If you are female, chances are you have at some point reflected on the unfairness of the male’s ability to pack away large amounts of food without seeming to put on weight. Why is it that most women notice they gain a few extra pounds after the smallest over indulgence? The reasons are various, but the simplest one is often the most overlooked: most women have a smaller body density than men. Of course, there are other factors, such as differences in hormone levels and lifestyle choices.
Because women’s bodies are lighter than men’s, they need to consume less calories on average per day than men. Typical guidelines are 1,940 calories per day for women and 2550 for men. Obviously, this varies from person to person- a tall, sporty young woman will need several hundred more calories than an older lady who does little exercise.
For anyone to lose weight, they need to create a calorie deficit, where more calories are expended on activity than are consumed through foods. The lower your calorie requirement is in the first place, the lower your absolute deficit will be, and so you will lose fat more slowly than someone with a higher calorie requirement. For example, a sporty man who consumes 3000 calories a day and decides to create a 20% calorie deficit will need to cut back by 600 calories a day, meaning he can consume 2,400 daily and he will lose weight and a rate of about 1.1lb per week. However, a woman who consumes 2000 calories per day and wants to create a 20% deficit will need to cut back to 1,600 calories and will only lose about 0.8 lb of fat per week. If she wanted to lose weight faster, her calorie intake would need to drop to 1,400 per day, which makes for very small portions.
Overall then, if you are an averagely built woman, it’s best to accept that you will lose weight differently to taller women and men. You need to focus on a weight loss plan that suits you, rather than making impossible comparisons- remember, the equation is simply that the larger body mass you have, the quicker you can lose weight. Set yourself a realistic target, such a losing 0.5 lb to 1lb a week, and be consistent in your daily routine of eating and exercising. This way, you will lose weight steadily and be more likely to keep it off.
Here are a few tips to keep you motivated.
- Firstly, don’t just rely on the scales to measure weight loss- this can be inaccurate for women especially because they are prone to water retention. Measure your waist size as well, and check if your clothes feel looser.
- If dropping up to 1lb a week seems too slow, remember that this is the approach even professional sports and fitness experts use, because it is the safest and most reliable.
- Be careful about your portion sizes- weigh food and check the calorie labels. The lower your calorie intake, the less margin there is for error.
- Look for ways to increase your calorie expenditure during exercise. For example, if you workout on a treadmill, intense interval training will burn more calories than running steadily for the same amount of time.
- If you do interval training, don’t make the mistake of making the sessions too brief. Any claims for “4 minute miracle workouts” are false. Ideally, start with 15-20 minutes of high intensity training, followed by another 30-40 minutes of medium and then slow intensity.
- Keep a progress chart of your daily food intake and workout levels, and track your weight loss over time. This will give you proof that the effort is paying off.
For a successful fat loss strategy, you need patience, persistence, and hard work, but if you are prepared to put the effort in, results are guaranteed.