It's so annoying when a guy puts his mind to getting buff. Faster than you can say "beer belly," the pounds start melting off, and in no time, he's sporting a different kind of six-pack.

Meanwhile, we women nibble our 100-calorie snacks, work up just as much of a sweat – and the saddlebags hang on with the tenacity of barnacles.

It's not your imagination: Men do tend to lose weight more easily than women.

"There is a reason why," says Judith Stern, distinguished professor of nutrition and internal medicine in the University of California, Davis department of nutrition.

"Men tend to weigh more so they burn up more calories," she says. The more a person weighs, the more calories they require for basic metabolism. It's like a bigger car requiring more gas: They're Durangos. We're Saturns.

"If they are physically more active," she says, "men have more muscle." Muscles are fuel-burning engines. Fat, not so much.

Women tend to have more essential body fat than men, says Carolyn Rogan, who helps coordinate the Texas Woman's University exercise and sports nutrition master's program in Denton. Fattier breasts, hips and thighs are nature's way of preparing us to have babies.

And no matter what the late-night infomercials say, you can't pick and choose where the pounds come off. Abdominal fat tends to burn off first, says Ms. Rogan.

But take heart: There are ways to level the losing field. Here are Ms. Rogan's tips for helping women to achieve weight-loss parity:

•Do strength training. This helps build muscle mass, she says, so women can take advantage of the metabolic boost. "Weights are good," she says. "Another way is with stability balls, which strengthen core muscles."

•Lengthen your cardio workout. "The old rule was 30 minutes [per day, four-five times a week]," Ms. Rogan says, for cardiovascular conditioning. New studies suggest that 60 per day is better to reap the benefits, she says. If you have trouble with that, increase your time incrementally or divide up the time.

•Set realistic goals. "What you weighed in high school may not be a realistic goal." The weight you were when you got married, or before having a child, could be more achievable, she says. A realistic rate of loss is 10 percent of your body weight over six months, she says, or 1/2 to 2 pounds a week.

•Keep a food diary. "It's a good way to be accountable," Ms. Rogan says. "You're less likely to eat that fifth cookie if you have to write it down."

•Make healthy eating and physical activity part of your life. "Like brushing your teeth," she says, "it just needs to become part of your lifestyle." She also counsels people not to drink their calories. "Sink your teeth into calories," she says. Learn to drink water, unsweetened tea or diet sodas in place of soft drinks, sweet tea and fruit juices.

Kim Pierce is a Dallas freelance writer.