Is it much more difficult for women to lose weight?

A woman and her husband embark on a weight-loss journey together. Are they both energized? Yes. Do they both keep track of their calories? Yes. Nevertheless, the man is more likely than his wife to lose weight sooner in the process.

Why? Some experts blame it on your Genetic material.

It’s not your imagination: Men and women eat differently, lose weight differently, and respond differently to exercise.

Some of the distinctions are biological, while others are behavioral. However, while many of these appear to give males an advantage, this does not mean that men have it easy. The journey to your optimum weight is arduous at best, and confusing for most people, regardless of who they are or where they begin.

Women typically find it harder to lose weight and inches than men.  This, in part, is due to the fact that men have more lean muscle mass and a higher resting metabolic rate. Another issue that makes weigh loss challenging for females: women store fat differently from men–more of it goes to their thighs, buttocks, and hips, where it can be harder to shed.

Finally, female hormones promote the storage of calories as fat, and fat takes up more space than muscle.
As the obesity rate keeps rising, especially among teenage girls, we need to press for more sex-based research on exercise, diet, hormones and metabolism!

Women and weight loss

It has often been noticed in many normal circumstances that men lose weight faster than women, at least in the beginning. Even if both of them follow the same diet and exercise routine, it is more taxing for women to shed those extra kilos from the waistline. That as per science is natural due to genes and the biological difference between the two.

Losing weight might be more challenging for women as compared to men

Losing weight is not a child’s play. It takes months of effort and hard work to see some noticeable changes in your body. One has to maintain discipline and incorporate healthy habits to achieve their weight loss goal. But research says, that for women, it might be more grueling than men to shed kilos.

Here are the few reasons:

Muscle mass

It is quite clear that men tend to have more lean muscle tissue than women. That helps them burn more calories as compared to women. So, even though men and women cut down the same number of calories from their diet, men will shed kilos faster.

Hormones

Men and women both have different types of hormones, which also supports the process of weight loss. Men have more testosterone and less estrogen. Women, on the other hand, have more estrogen and less testosterone^[1], which is a little disadvantage when it comes to weight loss.

Ghrelin^[2] is another hormone that makes it difficult for women to lose fat. Study shows that, women experience ghrelin^[3] (hormones responsible for your hunger) spikes after a workout, which makes them eat more. Men do not experience this hormonal fluctuation.

Body fat

In general, women have between 6% to 11% more body fat than men. That is a biological factor, which helps them during pregnancy. Right from puberty to menopause, women have more average body fat than men^[4].

Pregnancy effects

When a woman gets pregnant, she gains weight and more body fat. In addition, it’s often difficult for a new mother to find the time to exercise and sleep. And she’ll need both to shed those extra pounds.

However, breastfeeding does help with burning calories and weight loss at this stage of life.

​How to lose weight easier

These biological factors might make it challenging in the beginning to shed kilos, but if you are focused then weight loss is achievable. Here are a few tips for you that might help you to make the entire process of weight loss easier.

Add more variety in your workout

Do not stick to a specific workout plan, rather don’t be afraid to experiment. Include different types of exercises in your daily routine to challenge the body and lose weight faster.

Maintain a healthy eating pattern

You have to test and see which diet and eating pattern works the best for you. The diet that suits your friend might not be suitable for you. Every person is different and so is their metabolism. You just have to find a diet that fits you.

Develop healthy habits

Merely exercising and dieting won’t be able to benefit you much. Overall lifestyle changes contribute to losing fat and shedding the extra kilos. Your sleeping pattern, physical activity, daily normal routine—all plays a vital role in it.

Author:

Kritika Chatterjee

References :

[1] https://www.webmd.com/women/guide/normal-testosterone-and-estrogen-levels-in-women

[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049314/

[3] https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/newsroom/articles/year-2018/hunger-hormone-ghrelin.html#:~:text=Concentrations%20of%20ghrelin%20increase%20following,research%20from%20UT%20Southwestern%20indicates.

[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3411490/