak thing seems to be more younger women.

simu

Well, maybe young people in general are woeful at looking after themselves and that women only get into it once they start getting older/start families. I've seen many articles in newspapers indicating that women are more willing to go to their GP when problems arise (http://www.irishhealth.com/?level=4&id=5640), that they have a beneficial effect on the diet of men (sorry, can't find online link) and so on.

BrianD3

I agree about the beer bellies but it's not just men aged 30+. These days you see plenty of men in their teens and early twenties who already have a pot belly. These guys are often thin and weak but have a belly which is out of proportion to the rest of them. This is often referred to as being "skinny fat".

But I still think more men than women look after themselves. Of all the people I know, the only who know anything about diet, exercise, sport are men. Even fat men might play a game of indoor soccer once a week with their work pals and be fitter than they look. Whereas there are a lot of slim women who are slim because they eat barely anything during the day. The result is they have no energy in the evenings and spend them sitting in front of the TV watching soaps while munching crisps and smoking cigarettes.

shoegirl

Its an extremely interesting subject. I do wonder (as a woman) sometimes if most women are in fact just stupid, because its incredible, as one person pointed out how many go only on fad diets, don't really take in proper nutriotional information, and believe everything they read in magazines. (And don't even start me on the muppets who go to fortune tellers!)

One friend of mine quite wrongly informed me that there was no point in lifting weights - that cardio was the only way to lose weight. Which is absolute rubbish. But I think stuff like that is cultural - women are afraid to be seen as strong and commanding and so weights are automatically ruled out with any excuse. (Incidentally I lift weights nearly everyday for at least 30 minutes and went from 193 pounds to 155 pounds on a sensible diet mostly made up of white meat, fish, fresh vegetables, wholegrains and dairy).

Having said that most women (with the exception of younger women) drink far less than most men and worry more about their appearance. Having said that I think it is becoming more common amongst men also.

Chucky the tree

disillusioned wrote:

Funny thing that, most men I know are fat!

Are most of the females you know fat?

Every single female I know is fully aware of the need for diet and exercise. They all see the glam photos of modles, celebs etc and try to emulate the look. Every last one of them has dieted at some point on either WW or Atkins, and all of them talk incessently about losing a few pounds here or there. Funny thing is though most of them are not fat.

you have just proved his point by using the atkins diet as an example.

Attol

I wouldn't agree with this too much when I compare myself to my male friends. Last time I went to McDonald's with one I had curly fries while my friend had a quarter pounder meal with a coke and a hamburger. I tend to only drink when I go out or am with friends. I won't have one while watching tv or anything. I bring salads to school and eat 3 full meals a day with snacks of fruit or yoghurts. I avoid crisps. I walk everywhere. Not as a choice, but because our house is 20 minutes away from the nearest shop and I can't afford a car. I like it though. It forces me to walk more and I do feel healthier now than I did when I got the bus or a lift everywhere. It all depends on the person. I'm not skinny with the way I currently control my weight but I feel I'm at a healthy weight. I won't crash diet as I wouldn't have the control to do so or the desire. It all depends on the person. I would say males and females have an equal number of people eating the wrong types of food and avoiding exercise of any description.

dudara

In fairness LadyLotts, that's your point. I think that in general though, there are large amounts of women who are unhealthy, while looking thin.

I'm a regular weight-lifter, gym-goer and I also practise TKD. The only thing I really don't do is running, even though I know i really should. I work in a department with approx 20 men and 5 other women. While just about every man plays a sport regularly, only one other woman attends the gym or does anything athletic.

*Angel*

Sadly it's true, so many girls I know never exercise and hate to. Only one of my friends and myself like to keep fit, it is a little worrying, but then again their choice, I've tried influencing them but with no avail.

On the diet front, I think it is common for girls to have fads of eating very little. I'm guilty of this myself last year, I felt the pressures to be skinny so much that I cut down to 2 smallish meals a day for about a month, even when I really didn't have to. Now I'm more mature and would stick to 3 meals a day.

The Sweeper

One of the best ways to see the difference between the information fed to men about diet and exercise, and that fed to women, is to compare some of the glossy magazine diets.

