Like many mothers, you may notice your pants tend to shrink after the birth of a baby. Weight gain does not limit itself to women who bear children; many females tend to gain some weight as they age. Hormonal differences cause women to gain and retain weight differently than their male counterparts. This doesn’t mean you need to resolve yourself to being fat and jolly, as you get older. A nutritious, weight loss diet that takes into consideration the special needs of women can help you lose weight and boost your health, according to Gordon M. Wardlaw, author of “Contemporary Nutrition.”
Low-Carb Diet
According to Harvard Medical School, low-carb dieting can lead to quicker weight loss than low-fat dieting. Cutting calories by restricting high carbohydrate foods can help you jumpstart your diet. If you are like many dieters, that initial drop in the numbers on your scale can motivate you to stick to your diet plan. In addition to reducing the amount of carbohydrates in your diet, Harvard Medical School recommends choosing whole grains and limiting your fat intake to sources that contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Don’t get discouraged if your man loses weight a little more quickly than you do on this diet. Many factors, including gender differences and individual rates of metabolism, may affect your weight loss.
Low-Calorie Diet
Too many calories translate into too much weight, regardless of the food source, advises The Diet Channel, an online community that provides diet support and information. They recommend that women include a variety of foods, such as vegetables and grains. Reducing the amount of fat in your dairy foods, such as swapping out skim milk for whole milk, can decrease the number of calories you consume each day. Choosing lean cuts of meat, such as fish and poultry, can further reduce your caloric intake. This diet involves keeping track of the amount of calories you consume in each meal and snack. The amount of calories you require depends on your activity level, weight loss goals and overall health.
TLC Diet
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommends this diet if you have heart disease or if you are at risk of developing heart disease. Don’t worry; you can benefit from this diet even if you have a healthy heart. This diet restricts the amounts of fats, cholesterol and sodium to reduce the risk of heart failure. NHLBI suggests eating just enough calories to achieve a healthy weight, while limiting the amount of saturated fat to fewer than 7 percent of your daily calories. The NHLBI advises you keep your overall fat intake to about 30 percent of total calories, while limiting cholesterol to less than 200 milligrams (mg) and sodium to less than 2,400mg each day.
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