The fitness industry tells you weight loss is simple.
"Just eat less calories than you burn."
And they're right. That IS how weight loss works.
But what they don't tell you is WHY creating that calorie deficit becomes so much harder as you get older, and it gets harder in completely different ways for men versus women.
Yet every weight loss program gives you the exact same generic advice, ignoring how your specific biology works.
In this article, we'll show you exactly how male and female fat storage changes with hormones,
why generic weight loss advice fails,
and what actually works for your specific biology to get the scale moving in the right direction.
When Your Body Starts Storing Fat Differently
Men gain fat around their belly first. Women gain it around their hips and thighs.
That's what everyone believes.
But if you're dealing with stubborn fat gain right now, you might be noticing something different.
If you're a man, you're probably developing belly fat when you never had it before.
The weight is accumulating around your stomach, and your body feels "softer" than it used to.
You might be losing muscle definition even though you haven't changed your eating habits.
If you're a woman, fat is likely moving from your hips and thighs to your waist.
You're losing the body shape you've had your whole adult life.
Your clothes fit differently around the middle, and you feel like you're gaining weight
Both situations are confusing. Both are frustrating.
You try cutting calories, but the fat just sits there.
You try the same strategies that used to work, but nothing happens. Some days you eat less than you ever have, but the weight number on the scale doesn't move down.
It feels like your body has turned against you.
You start wondering if this is just what happens with age. Maybe this is your "new normal." Maybe you just have to accept that your metabolism has slowed down permanently.
The truth is WAY simpler.
It’s all happening because your hormones are changing,
and those changes affect where fat gets stored and how easily you can lose it.
But men and women experience completely different hormonal shifts, which means they need COMPLETELY DIFFERENT strategies.
Something mainstream fitness advice tends to ignore.
Here are some examples of bad advice (for both genders)
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Doing hours of cardio instead of focusing on building muscle
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Using very light weights with high reps instead of heavy lifting
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Following extreme low-calorie diets that crash hormonal balances
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Lifting heavy every single day that increases cortisol
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Ignoring the need for rest / recovery, especially for women during menstruation.
Since this is “mainstream”, you’re more likely to fall for this (unless you’re in our newsletter and know how to spot bad advice)
What people miss is that men and women lose fat differently. We’ll get into the science later into this article.
That's why the same 500-calorie deficit works differently for your male colleague than it does for you.
Or why your wife can lose weight with one approach while you stay stuck.
It's not because you're doing something wrong. It's because you're using the wrong approach for YOUR specific biology.
Time for some science.
If you want to get straight to the specific things that men and women must do to manage weight,skip the science section. (though we’d recommend you check it out just to know how your body works)
Let’s get into it.
The Science: Why Fat Storage Changes Differently for Men and Women
Let's break down what's actually happening inside your body when hormones shift.
For Men: Happens When Testosterone Drops
Men's primary fat storage change comes from declining testosterone.
Testosterone helps maintain muscle mass and decides where fat gets stored.
When testosterone levels drop, several things happen:
Muscle mass decreases.
Less muscle = slower metabolism.
Your body burns fewer calories at rest and now, it’s easier to gain weight even if you're eating the same amount of calories every day.
Fat storage shifts to the belly.
Testosterone normally helps prevent visceral fat accumulation.
Lower testosterone means more fat gets stored around your organs, creating that "beer belly" look even if you don't drink beer.
Insulin sensitivity decreases.
Lower testosterone makes it harder for your muscles to use glucose efficiently.
Ah wait, that’s “too science-ey”. We don’t do that here.
Low testosterone = Your muscles become lazy at using the sugar from your food.
Instead of your muscles grabbing that energy and using it, more of what you eat gets stored as fat around your belly.
Stress becomes a fat-storing machine.
Before, testosterone used to protect you from stress-related weight gain. But as it drops, your cortisol levels increase.
Now, every work deadline, family argument, or traffic jam triggers your body to pack fat around your stomach.
Your body treats stress like a famine is coming and desperately tries to store energy for survival.
For Women: When Estrogen and Progesterone Decline
Women's fat storage changes are more complex because multiple hormones shift at once.
Estrogen decline changes fat distribution.
Estrogen used to tell your body to store fat on your hips, thighs, and breasts. This gives you that feminine shape.
When estrogen drops during perimenopause and menopause, that signal disappears.
Now fat starts piling up around your belly instead, just like it does in men.
Progesterone affects stress eating.
Progesterone used to keep you calm and control your appetite.
And like estrogen, it also starts to drop as you age. And now, stress hits you differently.
When work gets overwhelming or family drama starts, you suddenly crave carbs and sugar intensely.
