Losing weight is tough. Being a woman often times makes things even more challenging.
The UCLA Center for Human Nutrition has been studying the differences in weight loss between men and women. They have found three factors that cause increased difficulty when women try to shed pounds. There are physiological factors, psychological factors and social factors.
Physiologically, women have a different body composition than men. In general, women have less lean mass. Lean mass (muscle) is what keeps the metabolism burning. So women, in general burn fewer calories than men do. Women are also biologically programmed to hold onto extra weight. Back when food security wasn’t a sure thing, women had to have stores built up for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also, because of pregnancy and fluctuations in the reproductive cycle, women are more prone to hormone imbalances. Hormone imbalances are damaging to the metabolism, and they make fat burning extremely difficult.
Psychologically, women are more prone to emotional eating than men. While men may view food more as fuel, women can have emotional associations with food. Women sometimes try to treat stress or depression with food, and they also tend to feel more deprived when they have to change their eating habits.
Socially, the pressure to fit into what society views as the ideal woman is stronger. The intense pressure makes women susceptible to fad diets and magic pills (which can be even more damaging to the metabolism!). The social pressure can cause more psychological issues with food and weight — especially obsession.
What can you do about it when you have all these factors stacked against you?
Experts recommend a three-way approach for best (and healthiest) results: diet, exercise and counseling. There is so much information and mis-information out there that counseling is not only a good idea for accountability, but also to help you sort through the muck and get you the information you need.
The program at UCLA also advises women to make sure the schedule time for themselves, remember that weight is not the best measure of health and to focus on building muscle. But above all else, be realistic.
Source: Women: Understand the reasons you have gained weight in order to lose it