Men's Health magazine will run exercise and weight loss diets. So will glossy womens mags, which for the purpose of this example we will refer as The Daily Handbag.

Men's Health will promote the following sort of information:

Wow, you are a fat bastard! You need to trim that lot down quickly. Right, first thing, you need some exercise. If you don't want to join a gym, then find a DVD shop that's a half hour walk from your house. Walk to it, rent something marvellous with boobies, jog back home, watch the film as your reward! Result! Then tomorrow night, return the DVD, walking and jogging. Repeat. If you want a night off, hire a two-night rental.

Eating: You need to be taking in about 2200 calories a day. Bring one apple, one banana and one pear to work with you every day. You can eat these any time you're hungry during the day. Try not to drink as much coffee if you can. For breakfast, the following fast food joints/sandwich bars do the following products which would be good as breakfast [insert a list of brands here]. At lunch time, these supermarket ready meals fit in with your diet[insert a list of brands here].

Beering with the boys: the following brands of alcohol have the following calories: [insert a list of brands here]. Try drinking [insert spirit with diet mixer] instead of lager. Have a pint of water with each drink, you'll drink less. Get your exercise by wrestling your mate who's called you a dieting poofter to the floor. Go home early in a sulk - this is good, you've avoided the curry house.

When you get to the point that you're jogging to and from the DVD store four times a week, you can have a curry. But only on a Saturday. And not a korma.

The Daily Handbag will promote the following sort of information:

You're a lovely person. Gwyeth Paltrow is only that skinny because she's sick in the head. So put a picture of her on your fridge and scratch her eyes out with a pen, then every time you want to eat you'll see her and it'll put you off.

You need to do some exercise to lose weight. We suggest you buy the FAD-MAT2000(TM) and the EXORBALL. On day one, spend five minutes trying to inflate the EXORBALL, get depressed and call boyfriend to help. No boyfriend? That's because you're fat. Go to kitchen to make herbal tea, end up drinking two pints of hot chocolate - but it doesn't count, because it's Cadchoccies Super-deee-lite.

Day two: take diet seriously. Clear contents of fridge. Go to shop and buy bags of salad, some watercress (because Liz Hurley swears by soup made from it) and some plain chicken breast. Also shop for low fat cereal, milk, and yoghurt. But a lunchbox the size of a small briefcase, and packets of raw vegetables. The next day, for breakfast, you must have: a banana smoothie and one slice of wholemeal toast (dry) with a cup of herbal tea. Get up an hour earlier than normal so you can eat that and still get to work on time.

Mid morning, you can have half a grilled chicken breast and some salad. Can't grill chicken at work? No problem, just have a coffee instead - you'll be even SKINNIER now because you're skipping meals.

Lunchtime, and you're so hungry you have the shakes which means you raid the office biscuit supply and eat four digestives to get the strength to go to prepare your lunch. Everyone else is going to the pub. Sit in office, dejected. Eat contents of lunchbox. Raw baby corn is overrated. Eat a fifth digestive to feel better.

Go home that evening, and unroll your FADMAT-2000(TM) in front of the telly to do crunches with Davina's workout video. Fall asleep on mat and wake up in time for CSI - isn't Warwick Brown dishy?

Weekend at the pub with the girls - do not eat all day to offset your evening's drinking. Get to the pub, order a bloody mary - vodka has virtually no calories or something, and the tomato juice is your sustenance for the day. EXCELLENT!! It comes with a stick of celery!! Ask for an extra one because you burn more calories eating it than it contains - you know this for a fact because the Daily Handbag said it. Five drinks in and you're arseholed - time to go home. Stop at KFC for some popcorn chicken, buy entire variety meal as well. Eat it lying on living room floor on FADMAT-2000(TM), which is actually quite comfortable.

If you have fallen off this diet more than twice this week, leave the vegetables in the fridge to go brown and eat pizza every night so you don't have to open the fridge and feel guilty. Then buy next month's Daily Handbag for the all new citrus fruit diet, on which Jennifer Aniston managed to lose 22 pounds, a big Greek nose and a husband.




