If you’ve recently started on a weight-loss/wellness journey with your significant other then you have most likely noticed some big differences in your first few months of lifestyle change… Men stop having alcohol for a month, start carrying lunch, lift a few dumbbells — and voila! That belly starts melting. Women, on the other hand, diligent as they are, cut sugar, skip dinner, give up that one glass of wine they used to have, and look the other way lest that cupcake call out to them with it’s evil, gooey, chocolate-filled centre. And yet, those handles refuse to budge.
Before we move ahead, know this. Women, biologically, carry more fat than men. 7–9% more body fat, to be precise. So a woman with 25% body fat is as fit as a guy with 16%. And more fat doesn’t mean unhealthy. It’s just the way evolution made women. And with good reason. Men literally lose weight and metabolize faster than women. On average men tend to retain fat in their mid-section called visceral fat (Dad Bod/Pot Belly) and have a higher muscle mass than women. Once men start losing their midsection, the weight falls off of them. This is because losing visceral fat causes a huge increase in metabolic rate (the rate at which your body burns calories) and allows for better calorie burning (Calories are what you burn to lose weight and get energy)…Soooooo it is very quick and obvious when a man loses weight because of where men store fat. It is also more advantageous to lose this type of fat for anyones body…even though women store less of this… as it causes health risks.
Anddddd ladies…We store fat differently and more dispersed. Stubborn weight gain remains in our hips, chest, thighs and backside. We retain fat here to help with childbirth…This fat is called subcutaneous and is not metabolically active (doesn’t speed up our weight-loss like men). This fat also causes less health complications than the storage of fat around the waist. Subcutaneous fat also tends to be stubborn because it is evolutionarily for childbirth. Fat storage is hormonally and emotionally triggered in women. Unlike men, women need to nurture a fetus and then nourish it once it comes out as a baby, all from their own energy reserves. Therefore weight loss is not as apparent for women at first as fat is stored more evenly around the body…A woman’s body is also more focused on turning fat into energy so women tend to tone up instead of losing weight numbers on the scale. Ex: You’re a size 12 at 210 and a size 8 at 200. Soooooooo… as a woman our bodies are tuned to storing more fat (because fat is fuel) in anticipation of pregnancies!
After/during menopause women tend to have another hurdle as Menopause will tend to cause a woman to retain visceral fat around the midsection as well. Losing this weight will increase metabolic rate (burning calories faster) in women as you attempt to also lose the subcutaneous fat. REMEMBER TO LIFT WEIGHTS No matter your age: You won’t bulk up like a man!…unless you over do it…This will only tone all the areas that you want (like bat-wings) and help you burn more calories!!! Those who strength train with cardio burn an average of 200 calories more per workout than those whose exercise regimen did not include strength training. The benefits of strength training even continue when you’re at rest. Your metabolism stays raised for some time after your workout, even if you are inactive.
Ladies: Men lose almost twice the weight as women do the first 2 months… BUTTTTT by 6 months, the loss evens out. So in the long-term, it doesn’t seem like the odds are stacked against women! Just hang in there.
MEN:….The pounds won’t always liquefy off of you. Don’t give up or lose interest when your monthly weight loss numbers slow down. As you taper off all that visceral stomach fat and start moving into subcutaneous fat you will notice more toning up and muscle gain rather than losing pure fat.
Basically, Men cheer your lady on in the beginning if they are disappointed at their numbers and ladies keep pushing your guy to maintain his routine when the weight loss numbers start to taper off!