Female weight loss, first of all I feel that I need to mention that this article is not going to sell you a magic pill, a secret fat burning piece of gym kit or a wonder cream. It is however going to highlight the basics of what you need to do to actually change body shape.
How women and men lose weight is very similar.
Now there are definitely some differences between the two, women tend to store more fat on their hips, they have to deal with menstrual cycles, and having babies but there are not nearly as many day to day differences as most people think.
And a lot of the misguided fat loss advice given to women such as avoid strength training, never eat carbs after 6pm and you need to do a load of cardio etc. is based on a few key myths and misconceptions, some of which are highlighted below:
1) Women have slower metabolisms than men
True, but only for one reason: Women tend to have less muscle mass.
If they had the same amount of muscle mass, they would have the same metabolic rate (or close to it).
That’s why strength training is important; it helps women build muscle, which in turn speeds up their metabolism.
2) Strength training will make women bulky
Not true.
Most men have a hard time getting bulky, and they have a boatload more testosterone (which is the hormone that drives muscle growth).
Strength training won’t make women bulky.
What it will do however is make them strong, confident, powerful, speed up their metabolism and give them the “toned” and “shapely” look most women are looking for.
3) The best way for women to speed up weight loss is by doing cardio
Nope.
The best way for women to get lean is by being in a slight caloric deficit for a prolonged period of time.
Cardio is useful tool in creating a deficit.
But doing too much of it will start to eat away at muscle tissue and take away from their ability to train hard in the weights room.
And, based on what we’ve discussed about strength training, muscle growth, and the benefits it has on fat loss, that’s obviously not a good thing.
4) Carbs make women fat, so they should avoid them
Wrong.
Too many calories make women – and men for that matter – fat.
Carbs are extremely beneficial for health, performance, and body composition, and although they’re the nutrient that most often gets cut in a weight loss program (because they’re less “essential” than protein and fat), women should eat as many carbs as possible within their calorie deficit.
5) Eat Fat Get Fat!!
Again, this is completely false.
See point above.
6) Too much “junk” food will make women fat
Lastly, too much “junk” food will make anyone fat, but it’s not really the “junk” food that’s the problem; it’s the total number of calories.
“Junk” food has a high caloric density (high number of calories in a small volume of food), making it extremely easy to overeat.
If women can consume “junk” food in moderation while staying within their target number of calories, they’re fine, keep 90% of your diet full of nutritious whole foods, lean meats, veg and fruits and you’ll be fine.
And, because mental health matters just as much as physical health (depriving yourself will get you nowhere), enjoying a snack now and then will keep you strong in the mind, ready to keep pushing on!
As you can see there’s nothing fancy about this article.
And that’s because there’s nothing fancy you ladies need to do in order to lose body fat.
- Eat well, within your target kcals and macros (we’ll do a post on this over Xmas)
- Train hard, focusing mainly on weights
- Make adjustments when weight loss stalls, monitor your progress weekly, not just the scales, take some measurements and body fat readings, this way you’ll know your progressing in the right direction, change your kcal intake slightly and make sure you’re pushing yourself in the gym.
- Stay true to the course, it will work and as the months go by, you’ll look awesome!