Basic Principles of Fat Loss for Women

1. Focus on Measurements, Not Just Weight

Many women obsess over weight, but the most important is the waist, hip, and thigh measurements, and ratios between them. Track your waist-to-hip and hip-to-thigh ratios monthly.
A healthy waistline ranges between 65–73cm. A waist-to-hip ratio under 0.7 is excellent. If your measurements and ratios continue to shrink, your fat loss plan is working.

Top sign of success: reduced measurements and weight.
Second-best: reduced measurements and improved proportions.
Least effective: weight loss alone, without a change in shape.

2. The “Benefit Window” After Your Period

The week following your period is an ideal time to burn fat more effectively due to hormonal shifts. Keep training, but manage expectations.

During the first two to three days of your period or if cramps are severe, it's best to skip workouts and resume afterward.

Avoid intense or core-heavy exercises like squats, deadlifts, and crunches during this time.Instead, opt for moderate upper-body strength training and 30 minutes of light cardio.

Myth to ignore: "You can eat anything during your period and not gain weight." That’s false. Overeating still leads to fat gain.

3. Strength Training Is Essential

Strength training isn't just for men. It’s crucial for women too, especially those with lower body fat.
Benefits include: Boosting metabolism and fat loss efficiency (muscle burns more calories), sculpting a firmer, more defined figure, and preventing a soft or sagging appearance

Key focus areas:

• Shoulders and back: Improve posture and presence
• Glutes and legs: Counteract flatness from long sitting hours, firm up thighs
• Core: Ease back pain and tone the lower belly
• Chest and arms: Eliminate underarm fat and loose upper arms

4. Avoid Extreme Low-Carb Diets

It’s understandable to want quick results. But cutting carbs too aggressively, skip foods or dinner can damage your metabolism over time.

Possible side effects: hair loss, poor sleep, irregular periods, dull complexion, and weight regain. The long-term cost outweighs the short-term gain. Worse, it can raise your body fat percentage.

Stick to three balanced meals. Include carbs, protein, and fat. Pair this with strength and cardio training for a lean, elegant physique.

5. Women Process Carbs Differently

Women need fewer carbs than men. For fat loss, aim for about 2g of carbs per kilogram of body weight daily. If your metabolism is higher, you can go slightly above that.

Don’t panic, it’s not as little as it sounds. For example, at 60kg, that’s over 120g of carbs daily, roughly equivalent to 500g of rice. Eat balanced meals until you’re 80% full. This help to maintain your carb intake. The real issue is excess carbs from snacks and desserts.

6. Do Squats Make Legs Bigger?

This concern is common, but mostly unfounded. The real culprit behind thick thighs is excess fat from prolonged sitting and inactivity. Unless you’re training squats with heavy weights, high intensity, and frequency, it’s unlikely you’ll build bulky muscles. So, you can do the squat when training. Notice how men in gyms often rely on squats for glute training, and the results speak for themselves.