Seeing how easily some men can lose fat while doing the same exercises and following the same diet plans as women can be frustrating, to say the least. But for women, it turns out that weight control has much more to do with effective fat storage than the inability to lose weight.

Let me explain: biologically and evolutionarily speaking, women’s bodies are more efficient at storing fat thanks to the reproductive hormone estrogen. According to the University of New South Wales, women have 6-11% more body fat than men. This fat storage allows them to maintain healthy pregnancies, feed their babies during lactation, and ultimately continue the human race. Since men don’t bear children, they don’t need to store fat in the same way.

But fat deposits are not harmful, especially for women. Not only do these extra fat stores allow us to sustain life and raise a family, but they are also metabolically healthier than a man’s fat stores.

According to research from Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolismwomen have more brown adipose tissue1 (aka brown fat or BAT), which is involved in burning calories during a process called thermogenesis2. In general, higher amounts of BAT3 occur in metabolically healthy adults. The same study found that women have increased expression of genes related to mitochondrial function, meaning our mitochondria work harder to maintain a metabolic state. (Pretty cool, right?)

For women, weight loss isn’t so much about strict exercise plans or cutting calories as it is about optimizing hormonal balance, maintaining healthy lean muscle mass, and adopting a healthy lifestyle that comprehensively supports metabolism. In fact, doing the former can lead to increased weight, hormones, and energy levels.

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