One of the biggest complaints I hear from women at Team Worx Fitness in Alexandria, VA is that they’ve changed their diet and create healthier meals and their husbands, who aren’t working out, seem to lose more weight than they do. It’s true, men lose weight faster than women, but there are reasons that this happens and ways to make the effort more equitable. It all starts by noting the differences in male and female body structure.
Men require more calories than women.
Men have more lean muscle mass than women. The more muscles you have, the more calories you require. That’s because it takes more calories to maintain muscle mass than it does to maintain fat. Women actually need more body fat for survival. It’s necessary for the reproductive system and if a woman’s body gets too low, she’ll suffer from athletic amenorrhea—lack of periods. While men need about 2 to 5%, women require 10 to 13%. The average fit woman has about 76 to 86% lean muscle mass, while the average fit man has 83 to 94%
Men’s bodies are normally larger.
There are definitely women that are taller than some men, but on the average, men tend to be larger boned and taller than women. That means they also should weigh more. The more you weigh, the more effort it takes just walking around and the more calories you burn. Society has dictated many of the manual chores to the males of the family, which means they burn more calories, but that’s changed a lot the last few years. If you check a calorie chart to find out how many calories are necessary to lose weight for your height, weight and activity level, you’ll find it also differs by gender. That shows men simply burn more calories each day, making it easier for them to lose weight.
You can close the gap and should close it.
While men tend to burn more calories, you can increase the calories you burn by making a few changes. The first is to get active. The more active you are, the more calories you burn. Part of your workout should be in strength-building. It puts on more lean muscle mass that revs your metabolism. It’s also important for women who want to avoid the potential of osteoporosis. Studies show that weight bearing exercises on a regular basis can slow or reverse bone loss as well as some medications. The only side effect is looking years younger and fabulous.
- Not only will a sedentary lifestyle make it harder to lose weight, it also takes its toll on your body. Exercise can help prevent serious conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
- It is discouraging to work hard at the gym and stick with a healthy eating plan only to lose less weight than a spouse, who eats more. That’s why each person should judge their progress based on their own personalized goals and progress.
- A woman’s body is programmed to store fat for survival. Higher levels of estrogen cause women to store fat in the pelvis, buttocks, breasts and thighs. It also means less lean muscle mass.
- If you’re working out hard on your own and dieting, but not making any progress, come into Team Worx Fitness. We can help. You’ll get a personalized workout and a nutrition plan that will help you reach your weight loss goal faster.
For more information, contact us today at Team Worx
