Women have extra padding to protect vital organs “The design of a woman's anatomy is different than men,” Wood says. “In addition to having room for digestive organs, like your stomach, liver and intestines, it has to have space for your reproductive organs and needs extra padding to protect all of these vital organs.
This is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body. The tendency to gain or carry weight around the waist — and have an "apple" rather than a "pear" shape — might have a genetic component as well.
In girls, the body prepares for the important job of menstruation by laying down body fat in the area of the tummy. You may notice your daughter has a big belly, or is gaining weight in the belly area. It's considered a normal transformation for girls to gain weight, particularly in the stomach area.
The bulging lower abdominal problem commonly occurs in women after childbirth, but may also effect men and women who haven't experienced pregnancy. It's a result of weakened transverse abdominus and overactive external oblique muscles.
Common reasons for someone to have belly fat even when they're skinny is: Being too sedentary (inactive), which builds visceral fat around the organs and abdominal fat. Eating too many processed foods, which stores at the belly.
The pouch refers to the pouch-like fat almost all women have on their lower tummies—underneath your button button, resting on your pelvis. Although the pouch is a biologically normal part of all female bodies, girls have been told to "do away" with it.
Abstract. Women generally have a higher percentage of body fat than men. Also, women store more fat in the gluteal-femoral region, whereas men store more fat in the visceral (abdominal) depot.
Lean body mass in girls diminishes from approximately 80 percent to 75 percent by the end of puberty, while the amount of body fat increases. In comparison, the percentage of lean muscle mass in boys increases from about 80 percent to 90 percent by the time they reach adulthood.
Thick is used more exclusively to sexualize women, referring to full-figured breasts, bottoms, and thighs.
Women have a lower resting metabolism than men. This means they burn fewer calories to maintain their basic life functions such as respiration, digestion, and elimination, then men do.
It's in Your Genes. The biological differences between men and women mean that women naturally store more fat in their bodies. This is due to a higher concentration of the hormone estrogen, which prompts the body to store fat.
As sex hormones increase, changes in the body's proportion of lean, fat, and skeletal mass occur. For females an increase in body fat begins at 7 years and continues through ages 16-18 years.
More significant weight gain is normal during the preadolescent ages of roughly 9 to 12 and adolescence – as a child matures into a young adult. It's not unusual for the body to store fat during this time as it prepares for the rapid growth and changes associated with puberty.
Puberty – Increased hormones in a child's body during puberty (between the ages of 10 and 14 for girls and between the ages of 12 and 16 for boys) leads to growth and possible expansion of “baby fat” areas. This typically takes place in girls' belly, breast area and hips. Boys' shoulders will get broader.
Women, compared to men, have higher percent body fat and deposit it in a different pattern, with relatively more adipose tissue in the hips and thighs. This 'female' fat distribution, independent of total body fat, confers protection against metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and atherosclerosis [1].
The typical fat-gain areas for many women are the hips, arms and thighs, giving them what is termed a 'pear-shape'. The other areas where many women accumulate fat are the chest and the abdomen. Such women have slim arms and legs, and are seen as 'apple-shaped'.
A waist circumference of more than 35 inches in women and more than 40 in men indicates an unhealthy amount of visceral fat. Measure your belly at the level of the navel, not at the narrowest part of the torso.
What should your waist measurement be? For men, a waist circumference below 94cm (37in) is 'low risk', 94–102cm (37-40in) is 'high risk' and more than 102cm (40in) is 'very high'. For women, below 80cm (31.5in) is low risk, 80–88cm (31.5-34.6in) is high risk and more than 88cm (34.6in) is very high.
Striving to get a flat stomach shouldn't be about appearances, but research shows that less fat in the belly area is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes. Our bodies are complicated and unfortunately, a variety of factors (such as hormones and genetics) can affect how flat your midsection naturally is.
“Both your visceral and subcutaneous fat contribute to your achieving a flat stomach, which is why some women find it harder to do so than others. Furthermore, factors like hormone regulation play a role in storing visceral fat, which is why many women are not biologically built for a flat stomach.”
It is meant to be protective to a woman's reproductive organs such as her ovaries, fallopian tubes and uterus. “Overall, healthy women have belly pouches (yes, some women naturally have bodies without the belly fat and they can still be perfectly healthy).
Girls' bodies come in all shapes and sizes – there is no 'normal'. Puberty for girls can start at any age between 8 and 13. Many different changes will happen to your body during puberty, and it is easy to feel self-conscious.