Why Is It Hard For Women to Lose Weight
It is medically and statistically observed that women have a harder time in losing weight compared to men. The obvious question that would arise in the mind is the reason behind this fact. There are in fact, a variety of reasons which contribute to the weight loss goals for women being harder to achieve. A woman’s psyche obviously has a lot to do with it. Apart from that, there are other physiological and hormonal issues in women that make weight loss harder than men.
A few important reasons are mentioned which can explain to an extent the underlying causes behind this difficulty faced by women.
1. Pregnancy – In majority of the cases, it is not the incident or the event of pregnancy that makes it tough to shed weight. It is that nature has adjusted the body of a woman to contain twenty percent more fat, bigger fat cells, and possessing a larger number of enzymes for storage of fat. All these measures are present in a girl naturally to face the eventuality of pregnancy any time.
2. Body mass – The percentage of body mass which is lean is higher in men as compared to women. A lean body mass signifies the proportion of muscles present in the entire body of a person. This is a very crucial factor as muscle is a big contributor behind metabolism levels. In case of men, they can easily change the body’s metabolism levels, thereby influencing the buildup of muscles in the body.
3. Thyroid - Issues related with thyroid is more prevalent in women than in men. It has been statistically found that one out of every eight women in the age bracket of 35 to 65 years and one out of five women greater than the 65 year mark have some sort of thyroid dysfunction. If the thyroid gland secretes lower quantity of thyroid hormones then the metabolism of the body becomes slower and fat loss becomes tougher.
4. Estrogens – The actual function of the estrogen hormone in women is to keep off weight. But the scenario changes during the menopausal phase when the estrogen levels plummet. In addition to this, there are estrogen fluctuations that occur in women on a monthly basis too, and that is also considered normal. This hampers the consistency required in the weight loss programs as specific periods of the month get affected.
5. Brains – Many women might not like to hear this fact, but it has been medically proved that women find it more difficult resisting their favorite foods as compared to men. This is because of the structure of the brain in women that makes them tempted towards overindulgence in certain food items. Studies have also shown that overeating is more rampant in women than men. Women also tend to suffer from a higher percentage of eating disorders or behavioral issues like binge-eating.
6. Insensitivity to Insulin – Insulin insensitivity is more prevalent in women as compared to men and related diabetic symptoms are hence more pronounced in women. Any person who has the problem of insulin insensitivity would find it hard to convert sugar into fat and this aspect also affects the weight loss plan.
7. Lack of proper exercise – In majority of the cases it is found that women are less updated than men regarding proper weight loss strategies and exercise regimes. The fascination for looking muscular and athletic is more predominant in men. Hence many women do not actually know the exact exercise routine which they need to follow in order to lose weight optimally. Again different people have different metabolic patterns and physical requirements. The way a body responds to the various exercises also varies from person to person. Sometimes you might need to exercise at 80 % of your body’s maximum capability and include weight training effectively to see the loss of those additional pounds of fat. A device known as the heart rate monitor would be able to tell you the exact percentage of the maximum that is being done. You might require exercising in this manner for approximately 20 minutes to 60 minutes, for 3 to 5 times in a week.
8. Stress – Stress plays a big part in weight gain. Although the science involved with this is a tad complex, in layman’s terms it can be said that brain and body are closely inter-related. When you are under a lot of stress, certain hormones are released by the body, which influence the release of other hormones (mainly cortisol). This hormone enhances a person’s appetite, thereby prompting a person to overeat. One important aspect that has to be borne in mind is that this incident becomes especially pronounced when there is constant presence of stress and no respite is available from that.
9. Sleep – Insomnia is a big factor behind rise in cortisol amounts. As you can clearly understand there is a close connection between sleep and stress levels. If you do not receive adequate sleep, you will naturally feel more stressed out. Women often suffer from depressive symptoms or mood swings which make them feel more stressed out. As a result of this their sleeping patterns get disrupted.
10. Trying to Achieve it Alone – The biggest blunder that many women make while trying to lose weight is trying to achieve weight loss alone. Studies have clearly confirmed the fact that if you take support of experts and get others involved in your weight loss plans, the task of adhering and following the various strategies becomes easier. But many women try to keep their weight loss programs a secret and do not want to even seek help from experts.
11. Consuming the Leftovers – Many times it is found that any leftovers that remain after the entire family has finished lunch/dinner, is consumed by the housewife of the house. It is a custom in many families and these small portions of food make a big impact to the waistline of a woman.
It is really complex to clearly find the relation between the mind and the body patterns in women but the above mentioned reasons are generic in nature and observed extensively.
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