How Is Fat Loss For Moms Different Than Fat Loss For Dads?

Is the way moms lose fat different than how dads should lose fat?  Do men and women have to have different weight loss programs?  Read on to discover whether men and women need different weight loss program.

by Ed Scow, NSCA-CPT (aka The Fit Dad) - Fitness and Nutrition Expert to the true superheroes - busy Moms and Dads! and Author of Fat Loss To Go

I just finished up training one of my new female clients and she asked me a very good question.

“What’s different about fat loss for moms?”  “Is fat loss for moms different than fat loss for men?”

Those are a couple of very good questions and I actually get them quite often, but never sat down and really thought about it until now.

The basics are the same no matter if you’re a mom or a dad.

However there are a few differences when it comes to fat loss for moms.

Fat loss for moms often times depends largely upon getting out of the mindset that cardio is the one and only thing that needs to be done.

Cardio, as it pertains to fat loss for women, is largely over-rated.

Don’t get me wrong, it is very necessary and is very important health-wise, but when it comes to fat loss, it’s used far too much.

Instead, moms need to focus on doing less moderate-intensity cardio for 60-90 minutes and instead focus on interval training and resistance training for fat loss.

The workouts need to have you in and out of the gym (or home gym) in 15-20 minutes, otherwise you’ll get bored quickly and not stick with it.

Fat loss workouts for moms also need to focus on full body exercises and full body workouts.  All too often I see women just training their arms, abs and legs using “isolation” moves like triceps kickbacks with “pink weights” or using the “thigh master” type exercises at the gym because they don’t want to get bulky.

It’s not going to happen, so don’t worry about it.  Don’t argue with me…just believe me.  I’ve trained way too many women and it has never, ever happened.

You need to do exercises like push-ups, squats, lunges, rows, planks, combination exercises, etc. if you really want to lose fat.

Focusing on these two forms of exercise will have you seeing results faster and get you down working out a lot sooner, which I’m sure is a goal of yours.

I don’t know too many women who absolutely love doing lots of cardio and working out, so if there’s a better way, why not give it a shot?

Another way fat loss for moms is different, when it comes to diet, is that many women graze throughout the day and then splurge in the evening with dinner or have big “snacks” because they feel as though they’re entitled because they ate a small lunch or skipped breakfast.

That is not the way to go about effective fat loss.

You need to eat throughout the day, with moderate portions.  You can’t just pick at food throughout the day and “save your calories” in order to have a giant meal at home or eat a few big snacks.

But probably the biggest way fat loss for women is different than for men is far more women follow fad diets.  I could rattle off a dozen fad diets and more than likely you’ve tried at least 5 or 6.

Following fad diets will wreak havoc on your fat loss goals.  Sure you may lose some weight, but most of it is muscle and water.  Then when you decide you can’t handle the fad diet anymore, you quit and eat worse than you did before, which is why you end up weighing more than you did when you started the fad diet.

Then you reach for another fad diet and start the vicious cycle again. That is yo-yoing at its worst.

Stop it!

Like I said earlier, fat loss for women isn’t really that much different than fat loss for men. Fat loss for women follows the same fundamentals, there are just a few minor differences.

Take care of the things I outlined above and you’ll be well on your way to losing fat…quickly.