Women deal with burning fat differently than men
(Published in the Scottsdale Views Newspaper)

Men and women are different. No surprise there.

But this month’s article is about the differences women tend to encounter as they try to lose weight. Having worked with many different female clients, the most common complaint I hear is that no matter what they do, they cannot get rid of the fat on their legs and butt. They do not eat any fat and they run everyday and still their lower bodies stay the same.

The unfortunate reality is that women do hold more fat in their lower bodies than men. This is mainly due to the much higher levels of the hormone estrogen found in women.

However, there are steps you can take to trim up that stubborn lower body. When you combine the right nutrition, supplementation, and the correct exercise principles, you may have to go shopping for smaller jeans.

Many women pick up food products labeled low fat. While limiting your intake of fatty foods is healthy, you might want to be more careful about the carb content as well. Physiologists have demonstrated that women do not oxidize (burn for fuel) carbohydrates as well as men do. Over consumption of carbohydrates may lead to more fat being stored in your body. Women will definitely benefit from avoiding all processed and refined carbohydrates. By lowering carbohydrate intake in a strategic manner you can greatly improve your lower body fat.

The magnitude of change in your body composition greatly depends upon your workout intensity, duration, frequency and probably most important, type of exercise. While aerobic exercise such as jogging is very healthy for the heart and lungs it will not give you the aesthetic result you are looking for. Many people have been doing the same cardio routine for so long that their bodies become immune to it and that same form of exercise loses any real benefit for weight or fat loss. While running or jogging will burn some calories, this type of exercise will not increase your metabolism and will not cause a release in your body’s natural growth hormone. Growth hormone is your body’s most potent fat burning hormone and is released during resistance training. This is why a customized and properly executed weight training program is so important.

The maximum allotted time you should remain on the same exercise program is five weeks. Your body eventually grows immune to the same workout routine and your progress will plateau. You must constantly shock your system with different routines and movement patterns so you can further progress.

The length of your workout is often overlooked, but is also very important. People are usually surprised when I tell them they are working out for too long. Research has shown that training for more than one hour will increase the release of catabolic hormones and decrease the desired anabolic hormones in your body. This means that training for too long is not optimal for your body’s fat burning environment.

One form of exercise that I have found to work extremely well for the lower body is a form of interval training I learned from strength coach Charles Poliquin that is done on a stationary bicycle. Pedaling light to moderate for two to three minutes, then increasing the resistance to an extremely high level for 30-45 seconds as if you were pushing on a leg press machine will induce an elevation in growth hormone and cause a post-exercise elevation in metabolism. That means you will burn more calories for three to four hours after your workout. Regular aerobic exercise does not have this effect. Complete 5 to 6 sets in this manner on the bike and in time you will notice the difference.

While individualized supplementation can definitely increase your results, there are a few supplements that seem to work on most people. There is a supplement called indole-3-carbinol that can help women detoxify estrogens. This can result in less fat being stored in the lower body.

Another supplement I recommend is a topical cream containing yohimbine. Now before you gasp in disgust, let me say that I am very skeptical when it comes to fat loss creams and fat burning pills. But after seeing the results people had with it, I became a believer. Women have a greater proportion of alpha-2 receptors in their lower body fat than men. Some studies have found that when yohimbine is applied topically, it can block alpha-2 receptors and therefore reduce lower body fat. The brand I recommend and have seen the most success with is called Lipo Sports Creme. All I can say is try it and be your own judge.

So while women are predisposed to higher levels of lower body fat, you still have the ability to take control of your body. If you are already a hard worker, you are one step ahead. It is not about how many hours you spend in the gym, but more so incorporating smart training along with your hard training. Until next month, stay motivated and live healthier.