...see where I'm going with this? It's really not a surprise that women are nutritionally clueless.

dudara

No boyfriend? That's because you're fat. Go to kitchen to make herbal tea, end up drinking two pints of hot chocolate - but it doesn't count, because it's Cadchoccies Super-deee-lite.

LOL, and so true.

My bf's collection of Men's Health, etc, are far better at promoting exercise and health than any women's magazine I've come across.

kstanl

I don't think it's a gender issue. There are just as many men with beer-bellies as there are women with fat arses. It's a matter of self-respect really.

poobum

Minesajackdaniels wrote:

One of the best ways to see the difference between the information fed to men about diet and exercise, and that fed to women, is to compare some of the glossy magazine diets.

Men's Health magazine will run exercise and weight loss diets. So will glossy womens mags, which for the purpose of this example we will refer as The Daily Handbag.

Men's Health will promote the following sort of information:

Wow, you are a fat bastard! You need to trim that lot down quickly. Right, first thing, you need some exercise. If you don't want to join a gym, then find a DVD shop that's a half hour walk from your house. Walk to it, rent something marvellous with boobies, jog back home, watch the film as your reward! Result! Then tomorrow night, return the DVD, walking and jogging. Repeat. If you want a night off, hire a two-night rental.

Eating: You need to be taking in about 2200 calories a day. Bring one apple, one banana and one pear to work with you every day. You can eat these any time you're hungry during the day. Try not to drink as much coffee if you can. For breakfast, the following fast food joints/sandwich bars do the following products which would be good as breakfast [insert a list of brands here]. At lunch time, these supermarket ready meals fit in with your diet[insert a list of brands here].

Beering with the boys: the following brands of alcohol have the following calories: [insert a list of brands here]. Try drinking [insert spirit with diet mixer] instead of lager. Have a pint of water with each drink, you'll drink less. Get your exercise by wrestling your mate who's called you a dieting poofter to the floor. Go home early in a sulk - this is good, you've avoided the curry house.

When you get to the point that you're jogging to and from the DVD store four times a week, you can have a curry. But only on a Saturday. And not a korma.

The Daily Handbag will promote the following sort of information:

You're a lovely person. Gwyeth Paltrow is only that skinny because she's sick in the head. So put a picture of her on your fridge and scratch her eyes out with a pen, then every time you want to eat you'll see her and it'll put you off.

You need to do some exercise to lose weight. We suggest you buy the FAD-MAT2000(TM) and the EXORBALL. On day one, spend five minutes trying to inflate the EXORBALL, get depressed and call boyfriend to help. No boyfriend? That's because you're fat. Go to kitchen to make herbal tea, end up drinking two pints of hot chocolate - but it doesn't count, because it's Cadchoccies Super-deee-lite.

Day two: take diet seriously. Clear contents of fridge. Go to shop and buy bags of salad, some watercress (because Liz Hurley swears by soup made from it) and some plain chicken breast. Also shop for low fat cereal, milk, and yoghurt. But a lunchbox the size of a small briefcase, and packets of raw vegetables. The next day, for breakfast, you must have: a banana smoothie and one slice of wholemeal toast (dry) with a cup of herbal tea. Get up an hour earlier than normal so you can eat that and still get to work on time.

Mid morning, you can have half a grilled chicken breast and some salad. Can't grill chicken at work? No problem, just have a coffee instead - you'll be even SKINNIER now because you're skipping meals.

Lunchtime, and you're so hungry you have the shakes which means you raid the office biscuit supply and eat four digestives to get the strength to go to prepare your lunch. Everyone else is going to the pub. Sit in office, dejected. Eat contents of lunchbox. Raw baby corn is overrated. Eat a fifth digestive to feel better.

Go home that evening, and unroll your FADMAT-2000(TM) in front of the telly to do crunches with Davina's workout video. Fall asleep on mat and wake up in time for CSI - isn't Warwick Brown dishy?

