Ladies: Not happy with your weight loss results? Here’s how we’re different.

This is part 1 of an 8 part series especially for women.

Are you tired of seeing the guys easily lose weight and transform their bodies while we struggle with scales that seem to be stuck?  It seems that men can just think about dieting and lose 10 lbs while we fight, scratch and claw for every pound.

Is the advice “Count your calories and eat more protein.” not working for you either?

The truth is, our body is different than a man’s, MUCH different.

I’m not just talking about the obvious differences, I’m referring to things that can really impact your metabolism and sabotage your efforts to get fit.

As I’ve struggled (and succeeded) with my own weight loss over the past several years, I’ve learned a lot that has helped me to break through weight-loss plateaus. Some things that I’ve learned apply equally to both men and women but I’m focusing here on things that are Especially for Women.

Estrogen dominance

Estrogen performs many wonderful functions in our bodies but for the past 50 years, doctors have started to notice that women have TOO much estrogen in their bodies.

Too much, or unbalanced estrogen can cause belly fat, bloating, carb cravings, fatigue and depression and lots of other fun stuff.

A large part of it comes from xeno-estrogens found in cosmetics, cleansers, shampoo, etc.

But our diets can also be contributing to it. It can also be caused by a lack of quality fats, too many refined grains, sugars and processed foods.

Estrogen overload is one of the most critical crises in our biochemistry today. There are a whole host of changes we can make to reduce this estrogen overload.

Monthly cycles (PMS)

Not a fun topic to discuss but ignore it at your peril! Some call it a little slice of hell on earth, usually 5-7 days before their period. Many women experience several unpleasant symptoms and 5% of women experience severe PMS.

So what does it have to do with your metabolism and becoming fit? Sometimes the thought of working out can be difficult when we’re bloating, cramping and fatigued. The cravings can be strong enough to knock us right off the wagon and set back our progress for days. On top of it all, the hormonal shift can trigger weight gain for no apparent-reason.

The good news is that PMS can be tamed, if not cured. I’m excited to share some very specific things you can do to get this under control and make sure it’s not holding you back.

PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

This one hits close to home for me because this syndrome is very common in my family. Polycystic ovarian syndrome is one of the most prevalent hormonal problems in women. 1 in 10 pre-menopausal women in America has it. Most find out they have it when have trouble getting pregnant. ‘

PCOS is usually characterized by a combination of 2 hormonal dysfunctions – insulin resistance and androgen excess.

Women with PCOS start to experience a lot of bad symptoms: weight gain, acne, irregular periods, thinning hair, higher LDL, excess hair, higher triglycerides and more.

Long-term health concerns are even worse: Women with PCOS are 7x more likely to have a heart attack and pregnant women have a higher rate of miscarriage.

PCOS is not curable but there are some lifestyle and diet tips that we’ll explore to manage the symptoms and reduce the likelihood of developing serious complications.

More susceptible to stress

Women tend to become more easily stressed than men and often we don’t handle stress very well either! Don’t ask me why but it’s not good for our weight-loss efforts.

Cortisol is a hormone that is released when we are feeling stressed. Basically, when you are discouraged, feeling overwhelmed and convinced your screwed, you release cortisol.

Cortisol increases your cravings for high-fat, high-carb foods. When you eat those foods, your body releases natural opioids that make you feel better. This can trigger a dangerous addictive relationship with stress & food.

With this ‘stress-hormone’ in our body, belly fat accumulates, inflammation is increased and our bodies become insulin-resistant. When cortisol remains high for a long time, your body actually resists weight-loss.

We can’t shut-off this hormone so we must manage and reduce our stress levels. We’ll be exploring ways to do this in the weeks ahead.

Menopause

Packing on weight in your belly, rear and thighs while seeing your muscles droop are all symptoms of going through Menopause. All women ages 40-55 will go through Menopause and during the preceding years (pre-menopause), we all face some level of symptoms.

Don’t be discouraged, there are several diet and lifestyle choices that we can make to help manage menopausal symptoms and improve overall health.

Too many yo-yo diets

Ladies, how many diets have you been on in your life? Have you lost count? If they were so successful, then why have we done so many of them? Diets that completely cut out carbs or proteins completely disrupt your hormone balance, sending messages to your body to store fat and slow down your metabolism.

When you severely restrict calorie intake, your body goes into starvation mode (storing fat). This prompts your body to break down muscle for fuel, which slows your metabolism further. We see short-term results but then run into that familiar weight-loss plateau where our bodies won’t give up anymore weight and the scale gets stuck. On top of it, our hormones are shot.

Dieting DOES NOT WORK. We must create healthy lifestyles that are sustainable in order for you to be successful in the long-run.

Lack of testosterone & less muscle

Ladies, you may think this is a good thing but testosterone helps us to keep energy levels high, protects bone and helps to build calorie-burning muscle.

Most women don’t want to look muscular but the truth is that the more muscle tissue you have, the more calories that are burned and the higher your metabolism is. Don’t be afraid to grow some lean muscle so it can help burn that extra fat off.

When we have too much estrogen, it can over-shadow the effects of testosterone, decreasing our motivation to exercise.

Bottom line:

Now that you know what you’re up against, we can work to balance your hormones with proper nutrition, exercise, rest and stress management in order to get your metabolism back on track.

Each week, I’ll be addressing one of these 7 unique traits that us women have working against our quest to be fit. Join me and we’ll work together to create the healthiest “you” possible.  Look under the section “Especially for Women” for more articles on this topic.