The Best Advice on Losing Weight for Older Women

Weight loss can be tough for any woman, but it can seem especially difficult for women past the age of 40. Frequently called the "middle-age spread," weight gain is assumed by many women to be part of getting older and going through body changes such as menopause. This weight often can be gained around the belly, and this type of belly fat is especially dangerous because it elevates the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. While it is difficult, losing weight in your 40s and beyond can be done.

Exercises

Women typically tend to be less active after menopause than they were before, which is one cause of weight gain. The good news is that even a little exercise goes a long way. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2007 suggested that just 75 minutes of exercise a week can have an impact on the overall health of post-menopausal women by reducing the circumference of their waist.

Increased intensity in workouts can have a beneficial role in winning the battle of the bulge, especially when it comes to keeping fat away from the midsection. Aerobic exercises are particularly useful in helping to trim belly fat. A study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle showed that overweight, post-menopausal women in aerobic exercise groups had lost between 3.4 to 6.9 percent of their belly fat within one year of the program.

Diet

Women's metabolisms slow down as they get older. Their metabolism rates slow down about 10 percent for every decade after they reach the age of 40. This means that older women need to consume less food, even if their goal is just to maintain their weight. Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Weight Management Center and associate director of the UPMC Nutrition Center in Pittsburgh, says that this means eating 100 fewer calories a day for women past 40 years just to maintain their weight.

Because of this reason, women beyond the age of 40 need to be extra careful to count calories and eat sensible meals. One area that can be cut back on easily is dietary fat; a good guideline for older women is to have dietary fat make up only 20 to 35 percent of their daily calories. Instead of dietary fat, older women should focus on more fruits and vegetables and on getting fats from sources such as nuts and olives.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

While hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is useful for many post-menopausal women, using it as a weight-loss strategy is not recommended. Tests trying to show a link between HRT and weight loss have had limited results, and there are significant health risks associated with HRT.