Your brain thinks eating those foods will help with the stress, making it much harder to control how much you eat.
Insulin sensitivity decreases faster.
Your body starts treating the food you eat like an enemy. Instead of using it for energy, it rushes to store it as fat.
This happens more aggressively in women than men during hormonal changes,
which is why the same meals that never made you gain weight before suddenly start adding weight.
Sleep gets disrupted.
Hormonal changes mess with your sleep, and this creates a downward spiral.
Poor sleep makes you hungrier the next day (especially for junk food) while making it harder for your body to know when it's full.
Which means now, you end up eating more and storing more of it as fat.
What Actually Works
The good news is that regardless of whether you're male or female,
The fundamentals that work are the same. You might have thought we’ll have some complex routines and protocols and toolkits, but we believe in simple fixes you can do FOREVER.
Simple is the word.
You need to exercise, build muscle, eat well, sleep well and keep your stress levels in check.
Pretty straightforward right? Works for both genders.
Here’s what you should start with.
Keep in mind that these sections don’t cover EVERYTHING you must do.
We have linked what you should read next everywhere. Make sure you check them out too.
Start Strength Training.
Muscle = Metabolism.
The more you have, the more calories you burn at rest and the better your body handles the food you eat.
Exercise is MANDATORY.
You don't need to become a bodybuilder or live in the gym. But you do need to challenge your muscles regularly with some form of resistance training.
This could be bodyweight exercises like squats and push-ups, resistance bands, or light weights. The key is consistency, not intensity.
If you're already doing some form of strength training, keep going.
If you're not sure where to start or want a complete beginner-friendly approach,
check out our Free Exercise 101 guide
It breaks down exactly how to start strength training safely after 40.
For men, this directly supports testosterone production. For women, it helps maintain bone density and muscle mass as estrogen declines.
Required Reading → Free Exercise 101 guide
Eat Enough Protein
There are SO MANY reasons why you must eat enough protein.
You can find all of them and how to make sure you’re eating enough in this article.
This section covers why it’s important for weight management.
So,
Protein does three things for you:
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When you’re on a deficit, it makes sure you don’t burn muscle.
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Keeps your blood sugar stable
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Keeps you full. This
All 3 means you can actually stick to eating less without feeling like you're starving all the time.
Required Reading → Protein - The Key to Healthy Ageing
Don't Go On Crash Diets (Or Make Other Big Mistakes)
If you’re looking to lose weight, don’t go on an extreme calorie deficit.
It makes everything worse.
It crashes your metabolism, destroys your energy, increases stress and can further disrupt the hormones that are already changing.
A moderate deficit of 300-500 calories per day works better. You can stay consistent and actually hit your weight loss goals instead of going on a crash diet, and then binging cheat meals.
Sustainable calorie deficits > crash diets.
Required Reading → 3 Weight Loss Mistakes That Quietly Wreck Healthy Longevity.
Fix Your Sleep and Stress
Sleep = Fat Loss Switch.
Poor sleep makes you hungrier the next day and makes your body store more of what you eat as fat.
Chronic stress does the same thing. It tells your body to hold onto every calorie because it thinks you're in survival mode.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Find ways to manage your daily stress that actually works for your life.
This isn't nice-to-have wellness advice. This is as important as what you eat and how you exercise.
Good sleep + low stress = your body cooperates with fat loss. Bad sleep + high stress = your body fights you every step of the way.
Required Reading → 3 Quick Sleep Tips
Required Reading → 4 Steps To Reduce Chronic Stress
Address Insulin Resistance
Both men and women often develop insulin resistance as hormones change, making it much harder to lose fat regardless of how well you're eating.
If you start working on the fixes above, congratulations, that’s your first step.
Your next step would be to supplement what you’re already doing.
If you’ve read our other articles on Insulin Resistance, you’ll know that we’ll recommend Berberine as a strong supplement for both improving insulin sensitivity AND helping you with losing weight.
Here’s why.
When you’re insulin resistant, your body keeps making more and more insulin just to handle the same meal.
(And we already saw how too much insulin = fat not burning away)
Berberine helps bring that response back in line, without needing any medication, and without pushing your system harder.
It works by helping your body manage blood sugar more efficiently after you eat.
That means fewer spikes, better balance, and less insulin floating around.
And when insulin goes down, your body stops clinging to fat the way it used to.
Next Step → Get Our Berberine Supplement
Work With Your Biology, Not Against It
Once you understand that your body is just responding to normal hormonal changes in predictable ways.
you can start doing fixes that actually work for your specific situation.
If you want more SIMPLE science-backed methods for healthy weight loss and longevity
join our newsletter. .
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