Weekend at the pub with the girls - do not eat all day to offset your evening's drinking. Get to the pub, order a bloody mary - vodka has virtually no calories or something, and the tomato juice is your sustenance for the day. EXCELLENT!! It comes with a stick of celery!! Ask for an extra one because you burn more calories eating it than it contains - you know this for a fact because the Daily Handbag said it. Five drinks in and you're arseholed - time to go home. Stop at KFC for some popcorn chicken, buy entire variety meal as well. Eat it lying on living room floor on FADMAT-2000(TM), which is actually quite comfortable.

If you have fallen off this diet more than twice this week, leave the vegetables in the fridge to go brown and eat pizza every night so you don't have to open the fridge and feel guilty. Then buy next month's Daily Handbag for the all new citrus fruit diet, on which Jennifer Aniston managed to lose 22 pounds, a big Greek nose and a husband.




...see where I'm going with this? It's really not a surprise that women are nutritionally clueless.

fcukin brilliant!!! and extremly true!!! nice 1

Duckjob

In general, i think it's fair to say that men are more balanced in their approach to getting fit. When a man decides to get fit, he'll think about how he's going to cut back on the beer, takeaways etc, but he'll generally also plan to start swimming/running/going to the gym.

I find women tend to completely neglect the exercise side of the equation and instead focus on how little they're going to eat, and in doing so they set themselves up for failure each and every time. This is funny considering if they got an exercise routine going and got active and burning calories, they wouldn't have to give up their favorite treats (just moderate them) and they would probably still see results far in excess of what any diet could deliver.

incisor71

Minesajackdaniels's earlier article put it all so well, and in a wonderfully wry style!

One scenario that comes up time and time again is of women who are afraid to lift weights because they're afraid they'll end up muscle-bound or with shoulders like Michelle de Bruin; I don't doubt that images of leather-skinned women bodybuilders compound this fear. In contrast, I've always read that women don't have the hormonal composition necessary to build very large muscles, and a toning effect is the actual result of strength training.

I have lasting memories of a girl in the gym at a former workplace - she was so svelte she became almost invisible when viewed sideways, but when I used the Smith machine after her I had to halve the weight she used for squatting...

dudara

incisor71 wrote:

One scenario that comes up time and time again is of women who are afraid to lift weights because they're afraid they'll end up muscle-bound or with shoulders like Michelle de Bruin;

I love that myth. A woman would have to be really lifting to develop those muscles, or else helping herself to some illegal substances.

I have lasting memories of a girl in the gym at a former workplace - she was so svelte she became almost invisible when viewed sideways, but when I used the Smith machine after her I had to halve the weight she used for squatting...

I squat (using a rack, not the Smith Machine), and I get so many guys in the gym coming up, complementing me, saying how they've never seen a girl squat before and well done. Tbh, I just consider it an essential exercise, and women just don't realise how good it is for your glutes, especially when combined with deadlifting. Not that I'm not svelte (great word), but I'd rather be strong.

Gillo

I think alot of the problem is the different perceptions between men and women with regard to an attractive body. Please stick with me because this may sound a bit waffley.
Personnaly I swim 5 nights a week and try to do weights 3 or 4 nights a week, I excerise for two reasons; stress relief and to have an attractive body (yeah I wish) the actual health implications don't come into the equation they are realy just a bonus on top of having an relatively attractive body. I think alot of guys excerise for teh same reason- vaniety (not that they will admit it).

The thing is a "sexy" body on a guy involves a 6 pack, large arm muscles etc, where as a 'sexy" body on a lady is well just slim. so for a guy to have a good body they have to work on it fairly hard for a woman, they just eat very little and end up a size 8. As a result guys are generally more inclined to work out.

Appologies as I know this is a generalisation but you get the idea.

rubadub

gillo wrote:

so for a guy to have a good body they have to work on it fairly hard for a woman, they just eat very little and end up a size 8. As a result guys are generally more inclined to work out.

Appologies as I know this is a generalisation but you get the idea.

And more reason why women avoid weights, as mentioned. As though you lift a few puny 1kg weights and you turn into a hulk overnight. If this was the case every guy would be walking around like he-man.

