Weight loss is hard…unless you’re a guy.
Women cut calories, count grams of sugar, overhaul their diets, work out daily, and can still struggle to achieve a healthy weight. Men can practically just think about chicken breasts and broccoli—and the fat melts off.
Granted, plenty of men do struggle to shed pounds. But even science shows that guys have got it easier. In one 2014 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, overweight men and women tried out four different diet approaches. Two months in, no matter the diet, the men achieved significantly more weight loss than the ladies.
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The injustice largely comes down to two biological factors. First, men tend to be bigger than women, with more muscle on their frames, so they usually have faster metabolisms than women, says Jessica A. Culnane, R.D., a board-certified sports dietitian with Clif Bar & Company who works on female-focused LUNA bars. “They require more calories to maintain their weight,” she says. “Therefore, if they reduce their caloric intake, even a little bit, they’re more likely to reach a caloric deficit and lose weight.”
Second of all, men and women have crazy-different levels of hormones floating in their bloodstreams, says Culane. For instance, women have 15 to 20 times less muscle-building, fat loss-promoting testosterone than men. And, according to a 2016 Yale University review, women have much higher levels of estrogen and progesterone, which contribute to stronger food cravings than men.
After ovulation, women’s levels of estrogen dip while progesterone spikes. So during the time between ovulation and getting our period, we typically eat about 238 more calories per day than during the weeks immediately after Aunt Flo leaves town, according to the Yale review. Those extra calories could result in gaining 10 to 20 pounds per year.
Thyroid hormone levels, which regulate weight and metabolism, also vary drastically between men and women. “When it comes to gender difference, [thyroid] abnormalities are more common in women than men,” says endocrinologist and internist Brunilda Nazario, M.D., associate medical director at WebMD and a diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine. “The risk of low thyroid hormones levels also increase during pregnancy, after delivery, and around menopause.”
So, yeah, biology isn’t really on our side. But you can start bio-hacking your way to weight loss with these four strategies:
1. Move some weight
Men naturally have more metabolism-fueling muscle than women, but that doesn’t mean you can’t increase your lean mass. “Women looking to lose weight should hit the weights to help their bodies burn more calories,” says Culane. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your burn at rest, she says.
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Lifting heavy for multiple sets or exercises can temporarily increase your testosterone levels, which optimizes your muscle-building potential. Perform multiple sets and exercises using the heaviest weight you can lift for 10 reps while keeping perfect form.
2. Plan your meals around protein
No matter how much you lift, you can’t build calorie-burning muscle if you’re not eating enough protein. Every time you exercise, your body sheds old, damaged proteins and replaces them with new, healthy ones to strengthen your muscles. You’ve got to replenish your protein supplies for that to happen.
That’s why the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that women who lift eat between 1.2 and 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (or 0.5 to 0.8 grams per pound of body weight) every day. As a general rule, eating between 20 and 30 grams of protein at each meal can help women build lean muscle, increase their metabolism, and lose weight more easily.
3. Work on your relationship with food
“Men tend to be less emotional about their food, so they can commit and follow through with a strict dietary pattern,” says Culane. “Women have a more emotional connection to food, it’s not black and white.”
That means restrictive eating is probably going to backfire on you. Instead of cutting carbs and dairy cold turkey, it’s important to cultivate a healthy relationship with food and your body, she says. Check out these tips for tuning into your hunger and fullness cues.
4. Test your hormones
If you suspect that your metabolism is slower than it should be, or you have symptoms of hypothyroidism—such as thinning hair, extreme fatigue, constipation, dry skin, and sensitivity to cold—visit your doctor, ASAP.
“Get a simple blood test to help you determine if your weight-loss efforts are being sabotaged by low hormones levels,” says Nazario. If something there is amiss, your doctor can refer you to an endocrinologist or obesity medicine specialist who is trained to help manage hormones for healthy weight loss.