Why It’s Harder For Women To Lose Weight

Women generally have 6 to 11% more body fat than the opposite gender, reiterating why females find it harder to lose weight. However, other contributing factors account for this, with uncontrolled weight gain causing mental health implications in some instances. Fortunately, there are scientifically proven reasons to pique your interest. That said, here are some reasons why women struggle to lose weight. 

Women have fewer muscles and a slower metabolism

Compared to men, women have less muscle mass and a slower metabolism. According to science, the rate at which a man would burn off body fat is 3% to 10% higher than women. This explains why men can lift weight more effortlessly than a woman can. Moreover, medical research has proven that women naturally have more body fat to maintain the optimum functioning of their hormones.

Furthermore, a woman should have at least 22% – 25% of body fat to maintain healthy functions of her reproduction processes, i.e., menstrual cycle, ovulation, and pregnancy. However, thanks to constant research and innovations, women can employ safe means to lose stubborn fat faster. You can find out more about how this is possible.

Additionally, hormone blood level tests can provide valuable insights into the hormonal imbalances that may be affecting women’s weight loss efforts.  By understanding the specific hormone levels, women can tailor their approach to achieve more effective and sustainable results.

Brain chemistry after a workout

Would you believe that your brain causes you to lose weight? In 2019, biochemistry research on women found something quite exciting about a female’s brain after working out. The hunger hormone, known as ghrelin, spikes in a woman’s body within the first hour to a maximum of five hours after a workout! Within the same period, Leptin, another hormone supposed to signal the brain about a full stomach, becomes incredibly low.

In the meantime, it will interest you to know that some scientists believe this is nature’s way to send a signal to the woman to replenish energy deficits to sustain the hormones. Quite surprisingly, this brain process is not the same in males, explaining most women cannot resist the urge to eat more than they should immediately after working out. In some women, there is a temptation to eat even more in hopes of working it all off during the following exercising routine. Subsequently, when this becomes cyclical, the objective of losing weight becomes defeated. 

Pregnancy effects

A woman naturally packs on a few pounds during pregnancy to sustain the new life growing within the uterus. Unfortunately, it doesn’t burn as quickly as you’d want it to.  That’s why without proper nutrition combined with regular active exercising, a woman will retain most of the weight gained in every pregnancy. Although exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months can help shed some weight and unneeded calories, it’s not the sole solution.

Menopause

Menopause signifies the end of a woman’s fertile years, implying that she cannot make babies the natural way due to a halt in ovulation and menstruation. What’s more, almost all women gain more weight in their menopausal years due to hormone loss. This weight gain tends to be in the midsection, arms, hips and thighs.

While you cannot fight nature, you can stick to healthy ways to monitor and control the process. The key to achieving what you think is an impossible weight loss is exercising patience and commitment to your interventions.