WTF?! Men actually lose weight faster than women!

So as you know I have been on a diet and working on losing weight before my son's bday next month. My boyfriend and I started dieting the same day and for a week we have been eating the same thing ad doing the same general regiment yet he has already lost 10 pounds and I've only lost 6! Now six pounds is better than nothing but there have been days where I will even eat LESS than him, go for longer walks, run up and down stairs and so far he's still ahead. How is this possible?? 

So I looked it up and apparently men DO lose weight faster than women. As bogus as it is here are some of the logistics behind it:

1. Men have more muscle. This allows them to burn more calories, even when at rest.
2. Women are predisposed to store and retain fat. Women have higher levels of estrogen, a hormone that works works to keep the fat on a woman's body so it's easier for her to get pregnant. That means women have to work harder to lose weight at the same rate as men.
3. Men's bodies respond more quickly to exercise. Women's bodies, meanwhile, actually go into a sort of starvation mode, slowing the metabolism to hang onto more fat.
4. Women may have a lower tolerance for exercise. Women have smaller lung capacity than men, which can make women feel as though they are working harder than men even if the women are working at the same level. This can also make exercise feel harder in the heat or high humidity. 

I hate to say it girls, but they boys might have us on this one. 

It's 2010, time to get healthy...damn

So despite the consistently cool weather, spring is around the corner. Well around the corner, down the block, three buildings down. Regardless, it’s coming. The holidays are over, are resolutions set,now it’s time to figure out how to shed last year pounds and fit into those bathing suits that didn't fit in 2009!

After having my son last year and watching my body giggle and fold in ways I have only seen in movies, I am anxious to start a regiment that I can stick to that doesn’t include joining a gym for $100 a month and considering protein bars as a “meal”. While I can admit that not having the Pizza Hut $10 special every other day might help I can’t seem to get stimulated enough to want to have that morning jog or convince my brain that the Cherry Cheesecake Jubilee yogurt tastes remotely like cheesecake. Perhaps if there was a Big Mac with cheese or a Filet o’ Fish yogurt I’d be more inclined. (Don't make that face, you know you'd eat it, too.)

So what is one lazy mother to do to get pumped up? Eating right and a simple work out will is always the answer but it's much easier said than done.

Here are a few recipes that I’ve found that are not only simple to make but won’t bust your budget.

Breakfast

• Eggs with peppers
• Cottage cheese and fruit
• Fresh berries, yogurt, granola

Lunch

• Greens and Apple salad
• Smashed Potato salad
• Chicken and Pepper Stir Fry

Dinner

• Turkey and Lettuce wraps
• Tilapia and Vegetables
• Zucchini with Parmesan

Exercise

As far as exercise, as much as a gym will increase the weight loss in these times not everyone can afford to pay for those amenities. For now long walks to the store or to the daycare can easily count. Take the train to work? Use the stairs instead of the escalators. What I have started to do is to play and lift my son some more. Now that he is pushing over 20 pounds lifting him in the air up and down a few times is bound to make for a difference. What’s even more beneficial is that by play with my son and chasing him around is making HIM tired, therefore knocking him out right at bedtime. Everyone wins!

Setting a goal also helps to keep to momentum (as long as it’s realistic). I have gained about 20 pounds since having my son and would love to lose them by the summer. My first hurdle will be ten whole pounds. I am determined to lose this by March 1^st. (Is that realistic? Ugh, keep your fingers crossed!)

So who’s with me???

Do you have any techniques or recipes that help to shed pounds?