I am writing this entry on Father’s Day, so a belated “Happy Father’s Day” to all of you (one) men reading this entry. I just made a joke about only “one man” reading these blogs because I am betting that the overwhelming majority of people opening these daily missives are females.
88% of our Serotonin-Plus new patient entries are females. Only 12% male entries. Does this mean that there are 7-8X as many overweight/obese females in our country than males? Nope…the statistics are almost the same of BMI over 25 in men and women. So, if that is the case, why does it appear that females seem to take this problem more seriously and reach out for help to control weight?
There are a number of reasons why generally (although there are clearly many exceptions) men do not appear to move as aggressively in trying to control weight as females. Here are some of them, and please feel free to add on to this list:
- Heightened societal pressures on females to look “in shape” compared to pressure on males
- Most men have faster metabolic rates than females and believe they can easily shed the weight when they want to.
- Many men are sort of “stubborn” about reaching out for help in anything. This can vary from asking directions (GPS has obviated that one) to fixing broken things at home to improving their health.
Statistics show a 5 years lower life expectancy in males compared to females. There is also a much higher prevalence of having diabetes, stroke and heart attacks in males compared to females.
So, a question for you men out there (or females answering for their male spouses, fathers, brothers, etc): Are you a COWBOY, meaning some tough guy that lives life in a rough manner, eating and drinking what you want and are not worrying about health because you can “beat anything”? If you are, the chances of living a longer/healthier life diminish.
For you females out there: If you have males in your life that are struggling with weight control and/or health conditions, convince them to reach out for help. If they have not had a checkup in awhile, work on them to call the doctor for an appointment. Try to NOT allow them to grow up and be “Cowboys”.
And for you Country&Western music fans out there, put on your Cowboy (or Cowgirl) boots and enjoy Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson singing, Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.