Best Weight Loss Tips for Women

In today's health-conscious society, it's striking that over 56% of American women are actively trying to lose weight, a figure significantly higher than that of men. Despite these efforts, obesity remains a widespread issue, with severe obesity affecting 11.5% of women compared to just 6.9% of men. This significant difference raises an essential question: Is it harder for women to lose weight?

The answer is complicated, as many factors influence weight loss. Women’s bodies are also complex, with hormone changes and various life stages that impact metabolism and weight.

The good news is that there are steps to take that are specifically helpful for women trying to lose weight. In this article, we’ll share the best weight loss tips to help women overcome challenges and succeed.

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Weight Loss for Women: How Does It Work?

While there are 3,500 calories in one pound, so many variables determine weight loss. Simply eating 500 fewer calories each day does not equal one pound of weight loss per week. In fact, research shows it’s typically much less.^{1, 2}

Genetics, biology, hormones, activity level, sleep, diet, and muscle mass are all factors that determine how much weight women lose.

When you lose weight, your resting metabolic rate (how many calories you burn at rest) often decreases because: 

• You are carrying less weight on your frame.
• A certain percentage of your weight loss is muscle.

But even further, the decrease in resting metabolic rate associated with weight loss contributes to getting stuck at a weight loss plateau and potentially even regaining weight.

For example, when participants from The Biggest Loser were followed for six years, their resting metabolic rate was 500 kcal/day lower than expected based on their current weight and age, even after many participants regained the weight.³

So cycling through weight loss programs with weight regain may impact metabolic rate in the long term.

There is also a distinct difference in how men and women use and store fat. Women have a higher percentage and different distribution of body fat than men. Premenopausal women store fat in the buttocks and upper legs, whereas men and postmenopausal women store more belly fat.⁴

Due to higher testosterone levels, men typically have a higher muscle-to-total body weight ratio, resulting in a higher resting metabolic rate. Since the average man is larger and has more muscle to support than the average woman, men can usually consume more calories without gaining weight than women can. However, testosterone levels begin to decline in both sexes in their 30s, leading to a slow decline in muscle mass.

Women with lower muscle mass are at a disadvantage for weight loss. Increasing muscle mass through resistance exercise and increasing fat burn through aerobic exercise may narrow the gap and help women lose weight.

All of the above doesn’t mean women can’t lose weight. Maintaining or increasing lean body mass and metabolic rate, decreasing abdominal fat, and increasing aerobic exercise are all associated with better weight control. 

<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Also Read: </strong><a href=signs-of-type-2-diabetes-in-women>Signs of Type 2 Diabetes in Women: Detection and Management</a></a>.</div>

Weight Loss Tips for Women

No one diet or weight loss plan works for everyone. Instead, pick a diet and weight loss plan that fits your lifestyle. Consistency is important for success. The following tips can help:

1. Limit Your Intake of Refined Carbohydrates

White bread, white rice, pasta, bagels, waffles, pizza, and pancakes are made with white flour, and most packaged foods contain highly processed carbohydrates that lack fiber and micronutrients. This fast serving of carbohydrates causes a spike in your blood sugar.

Some people use the glycemic index to determine what carbohydrates to eat. This tool classifies foods based on how much they raise glucose levels in the blood relative to glucose or white bread, but it isn’t perfect. The American Diabetes Association has not endorsed this tool because they found that foods with the same glycemic index did not have the same impact on blood glucose levels. For example, Fanta soft drinks and white pita bread both have a glycemic index of 68, but blood glucose levels after consuming them may not be the same.

Instead, choose high-fiber carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables as part of your eating plan. Monitoring your blood glucose levels can help you track the effects of dietary carbohydrates on your blood sugar.

2. Get High-Quality Sleep

Sleeping too little can affect your weight. When participants in a study slept six hours per night, they experienced reduced leptin levels (a hormone released by fat cells that signal your brain that you are full), increased ghrelin levels (a hormone that stimulates hunger and appetite), increased calorie intake by about 500 calories with no increase in physical activity when compared to the control group.⁵

The relationship between leptin levels, weight loss, and appetite is complicated. At every weight, women have higher concentrations of leptin than men. Many people with obesity have higher levels of leptin but are resistant to its effects, meaning they may experience lower sensations of fullness or satiety.⁶

Research is ongoing to better understand why women have higher leptin levels and what this means regarding leptin resistance and weight loss. Leptin regulates body fat predominantly by altering eating behavior.

Sleep disturbances around menopause also contribute to weight gain. Night sweats, mood disorders, obstructive sleep apnea, and low estrogen are all contributors to poor sleep. Chronic sleep problems can lead to daytime fatigue and decreased physical activity.

3. Build Muscle

How can you increase your resting metabolic rate? Exercise. Physical activity, including cardio and strength training, helps women maintain and increase their lean body mass and resting metabolic rates.

Muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest. Researchers found that a nine-month resistance training program increased resting metabolic rate by five percent.⁷

All other factors equal that men with more muscle mass burn calories faster and lose more weight than men or women with less muscle mass. Resistance exercises are a great way to increase muscle mass. As an added benefit, strength training can increase bone density and slow osteoporosis.

Resistance exercise can also improve insulin sensitivity. As insulin resistance increases, you move from healthy to prediabetes to type 2 diabetes. Checking your blood glucose levels can help monitor how resistance exercise and diet affect your blood glucose levels.

