By Elena Voropay

Women have more body fat than men, and not without reason. By nature, a woman's body is developed to protect her and a potential fetus. As a result, women have more enzymes for storing fat and fewer enzymes for burning fat. Additionally, the estrogen women have activates fat storing enzymes and causes them to multiply. Women experience more changes in hydration levels than men because of their menstrual cycle, and this can affect body fat measuring, particularly using the bioelectrical impedence method. Retaining fluid may also cause weight to fluctuate day-to-day during this period causing additional variation in the body fat percentage. Hormonal changes due to pregnancy or menopause may also cause water retention and variations in measuring.

If you have a high level of bodyfat, or you have never been able to successfully lose fat, you should consider trying a program that not only focuses on dieting, but also includes adequate cardiovascular activity and weight training.

The best way to get lean and maintain as much muscle as you can is to diet slowly. The truth is, when you are on a low calorie diet, your body prefers to use muscle tissue for fuel rather than excess body fat. So, the slower you lose weight, the more likely you are losing fat and not muscle.

Ideally, you should aim to lose no more than 1lb - 1.5 lbs per week that's it. If you are obese, then you should try to lose no more than 1% of your bodyweight per week. Any more than that and you are sacrificing muscle.

Remember that you cannot pick and choose the areas from which you would like to lose the fat, or spot reduce. Unfortunately, the human physiology was not programmed to work that way. The only way to decrease the amount of fat in certain key areas is by lowering your total body fat levels. As you lose fat, it will come off all over your body, not just in specific areas. You can, however, change the appearance of your 'trouble areas' by training local muscles. The result would be a toned and more defined look, improvement in lacking areas, and a more pleasing physique.

A successful fat loss program should include:

1. A calorie-restrictive but well-balanced diet with foods from all major food groups
2. Regular cardiovascular activity for at least 30-45 minutes 3-4 times per week.
3. Regular resistance or weight training program at least once or twice a week that includes exercises for all large muscle groups (legs, back, chest).

It all sounds plain and simple, but the key here is consistency. Stay loyal to your program. Take responsibility to commit to your healthy lifestyle - the payoff is well worth the trouble. And remember, it's never too late. If you have tried it before, but failed to continue, look back and see what was the reason. Were you pushing yourself too hard? Did you get discouraged because you didn't see expected results? Maybe you need some patience and persistency in achieving your goals. And what's the rush? You've got a whole life in front of you, so live it, and enjoy every single moment of it.