The battle of the bulge? It turns out men are winning (but only because they have more to lose) Study shows men lose twice as much as women over same time period But men wait until they are fatter before starting diet When it comes to dieting, it seems men are the big winners. The largest study of its kind has found they shed almost twice as much weight as their female counterparts. But women can take consolation from the fact that men waited until they were fatter before trying to slim down. Men shed almost twice as much as weight women over the same time period, according to researchers Slimming World, Britain's biggest weight-loss organisation, tracked the progress of 1.3million dieters going to one of its 10,000 weekly classes. Only one in 20 members were male. But they shed 15lb - more than a stone on average - over the course of two years The women in the study managed to lose just half a stone, the European Congress on Obesity in Liverpool heard. The results can partly be explained by the fact that the men were fatter when they started. However, they were still more successful than the female slimmers, as they lost a greater percentage of their body weight. Mike Lean, an obesity expert from Glasgow University, believes men are more single-minded when it comes to weight loss. He said many will be first-time dieters, who usually do better than those who are constantly counting calories. And simple physiology might also play a part, as men's high muscle content gives them a faster metabolism. Finally the researchers found men were less likely to skip their weekly meeting. Dr Jacquie Lavin, Slimming World's head of research and nutrition, said: "I think that the slimming groups are traditionally seen as more of a woman's environment. If you are a man and you walk through the doors of a commercial slimming organisation, you are going to be motivated. People are more likely to go on a junk food binge when they are at their happiest, a study says. Psychologists from Maastricht University showed 87 students clips from films or TV shows designed to evoke a positive or negative mood. After viewing the clips, they were given crisps and chocolate. Their calorie intake was then measured. The results showed they ate more after watching a positive clip than a negative one. Previously, so-called "emotional eating" has been associated with depression and anxiety. The researchers said "happy eating" could be an overlooked factor in rising obesity levels.