Assuming you are implying that weight training is something that only men need do for this approach to work I would say that the health and fitness industry has done a huge disservice to women by suggesting that weight training is only for men.
My wife started lifting 3 years ago and loves it, she hated cardio and now rarely does any beyond weekend mountain biking but she lifts for an hour 5 - 6 times a week. The upshot of that change is that her back pain has gone, she can eat more calories than she used to (healthy food though), her posture is much better, she can lift heavy things without a problem and she carries less needless body fat. The benefit it had to her mountain biking was huge, she went from being last up the hills in out group to being the first up everyone with a decent amount of gap to second place.
There is no need for men and women to train differently.
But because of the hormone testostore, men create muscle faster and with that, loose weight faster because of the higher calorie requirements. I'm not saying it's impossible for women. I'm saying it's harder to have fast results with weight training.
For women, cardio is normally a faster way to get lean fast. I suggest to read the book: Burn the fat, feed the muscle which has really learned me a lot about "the body", metabolism and losing weight
Muscle burns more calories than fat. After gaining lean mass, doing HIIT cardio was that much more effective.
Fat people doing cardio without having lean mass often stay fat.
The main reason for this is that maximal strength is related to the number of muscle fibers pulling together, so when lifting on a calorific deficit your body will try to not burn muscle for energy as every muscle fiber is being employed to move weights, so instead will focus on fat.
If you lose weight on a cardio dominant exercise program the body will burn fat and muscle for energy as the fast twitch fibers primarily employed for lifting are not being used when running and so are as much a dead weight as the excess fat that is trying to be lost. This is why many cardio only people end up dissatisfied with their "goal weight" physiques because they lost as fat and muscle and still look quite soft - this can lead to excessive dieting and other such body image/eating issues.
Fundamentally (and barring any hormonal issues related to things such as the thyroid) losing weight is a calories in vs calories expended calculation. The type of weight you lose (muscle vs fat) is determined by the exercise that you do. Some studies have shown women who have low levels of fat and engage in a strength training protocol lose more fat than muscle compared to those who just stick to cardio.
The fact that women have low levels of testosterone compared to men is a big help as they literally can't get bulky and have very low amounts of visceral fat which is great for long-term health.
I don't think we are fundamentally disagreeing but I just want to highlight that women should lift just as much as men do.
All in all, i don't think we disagree. But tend to push another perspective. Which ain't bad after all
This is patently false
- Eating every 3 hours is useless. It's great for bodybuilders that need to increase or decrease their caloric input fast, because removing 100kcal from each meal yields a 500kcal deficit, and adding 100kcal from each meal yields a 500kcal surplus, which makes controlling weight easier when eating is your job. For most people however, eating often has no benefit.
- Lifting weights is great whether you're a man or a woman. Its benefits are not contingent on having high testosterone. Testosterone will only impact your ceiling and rate of progress but that's ok because you are here to improve, not compete.
- Cardio is good, but the morning part doesn't bring any benefit whatsoever. HITT is great but not recommended for overweight people because of the potential strain on joints and the fact that it has a huge negative impact on recovery (thus impeding the previous point on lifting weights). LISS on the other hand might be boring, but has no impact on joints whatsoever and can even help you recover from lifting weights. Before you go for a sprint, try going for a walk.
- No alcohol - no argument here
- 5 times a week is great if you can afford it, but not necessary - 1 time a week yields a huge improvement over 0, 2 a slightly smaller improvement over 1, etc.
- Sleep - no argument here, most people need more sleep than they think they do, and less time in front of a screen
- Muscle confusion is not a real thing, it's just a marketing term invented to get you to hire an overpriced personal trainer. You should absolutely not change your exercise routine as regularly as you might think. Your body responds to progressive overload of stressors. For instance, doing the exact same movement 3 times a week and adding one repetition to every set every session is taking a stressor, the exercise for a given sets x reps, and overloading it, which provokes adaptation and thus progress. Similarly you can add a small weight every session, or add a set, or combine all of those. This is how training routines are actually build. By systematising progress like this you can measure how well you are responding, and adapt the other variables accordingly (absence of progress often comes from dietary issues, or lack of sleep)
Scientific Principles of Strength Training, by Dr. Mike Israetel, Dr. James Hoffmann, and world-class powerlifter and coach Chad Wesley Smith, is an excellent and easy read on the general process of training.
Biggest problem is, i get back into my old habbits.. It took 2 years to regain my weight that i lost in 6 months ( 25 kg = 55 pounds) -- way more muscle than i had before.
Short:
- Eat every 3 hours
- Muscle exercise ( male - see comment/reply below) - preferrable in the evening
- Cardio in the morning, after a protein shake ( Tip: Rope Skipping). Try HITT ( interval training) when you can.
- no alcohol
- Min. 5 x / week, doing sports
- Enough of sleep!
- Muscle confusion --> Change your exercise routine regulary due to muscle memory
Now, i'm back again at coding late at night, barely enough sleep and no sports :(