Women have to work hard to lose weight, compared to men

Women always complain that they find it difficult to lose weight, and it seems its true. Compared to men, most women have to work harder to achieve their weight loss goals.

Its common for a woman and her husband to embark on a weight loss program together.

While both of them put in the efforts, both go on diet together and count their calories, the man is more likely to shed weight faster than his wife.

And why is that so?

There are several reasons, and one of them is their ‘genetic-makeup’, which makes losing weight a little more challenging.

Factors Affecting Weight Loss in Women

Here are the factors that pay havoc with a woman’s weight loss goals:

1. Metabolism blues
   Its a known fact that Women typically have more body fat and less muscle than men. And that affects their basic metabolic rate (the rate at which the body burns calories while at rest).

2. Pregnancy effects
   A woman gains weight and more body fat during pregnancy. After pregnancy, she is less likely to find the time to exercise (and even to rest or sleep).

   And she needs both to shed those extra pounds gained because of pregnancy (though breast feeding does help to burn calories and to lose weight at this stage of life).

3. Menopause
   Menopause is another reason why women gain weight – due to loss of hormones and a slower metabolism.

   Some women even have a name for their new pot belly – “meno-pot”.

4. PCOS struggles
   A small percentage of women (around 5 to 10 percent) suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition characterized by hormonal imbalance that causes menstrual irregularity and makes weight loss more difficult.

   So if you fall in this category, weight loss is going to be more difficult for you.

So should women not even try to lose weight?

Of course they should, there are plenty of ways to lose weight, despite these challenges:

Resistance and Weight Training

First thing women should do is work on their muscles mass.

Building muscle mass helps both women and men boost their metabolism. Having more muscle mass helps you burn off calories, even when you’re sitting or at rest.

Resistance and Weight Training exercises are best for that.

You can maintain muscle by doing resistance training at least twice a week, for 20 to 30 minutes per session. This is especially important as you grow older. (Your metabolism naturally slows down and you lose muscle as you age.)

There are several ways to approach resistance training:

• Use machines at a gym or at home.
• Use free weights or resistance bands.
• Participate in a group fitness class, such as Pilates.
• Use your body for resistance by doing push-ups, squats and lunges.

Its important for women to get comfortable with weights. Most women are hesitant to do weight training because they think they will look manly. However, that is a big misconception that women have. Remember, women lack the amount of testosterone that men have (and that is the primary reason why men look manly).

So women should do weight training to gain the benefits of building muscle, such as increased metabolic rate and prevention of osteoporosis. Better metabolism rate decreases insulin resistance significantly and also helps prevent diabetes.

Don’t be Fooled by Fad Diets

Experts recommend eating a healthy, balanced diet, such as the Mediterranean diet and not carried away by any fad diet.

Whether you follow a diet low in fat, low in carbohydrates or some other diet, make sure meals are balanced and nutritious.

Include lean proteins, healthy fats, limited simple carbs (sugar, white bread, sweetened drinks) and lots of vitamins and minerals from fruits and veggies.

Other nutrition recommendations for women over age 50 includes cutting back on salt and maintaining adequate calcium and Vitamin D, either from foods or supplements.

Effective ways to lose Belly Fat for Women

Have you noticed that the best belly exercises recommended for women at times just doesn’t seem to work for you?

If that is the case then it is time that you realize that besides exercise, there are a few other things that helps to get back in shape. If you are going to do sit-ups all the time and expect results then it might not work for you.

Your diet, the food you eat, your lifestyle, all matters when you want to get back that flat tummy.

An important reason for the accumulation of belly fat is the slowing down of the metabolism with age. Besides slowing of metabolism, there are other reasons why belly exercises do not seem to be effective for women; Menopause and hormonal changes are other major reasons for belly fat in women, which men don’t have to deal with.

Also, most women avoid regular exercises and have poor control over the diet. Usually these are the factors that women ignore and that is the reason for their belly fat.

Here are the best belly exercises for women that are the most effective.

The Bicycle crunch is a good workout which exercises your entire abdomen, including the sides. Another important work-out that exercises your entire abdomen including lower abs is the Pelvic lifts and Tilts. Both these exercises can be done using just your body and you don’t need any external equipment. If you are okay to use external equipment, then you can use the exercise ball for more variations. Exercise ball ab exercises workout your lower and upper abs as well.

If you have been thinking of starting your exercise routine, then in addition to being regular you also need to take care of your diet. Remember that any exercise won’t give you the complete results if you do not take care of your diet seriously. And focusing only on one form of exercise is also not going to work either. You just cannot exercise keeping only one body part in mind. You need to aim for a total body workout. Cardio exercises, ab exercises and proper diet will give you the best results. For your routine, these are some of the best belly exercises for women that you include.

Think Long Term

Women should be more patient and stick to their weight loss plans to see results. Don’t give up in a month or so, it takes time to see results.

However, if you are not seeing results, feel free to try a different plan that will fit your lifestyle better.