Weight loss success is gender biased, with men losing more weight than women. Why is this? And, more importantly, can women ever catch up?
Losing weight is difficult for everyone. But men do seem to succeed more than women do. Regardless of the type of diet, men drop more weight and keep it off longer. Why?
I believe there are two main reasons why men lose more weight. The two reasons are well known but dieting plans ignore them. The good news is that women can gain the advantage over men if they take appropriate action.
Reason #1: Lean Muscle Tissue
Men have more lean muscle tissue and, as a result, burn more calories at rest. Muscle is the most metabolically active and energy demanding tissue in the human body. The more you got, the more calories you'll need to burn...even at rest.
Lean muscle tissue greatly increases the resting metabolic rate and can make weight loss success a reality. If women want to finally lose weight, and keep it off, they have to gain more lean muscle tissue and restore a more youthful resting metabolic rate.
How is this accomplished? Weight lifting! That's right, women need to build and tone their muscles. A recent non-scientific survey, asked women dieters if lifting weights was included in their exercise programs. Overwhelming the answer was no or very little. Women must start lifting weights.
I asked a few female members of Life Extension why they don't lift weights. A vast majority told me they didn't know how to lift weights. Resistance training is a great way for women to build muscle. Here's a brief description taken from the web site, MedicineNet:
"Resistance training is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance. The external resistance can be dumbbells, rubber exercise tubing, your own body weight, bricks, bottles of water, or any other object that causes the muscles to contract."
The magazine, Fitness, published a great article on resistance training last month. Or contact your local gym for a list of fitness trainers specializing in resistance training.
Reason #2: Estrogen Dominance
Most women over 35 suffer from an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone, called estrogen dominance. If not corrected, it makes losing weight almost impossible.
The imbalance is caused by not ovulating with each menstrual cycle and a rapid decline of progesterone. Progesterone is needed to balance out the weight gaining effects of estrogen. Studies have shown that by the age of 35, approximately 50% of women are estrogen dominant.
The imbalance is responsible for the build-up of stubborn body fat around the hips and belly. It's an up-hill battle to lose weight. But it can be corrected. Talk with your doctor about progesterone replacement therapies. Several over-the-counter progesterone creams are also available.
Summary
Women can finally enjoy the same degree of weight loss success as men by increasing lean muscle tissue and correcting estrogen dominance.