Brain, Not Brawn May Make Men Drop Weight Faster

Ever been on a diet simultaneously with a guy? He drops the weight with ease while you struggle, chiseling away in super slow-mo. Incredibly frustrating. I always figured the male metabolism was behind their drop-the-pounds-fast bodily response. A higher muscle mass good for looking cut in the gym, lifting refrigerators and stoking their metabolism furnace when dieting.

But an article over at TIME reveals it may be brain, not brawn, behind male dieting magic. Ooh, if this is true, I'm going to scream. A new study examined how men and women's brains respond to looking, smelling and even taking a teeny taste of a favorite food after a 17-hour fast. First participants were instructed not to dig in, then they were asked to try and think about something else for 40 minutes while the brain-imaging PET scanner recorded the results. Sorta like standing in a buffet line ravenous, forcing yourself to think about the laundry.

Turns out both sexes were able to lower their hunger sensation, but there was one big difference. Women couldn't stop the conscious desire to eat, men could. Guys had an easier time disciplining their amygdala, a primitive part of the brain that can be difficult to inhibit. Male hormones may play a role. Okay, I'm consciously screaming now ... for chocolate.