It can sometimes seem like a cruel trick; a woman who is dieting must cut out soda, sugar and white flour to lose a few pounds, while a man can seemingly head to the gym a few nights each week and gain back his high school physique. While it may not be that easy, a few explanations exist as to why so many women struggle with weight loss. Lifestyle factors, changes in hormones and body composition can make weight loss frustratingly slow. By understanding the causes of your roadblocks, you can more efficiently work around them to achieve weight loss.
Lifestyle Choices
A female is typically the scheduler, carpool driver, chef, maid and often the breadwinner in a home. Due your many responsibilities, you may find it difficult to carve out a few moments for yourself to exercise. Cooking dinner and eating the leftovers on your kids' plates can also make it hard to see movement on the scale. Only by explaining the importance of your body image and health to your family can you find time to exercise. Schedule your workouts as you would a dentist appointment, cook healthy meals for your family and stop mindless snacking throughout the day for better success.
Hormones
Your hormones change as you age, and your weight may fluctuate as well. Consider your first influx of female hormones when you experienced puberty. You likely gained weight on your body. As you have babies, experience changes in your hormones and undergo menopause, you may gain stubborn weight that is difficult to get rid of. Talk to your doctor about the changes in hormones that you're experiencing. Certain supplements and replacement therapies can help you manage your weight more effectively.
Pregnancy
A healthy pregnancy will cause you to gain 25 to 35 lbs. While some may gain their pre-pregnancy shape back quickly after having their babies, you may still struggle with losing the baby weight long after you bring your newborn home. Having a new baby creates an environment where you get less sleep and less time to yourself. It's common that you develop bad habits of poor diet, less exercise and stress after having a baby, all of which contribute to a lack of weight loss. Talk time for yourself when you can, or incorporate your baby into daily exercise by taking walks or doing yoga.
Muscle Mass
It can seem like it takes little effort for men to drop pounds quickly. The truth is, women's muscles are drastically different than men's muscles. Men are well-equipped with muscle-building hormones like testosterone, so they can build up muscles quickly. Muscles burn calories more efficiently than fat, so a man will generally have an easier time losing weight than a woman. Add strength and resistance training to your routine to build lean muscles slowly for better calorie-burning power.
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