Who Burns The Most Fat? - Part 4 Of Our Mini Series On Fat

The following article is one of a series of articles which focus on Self Improvement, Motivation and Empowerment. It is based on research done over twenty years as a personal and business coach. This self improvement article was written in response to questions which have been asked on losing weight and long term weight loss as well as address common challenges that people have with this subject. I sincerely hope that you find the following information of value.

It"s an easily recognizable fact that men and women training side by side do not have the same results. Recent studies have found that women gain weight faster than men and that they have a harder time getting rid of it through exercise.

It seems that women have the misfortune of being stuck with the worst part of the weight loss process and also with having to work twice as hard as men to stay in shape. And since this is no easy task for men, you can imagine how much more difficult it is for women.

Men and women are not built the same way. There is something different in our bodies due to the way hormones change the balance between muscle and fat and shape the size of our bones to respond to different needs later on. In men, the testosterone hormone determines the size of bones, causes hair growth and deepens the voice.

It also regulates the size of the muscle mass, which it turn regulates the metabolism. The more muscle mass, the faster a person burns the calories obtained from food, which is one of the big differences between men and women and between overweight people and those who are fit.

Another thing that makes it even worse for the ladies is the modern obsession with a thin body.

I was actually quite shocked to read about some of the tactics fashion houses and retailers use with clothes sizes to attract female buyers. What in the world is a size "0"?

Women, and some men have become more and more desperate and willing to try half-baked, even quite dangerous ideas that should simply be avoided. This leads to dieting that makes the person thinner, but not healthier. Quite on the contrary actually, since there are enough emaciated, stick-like women around to serve as example.

This is not good, not healthy by any stretch of the imagination and will not achieve the desired long term weight loss. Repeated attempts to drop the extra pounds teach the body to hang on to the existing fat and so weight loss becomes harder and harder as the years pass.

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When it comes to the subject of self improvement, I fully understand (through my own experiences) that it is a lot easier said than done. However, you are here, right now, because you have a desire to improve your self or you are at least interested in this subject. Perhaps you are reading this to help a friend or colleague - great. If this article helps you or you help a friend, paying it forward is what life is all about so we all win.
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A recent study showed that a sample of obese women who exercised regularly every week and learned how to cook healthier meals felt a tremendous improvement in their self-image and self esteem.

Their actual weight loss wasn"t that high when measured over a three month period. However, their blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rates were far better. And they felt much better.

So, maybe women should start to move away from achieving a certain weight to just staying healthy and feeling good regardless of weight. Maybe this is indeed the future of the weight loss industry: to help people feel better about themselves instead of harming their bodies while chasing a futile and sometimes dangerous dream.

Whether we act upon it or not, we know that dieting alone will never achieve a healthy long term weight loss result. We need to incorporate some form of exercise and training into our program.

In the context of my opening paragraph, if we actually thought about developing a "fitness program" or a "looking fitter" program instead of a "weight loss" program, there can be a huge psychological boost and a positive change in our self esteem. Why?

Well, think about it. You have been following your program, you have been getting support from friends and family, you then stand on the scales - no change, worse you have put on half a pound. Disaster.

Instead, you have followed your program, received the same support, but this time you look in the mirror. Hey, I do look healthier, I am getting my shape back. This is working, I think I"ll do some more. I am feeling GOOD!

Don"t weigh yourself, look at yourself. Watch that positive transformation taking place.

And enjoy it!

Finding sensible, safe and long term methods of weight loss and weight maintenance takes a lot of research which we have done and continue to do so that we can provide these informative and motivational articles to help you move forward and realize your personal goals and aspirations.