Unfortunately, mechanisms to maintain body fat are more effective in women than men. For women to lose weight, they need to monitor their after-workout snacks. After women work out, ghrelin levels increase while leptin levels decrease. This isn’t the case for men. Women have an increased drive to eat after a workout, which can sabotage their weight loss attempts if they’re not strategic about what (and how much) they eat.⁸

4. Eat Mindfully

It’s easy to overeat or leave the dinner table unsatisfied when you’re on the run or distracted by technology.

The average person makes over 200 food-related decisions each day. Both food choices and consumption decisions can affect calorie intake and weight loss.⁹

Food choice decisions focus on what you eat. Food consumption decisions are about how much you eat and are strongly influenced by your environment—from the size of your bowl to package size to whom you eat with and where you eat.

These factors can increase how much we eat even more than we realize. Most factors that affect how much you eat and whether you know how much you eat are subconscious.

In one study, the average participant ate 30% more when presented with an exaggerated environmental cue, such as an extra-large portion size. However, only two percent of people recognized that this cue influenced their food consumption, and only nine percent stated that they ate more than they usually would have in the same situation.¹⁰

Use a food scale to combat these environmental influences and keep your portion sizes in check. Log your food in a diary or app to help you eat mindfully.

5. Keep Healthy Foods Visible and Easy to Access

We gravitate towards foods that are easy to access. In a 2009 study, scientists used scans to monitor brain activity in 13 females and 10 males. Even when women weren’t hungry, if they smelled, tasted, or observed their favorite foods, they had increased brain activity in areas that control the drive to eat. This was not the case for men.¹¹

Try keeping your favorite high-calorie foods out of sight to avoid cravings and impulse eating.

6. Lower Your Stress

Stress leads to the release of the hormone cortisol, which increases blood sugar to give you enough energy to fight or flee. When demands for cortisol remain high, the body converts pregnenolone into progesterone, a hormone used to make cortisol and aldosterone. These hormones lower fat loss and increase fat storage and water retention.¹²

This leaves less pregnenolone to make estrogen and testosterone. Testosterone increases muscle mass and decreases fat mass. A decrease in testosterone and muscle mass leads to a reduction in resting metabolic rate. Low estrogen levels inhibit fat burning during exercise and may increase appetite.¹³

Testosterone and estrogen provide some protection against abdominal fat until menopause. A decline in estrogen levels is associated with an increase in abdominal fat.

Abdominal fat is associated with increased cortisol, setting up a vicious cycle.¹⁴

7. Bump Up Your Protein, But Not Too Much

When people who aren’t overweight lose weight, approximately 35% of their weight loss comes from muscle. In people who are overweight or obese, lean body mass only accounts for 20% to 30% of weight loss. Men tend to lose more lean body mass than women when dieting, especially early in the process.

Combining a high-protein diet and resistance exercise helps limit the loss of muscle mass when restricting calorie intake. However, a high-protein diet does not improve muscle function, and it may adversely affect metabolism, so experts recommend adequate, not excessive, protein intake.¹⁵

Protein can promote satiety and increase calorie burn after eating. In one study, experts suggested eating 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day with 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal.¹⁶

In another study, researchers found that a reduced carbohydrate, moderate fat, and protein diet was most successful at helping postmenopausal women lose weight.¹⁷

8. Make Dietary Lifestyle Changes

Counting calories and not seeing an equivalent weight loss can be frustrating and cause many women to give up on their weight loss goals.

Focus instead on making sustainable healthy eating changes, such as choosing lean protein sources, healthy fats, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. Women who choose healthy foods and watch portion sizes are usually more successful at losing weight than women who exclude certain foods from their diet.

Women who restrict their calories typically find this strategy unsustainable, and they binge and overeat because they’re hungry. Restricting calories can also decrease your basal metabolic rate, making losing weight and keeping it off even more difficult. In general, women should not eat less than 1,200 calories per day.¹⁸

9. Increase Your Water Intake

Staying hydrated by increasing your water intake is a straightforward yet powerful strategy for weight management and overall wellness. By opting for water instead of sugary or high-calorie beverages, you can significantly cut down on unnecessary calorie consumption.

Beyond its weight loss benefits, staying hydrated is crucial for optimal health. Water supports skin health, aids digestion, and reduces the risk of constipation. Additionally, well-hydrated bodies function more efficiently, leading to increased energy levels and improved physical performance. To incorporate more water into your daily routine, try carrying a reusable water bottle, setting reminders to drink regularly, or adding slices of fruits or herbs to your water for added flavor. 

10. Start a Food Journal

Starting a food journal is a helpful way to manage your weight and better understand your eating patterns. By writing down everything you eat and drink, you can see patterns that might be affecting your weight loss. This process makes you more aware of your portion sizes and the types of foods you're consuming, which can help you make healthier choices.

To begin, you can use a simple app on your phone or just a notebook to jot down your meals and snacks. Set reminders to ensure you remember to log your food regularly. Each week, take some time to look over what you've written. This can help you adjust your eating habits, like choosing more fruits and vegetables or eating smaller portions. Keeping a food journal is a great way to stay accountable and work towards your weight loss goals.

Final Thoughts

The relationship between weight loss and health is complicated. While carrying excess weight on your body can cause health problems, so can fad diets with low-calorie restrictive eating and obsessive exercising.

Instead, make lifestyle changes and mind shifts that support your weight loss goals. Think of food and a balanced diet as fuel, exercise as physical activity, and sleep as necessary for your health. These strategies work for successful, sustained weight loss.

<div class="pro-tip"><strong>Learn More: </strong><a href=menopause-diet>Menopause Diet: What to Eat and What to Avoid</a>.</div>