One thing I notice is women falling for the diet food ads, not that guys don't fall for them, they just don't care about the diet foods (or pretend not to, note pepsi max- the mans diet pepsi, they have renamed diet 7-up to 7-up free too). These go-ahead biscuits and "low-fat" muffins which are relatively low fat, just because there was no room for the fat with all that sugar in them. Then there are the ads with the "only 4%" fat slogans for the likes of milk which you have a portion of 300-500g at a time, so it is actually a large amount of fat. Or else the, at best condescending, at worst wholly misleading sugar adverts "did you know sugar contains no fat" trying to pass it off as health food or something

Or the old chestnut "per portion" where the portion is less than you would give to a new born baby, cereals are always at that. Lots of food items do this without giving any weight on the package or the weight of the portion, I think this is illegal. Tesco have these tiny little swiss rolls now, I would eat one in one go, 1/2 one would be reasonable enough yet it claims to have 6 portions!

kasintahan

gillo wrote:

I think alot of guys excerise for teh same reason- vaniety (not that they will admit it).

I don't know any guy who even pretends it's for another reason.

incisor71

gillo wrote:

I excerise for two reasons; stress relief and to have an attractive body (yeah I wish) the actual health implications don't come into the equation they are realy just a bonus on top of having an relatively attractive body.

Appearances do come into the equation, let's not deny it! - and there's nothing amiss with that, as long as it's for your own pleasure and not just for the sake of impressing others.

With respect to the health benefits, more needs to be publicised about the increases in bone density made possible by strength-training routines - this is vitally important for older women whose risk of osteoporosis is raised by a deficient calcium intake. Not that I'm saying you're an old(er) woman, but none of us has infinite longevity, and assuming we typically live beyond the age of 65, it's well worth making that time investment now for the greater good of our lives down the line.

I think alot of guys excerise for teh same reason- vaniety (not that they will admit it).

Men won't admit to vanity simply because we fear it'll be used as anti-man/feminist ammunition .... if we don't exercise at all we get criticised, and if we get into the gym in a big way we're accused of being too vain. Can't seem to win. Are athletes accused of being vain when they're in training? No, thought not.

But whatever about the societal pressures on women to look the part, there's an almost equal pressure on men to look like movie stars, if not porn stars; the line between fantasy and everyday reality has become seriously blurred, if it even exists any longer....

kstanl

incisor71 wrote:

Men won't admit to vanity simply because we fear it'll be used as anti-man/feminist ammunition....

I have absolutely no problem admitting that I exercise for reasons of vanity (aswell as health, well being, etc). If any woman was enough of a moronic man-hater to actually critcise me for it, I'd tell her to piss off and burn her bra elsewhere.

incisor71 wrote:

But whatever about the societal pressures on women to look the part, there's an almost equal pressure on men to look like movie stars, if not porn stars; the line between fantasy and everyday reality has become seriously blurred, if it even exists any longer....

What pressure? I don't feel pressured into looking good. I do it for myself and nobody else. Anyone who feels pressured into looking good in order to conform/fit in is weak-willed.

Farls

I do weights so I can feel good, vanity and health reasons.

I know a good few women that train but they never do weights, just run and sit ups and then more running! Those mock magazine articles summed up this scenario perfectly I think.

The alarming thing I feel though, is that most women don't bother at all doing any exercise, starvation they feel is more than enough. Not to mention these stupid ****ing diets, that when asked about they haven't a clue what their doing except that "my magazine says its good for me". And then you have the big girls who know their big and their proud to be big and they don't want to be a skinny little a bitch :rolleyes:

Farlz

dudara

incisor71 wrote:

With respect to the health benefits, more needs to be publicised about the increases in bone density made possible by strength-training routines - this is vitally important for older women whose risk of osteoporosis is raised by a deficient calcium intake. Not that I'm saying you're an old(er) woman, but none of us has infinite longevity, and assuming we typically live beyond the age of 65, it's well worth making that time investment now for the greater good of our lives down the line.

Excellent point there with regards to weight-training and bone density. Lets face it, us women are fighting a battle to keep bone density going strong once we hit the menopause. Anything that we can do now to help has got to be good

incisor71

kstanl wrote:

What pressure? I don't feel pressured into looking good. I do it for myself and nobody else. Anyone who feels pressured into looking good in order to conform/fit in is weak-willed.

