Battle of the Bulge…the Weightloss Showdown

Men are genetically designed to have a higher percentage of lean muscle. They have more total mass, more bone and more testosterone (which helps them maintain and build muscle). Plus, (and this is a biggie) men don’t tend to suffer from “guilt” eating and don’t focus as much on appearance as women do. Add all those factors together and you can see why men have a slight edge when it comes to weight control. But guys don’t have it all that easy either; when men gain weight, they tend to gain it in the most harmful area – around the abdomen and vital organs. On the other hand, women tend to gain weight around the hips, which has a much lower health risk.

Regardless of gender, there are simple steps you can take to level the playing field, keep your weight in check, and look and feel your best. Just do 3 simple things:

1) Know Your Needs

First off, women don’t need as many calories as men. Women are smaller, have more estrogen and bodies driven to preserve a few “reserves”. Part of the unfairness seems to stem from women thinking they should be able to eat the same as a man. This is not – nor will rarely ever be – the case.

Look at the average nutrient needs for a man versus a woman:

*this is to maintain weight, to lose, cut ~500 calories per day from these numbers

200 Pound Male

3000 calories per day

150 grams protein

412 grams carbs

83 grams fat

140 Pound Female

2150 calories per day

107 grams protein

295 grams carbs

60 grams fat

2) Consider the “Burn Off”

One sure-fire way to make better eating choices is to think of food in “how long will it take me to burn this food choice off?” You know… how long would you have to sweat on a treadmill, bike or elliptical to make up for that extra food. (This trick is appropriate to fend off “extra” eating… you don’t need to do this for fair-and-square meals. This is for splurges: fast food, treats, chips, etc).

If you were to eat “x”… it would take “y” to burn it off. Check this out:

3) Get Physical

When it comes to exercise, most men and most women need to spend a little time on the other side of the spectrum. Let me explain:

Women tend to stick to cardio activities. Cardio is great for heart health, but not as effective to build lean muscle, elevate metabolism and strengthen bones.

Men tend to stick to weight training. And strength training is not as effective to burn off excess abdominal fat which raises the risk for deadly disease. Men have a higher risk of heart disease and high blood pressure… and cardio is the best thing to shape up the cardiovascular system.

See what I mean? Women need a bit more strength and men need a bit more cardio. We all need a variety of physical activities and more balance in our fitness regimen.

Here’s a great workout plan for a guy:

Monday: Weights

· chest, triceps, shoulders, abs

· 20 minutes cardio

Tuesday: Weights

· back, biceps, legs, abs

Wednesday: Cardio

· 45 minutes cardio

· 5 minutes abs

Thursday: Weights

· chest, triceps, shoulders, abs

Friday: Weights

· back, biceps, legs, abs

· 20 minutes cardio

Saturday: Intervals

· alternate 1 strength exercise like push-ups or total body balance moves (burpees)

· with 3 minutes of jump rope, running or cardio

· go for 20 – 40 minutes

Sunday: REST J

Here’s a great workout plan for a woman:

Monday: Intervals

· alternate 1 strength exercise like push-ups, squats,or total body balance moves (burpees)

· with 3 minutes of jump rope, running or cardio

· go for 20 – 40 minutes

Tuesday: Weights

· total body workout 30 – 60 minutes

Wednesday: Cardio

· 45 minutes cardio

· 5 minutes abs

Thursday: Intervals

· alternate 1 strength exercise like push-ups or total body balance moves (burpees)

· with 3 minutes of jump rope, running or cardio

· go for 20 – 40 minutes

Friday: Weights

· total body workout 30 – 60 minutes

Saturday: Cardio Intervals

· alternate 1 minute of “moderate” intensity cardio (like walking at 4 mph)

· with 1 minute of “high” intensity cardio (like running at 6 – 7 mph)

· go for 20 – 40 minutes

Sunday: REST J