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Battling Midlife Weight Gain

When your 'fat' jeans become your everyday jeans, it's time to get serious about losing weight. But that's harder to do in your 40s than in your 20s.

All women 45 to 60 years old are dealing with the same thing. Ages 45 to 60 may be the toughest years in terms of weight maintenance that women face during their lifetimes. While older people generally have a harder time losing weight than younger people, the WHI study found that fiftysomethings had "a much tougher time maintaining their weight" than women in their 60s and 70s.

Most 45-to-60-year-olds tend to have fairly sedentary lives, so they are not getting as much exercise as they once did. And even if your weight doesn't change, your body fat distribution is changing.

In practical terms, what does that mean? You're probably going to have to increase your physical activity. Generally, doctors advise getting 200 minutes of exercise a week to maintain weight, but for anyone going through the menopause transition, at least 300 minutes a week of exercise. That translates into walking at least 10 to 15 miles a week. You have to stop thinking of exercise as a punishment. Think about working with a trainer or taking an aerobics class several times a week.

You're now in a new phase of your life. You need to get over it, and figure out what you're going to do about it. What's best is to aim "to make every meal, every snack, healthy. This means portion control, no snacking, slow down and enjoy everything you do eat. Don't eat anything in front of the TV.

The ultimate goal is to change your lifestyle so that you're taking in fewer calories and expending more energy to keep the weight off permanently.