You don't feel pressure? Good for you. But writing off people who are more susceptible to social pressures as "weak-willed" is just plain harsh.

People have all sorts of reasons for wanting to get into shape, and it's a good thing that they're not banning "weak-willed" people from availing of ways to get in shape, just because they took a different psychological journey in life.

DonkeyKong

all i have to say on the matter is this....

take a walk down any major street in Limerick and oh my god!! the amount of fat ass's and my favourite the overlapping fat over the belt/tracksuit pants chord tie is absoultely astounding and discusting. i think Limerick is the worst although i'm only judging it against dublin and galway.

things need to change.

katiegordon

In my opinion its not down to a persons gender what their attitude to fitness is.However i do have to admit that its mostly male friends who put their focus on exercising and keeping fit.
I wouldnt like to be stereotyped as someone who didnt care though just cuz im a girl as i love to exercise and the benefits you get from it.Theres nothing better than to see weights training or sit ups paying off and becoming more toned! I swim, run, do weights and make sure i do sit ups every night.I watch what i eat but not to an obsessive extent and drink plenty of water.
I think girls(im a teen so i know things might be different as i get older) are so distracted by fellas.Ive had friends(girls) who had the same interests in fitness as me and trained with me.However none of them do any more as their all with fellas who gave them a hard time about it!These lads didnt do any exercise AT ALL themselves, which i think is one of the biggest turn offs in a boy(even if they are still slim!)I dont let any fella say that to me, if they dont like it,lump it!However i found they respect me more for it!?! :cool:

soma

BrianD3 wrote:

I was just thinking about how most girls I know don't seem to give a crap about their health, diet, fitness etc. Most do no exercise at all

I remember a few years ago, a spanish student who was soon to return home wrote a letter to one of the national newspapers some with (very humourous) observations of Irish people and Irish life (e.g. you can serve chips with everything etc..)

But a standout remark for me, was pure genuis. He wrote:

"Irish women - they wear alot of sports clothes - but they play no sport".

shoegirl

The mock articles were excellent - and soooo true!

Although I think you have to remember that genetically women and men are not on a level playing field.

Men have a lower percentage of body fat than most women Since most men are physically bigger, they have a higher calorific requirement and therefore can eat more without storing fat Men don't give bith - which is the trigger for a lot of women putting on weight

Secondly as regards exercise a lot of men have far more opportunity for quality exercise. Even a tiny office like the one I work in has a soccer team - which is incredibly accessible - and effectively men only. Women have fewer opportunities for team sport and so where they do exercise, they are likely to end up doing "fad" exercises (like fad diets) which are often less useful.
And then there is the cultural fear of resistance training that puts many women off weights.

You also have to remember that weight loss is a huge industry and to some extent the food industry often muscles in to gain competitive advantage. This often ends up in misleading advertising - much it specifically aimed at women who are trying to control their weight. The sad result is that in the US, for example, people have reduced the level of fat in their diet, but portions have got bigger - which is one of the reasons why obesity is soaring in the US.

Also there is a huge promotion of food as a luxury, an indulgence. When I first went on a diet a "friend" told me that I couldn't be "depriving" myself like that. I was 5 foot tall and weighted 193 pounds. I was depriving myself indeed - depriving myself of my health, of my future happiness. I am far happy to munch on my salads now if it saves me from a future round-robin of clinics and specialists (like my mother who as a result of being overweight from her late 40s now has diabetes, heart problems, hypertension, vertigo, glaucoma and arthritis). I think I am far happier to be deprived than brainwashed like so many other people into a future of misery.

I have to say that most of the misleading food advertising is aimed at women - not to mention rubbish like Danone Actimel. Whoever mentioned the "low fat" crap was totally right. Reduced fat versions of high fat food in most cases are still too high in fat for somebody who needs to lose weight. I myself steer a wide berth around practically every supposedly "low-fat" food aside from skimmed milk and those laughing cow light portions. (I don't eat any butter or dairy spreads so it does the job).