I think it’s fair to say we all love our husbands on some level yet there are those little things that annoy us about them. This happens in any kind of partnership whether you’re in your in a relationship with a man or woman. There’s always going to be little quirks that just get under your skin.
One big frustration for women who are in a relationship with a man is how easily they build muscle and lose fat. It’s almost like they can just pick up a dumbbell, do some bicep curls, and they wake up the next morning and they have huge biceps. Or you can literally see the fat melting away during a 60 second plank.
Okay, maybe this is a bit of an exaggeration, but it can feel like this at times. I used to get so frustrated when my body was burning fat and growing muscle at a snails pace while my hubby was looking leaner within a few days of cutting out junk food. I could not understand why it was so easy for him to build muscle and burn fat and it was more difficult for me until I started looking into the difference between my body and his.
Here’s the thing about fat loss: Each individual body has its own challenges it has to overcome. For example, women have different hormonal fluctuations and each woman will experience a different cycle than other women. I’ll touch on this later on so be sure to keep reading. In addition to this fun fact, women are not just small men. We have different nutritional, fitness, and rest requirements so our strategy isn’t the same as theirs. Plus, there are some biological differences where our bodies want to hold onto extra fat.
Let’s dive into the top 3 reasons you’re not losing weight as fast as your hubby.
Women have a lower resting metabolic rate
Your resting metabolic rate is also known as your metabolism. This is how much energy your body expends to keep you alive and kicking throughout the day. Your body also uses energy to digest your food and make sure all the nutrients go where they need to go. Since most women are smaller than men, we don’t have as much weight to carry around so we don’t need to burn as many calories to stay alive and we probably don’t eat as much as men.
One thing that can increase your metabolism is building more lean muscle mass. Yup, getting your strength training on and toning up your body will help increase your metabolism. You don’t need to spend hours a day throwing heavy weight around in the gym. Bodyweight exercises are a great starting point if you’re new to strength training. If you feel intimidated by strength training, check out my podcast episode 3 Tips To Get Comfortable With Strength Training.
Coaches Note: Your metabolism won’t increase significantly when you tone up but every little bit counts. Plus, there’s several other benefits of building muscle we’ll get into in another blog post.
Women don’t bulk up as easily as men
So many women worry about getting big and bulky if they start lifting weights. I have great news for you if you’re one of these women: it’s very difficult to get super bulk unless you’re “juicing” (taking performance enhancing drugs). Women don’t naturally make enough testosterone to get super big and swole like men. It takes our bodies longer to build lean muscle mass.
Don’t let this fact deter you from starting (or continuing) your strength training program. You can build a good amount of lean muscle mass that’s appropriate to your body type when you eat enough protein and consider supplementing with creatine. Before you think “Now I have to track my protein intake. I don’t have time for that!” I can tell you right now you do not need to do this - unless, of course, you want to. Protein intake is always a guesstimate and can fluctuate from day to day. Since it takes time to get a feel for the amount of protein that’s right for you, I encourage you to do mini experiments as you’re navigating your weight loss journey. This is something I can help you with when you enroll in one of my programs.
Use this fun fact as motivation to create a healthy, lean body that can effortlessly navigate any stage in life and age gracefully. Tap into your femininity and use your woman super powers to live the life you dream of and, more importantly, deserve.
Women have different hormonal fluctuations
One important factor that may often get overlooked is that women have different hormonal cycles than men. Your hubby doesn’t need to navigate PMS, bloating, mood swings, fatigue, and all the other fun things we experience being a woman. Okay, maybe they have to deal with these things indirectly by listening to us complain about intense cramping and doing their best to be sympathetic when we bite their head off for no reason other than an unexpected mood swing. So, yeah, men have to deal with PMS too. Just in a different way.
Okay, back to the topic at hand.
There are different times of the month when you’re feeling energy surges where you feel like you can run a full marathon even though you’ve never run one before. There are other times when you experience energy lulls and you feel like you want to curl up in bed with a box of cookies and fall asleep binge watching your favorite TV show (Friends anyone?). It’s super important to take this into account on your weight loss journey if you want to learn how your body can lose fat almost effortlessly.
During these hormonal phases, it’s important to give your body the rest it needs or go hard with your workout and make the most of your energy surge. If you feel hungrier right before your period, feed your body with more healthy proteins, fats, and carbs. Give it what it wants. Within reason, of course. I’m not encouraging you to eat an entire box of cookies. There are lots of healthier ways to satisfy your sugar cravings like one of my favorites: roasted potatoes.
If you’re not aligning your nutrition, fitness, and rest with your cycle you could be slowing down your fat loss. The key is find what works best for you and your body and adjust as needed. This process takes time and a lot of patience. I speak from experience.
To put it simply, ladies, weight loss isn’t a race. Remember to stay in your own lane and find a way that you and your hubby can support each other. It’s about small steps, big victories, and treating yourself like the boss lady you are along the way.