FEMALE FAT LOSS VS FAT LOSS IN MEN

I have been listening to a very interesting podcast about the difference in weight loss between men and women and some very interesting points were highlighted, so I decided to summarise them. I am sure that women have asked themselves many a time how men cut some calories and workout for 20 minutes and their weight just drops off! Here are some points:

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Women have more alpha receptors in their hips and thighs compared to men. Alpha receptors stop fat loss and beta receptors burn fat. This also explains why some women store more weight in their hips and thighs than others. The alpha receptors work against all the fat loss efforts. 

Intermittent fasting (IF) may increase alpha receptors activity in adipose tissues. As women have more alpha receptors, fasting can actually make weight loss more difficult than in men. Some women can lose weight and if their alpha receptor activity has unregulated due to intermittent fasting, they then put weight on.  Therefore, men respond better to IF as they have less alpha receptors than women.

Women have a higher level of an enzyme called Lipoprotein Lipase (LL).  This enzyme is found primarily on the surface of cells that line tiny blood vessels (capillaries) within muscles and in fatty (adipose) tissue. Lipoprotein lipase plays a critical role in breaking down fat in the form of triglycerides, which are carried from various organs to the blood by molecules called lipoproteins. The fat is pulled into the fat cell where it is stored. The higher the LL activity within an area, the more fat there will be stored in that area. Women have more LL in their hips and thighs than men, which makes it harder for women to get rid of fat in those areas.

Insulin is one of the stimulants to LL activity. The more insulin we have, the higher the level of LL activity there will be, thus leading to more fat storage. Evidence suggests that LL activity lowers in response to weight loss in women and not men. However, other data suggests that LL increases after weight loss in both men and women. This is the bodies mechanism to cause weight gain, hence, once weight loss is achieved, it is very hard to maintain it.

The key to maintaining weight loss is to change your mind set and lifestyle otherwise there is a danger that you could spiral the wrong way.

Oestrogen (O) plays a very important role in weight loss and gain over the years.

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1. inhibits LL in younger years and this is why it is easier to lose weight and to prevent weight gain than in the later years. Fat storage is prevented.

2. also increases epinephrine (E). E stimulates beta receptors that cause us to burn fat. 

3. O stimulates growth hormones. These help to repair and rejuvenate muscle tissue after exercise and to build muscle mass and boost metabolism – burn fat.

4. inhibits insulin production. When O levels decrease, more insulin is produced and causes insulin resistance.

5. increases vasodilation of fat cells. The blood vessels open up and there is an increase in blood flow within these, resulting in an increase in fat burn.

6. causes more fat to be used than glucose. As O levels decrease, more glucose is burned rather than fat.

The above factors regarding O display why women experience more difficulty in weight loss the closer they are to menopause. When O levels decrease, all the above cause swings in blood sugar levels which cause more hunger. Menopause begins after a woman is thirty years old – O levels slowly start to drop and shifts in hormones begin.

Progesterone (P) is higher in women than in men. This stimulates fat storage by stimulating LL activity. O and P help to antagonise cortisol. This impacts fat storage on the stomach. This is why fat storage moves to the stomach once the O and P levels decrease.

How exercises affect men and women differently.

Exercise rejuvenates the body and has an anti-aging affect because it causes free radical stress in the body and triggers the antioxidants production and the cells become healthier.

Women burn more fat during walking than men. Long runs put more stress on your body, increasing the production of cortisol. This actually puts more fat on your stomach. It is very important that we change our strategy with age as our hormones change.

Men produce more epinephrine whilst doing HIIT and in turn burn more fat than women.

Women have higher intramuscular triglyceride levels than men.  This means that they have more fat in muscle cells. Women respond to resistance training really well.

In Summary, weight gain is dependent highly on the imbalance and shifts in hormones throughout your life. A few things can help greatly when it comes to weight loss. Drinking water is very important.  Water flushes out cortisol out of the body and clears all the toxins from the cells.

Walking impacts insulin – controls and regulates it. It also impacts cortisol levels and stops them spiking. Walking helps you to reach deeper sleep and improves growth hormones.

Meditation is key. Studies show that fifteen minutes of meditation equates to one hour and fifteen minutes of sleep. This really helps to control cortisol levels produces within the body.

At The Aesthetics Clinic we offer fat and inch loss treatments. These treatments are extremely popular with people who love to stay fit and healthy. Everybody has stubborn fatty areas that do not seem to disappear, no matter how much exercise or healthy eating regimes they follow. Fat Freezing and Cavitation Lipo work hand in hand with a healthy regime and help accelrate and achieve these results. For people who have lost a lot of weight and have loose skin, the Radio Frequency skin rejuvenation can help tighten the skin.

You may be thinking why do people get these done?  Everybody wants to feel confident about themselves and when people see desired results, this will motivate them.