If you are a woman and think it seems like the men in your life are able to lose weight much more quickly than you even though you are working at it twice as hard, vindication is yours! In addition to having more lean muscle on average than women, according to this article in yesterday’s Star Advertiser, men respond differently to exercise. Women experience increased appetite to compensate for the increased energy expended through exercise, while men do not. What to do about this seemingly unfair discrepancy?

Build more lean muscle through resistance training. You need to do more than cardio. The more muscle mass you have, the more of an efficient calorie burning machine you’ll be.

Don’t use your exercise program to justify eating junk or huge amounts of food. It is true that you may experience more hunger than you are used to once you become more active. It makes sense that you’ll need more energy to fuel your new activities, but stick with clean, healthy options like an extra serving of whole grains with your lunch or a post workout snack of lean protein. How many times have you heard someone say (or justified your own eating choices by telling yourself) “I can have this hamburger and fries with a beer or two; I’m working out.” Treating yourself every once and a while is fine, but the idea that you can out exercise a poor diet is just not true and can be detrimental to your weight loss goals.

Realize that genes are not the only factor. Many people love to blame whatever physical problems they have on circumstances beyond their control, but the truth is many health issues are not completely hereditary. I like the analogy that your genetics are a loaded gun, but your environment decides whether or not to pull the trigger. Your behavior and choices can have a great impact on what ultimately becomes of your weight, fitness level, and general health!

The deck may be stacked against women when it comes to fat loss, but that doesn’t mean we can’t achieve our goals!