Going through menopause is generally not a fun time for women (or their husbands for that matter). They have to deal with ever occurring hot flashes and night sweats, mood swings, sleeplessness, depression, and the list just keeps going. These symptoms can last for a few years making the end a joyous occasion, almost. Many women find that they gain weight during menopause and it tends to stick around longer than menopause, and woman, being the self conscious beings they are, tend to stress about the extra pounds. Generally, the weight gain is not to extreme for most women gaining about 10-20 pounds. Good thing there is a simple way to get rid of the excess weight without killing yourself at the gym.
Eating a healthy is the first step to weight loss. Today’s society is filled with fast foods, sugary drinks, and other equally unhealthy 
things that we all consume. Cutting all that junk food out for your diet will help you lose the weight quickly. This includes any fast food, sodas, most frozen dinners, crazy Starbucks concoctions, and other foods high in fat. This doesn’t mean you have to stop eating foods that you like or stop eating out all together. You can still eat deserts and go to restaurants, but keep it in moderation. If you still work, try either packing a lunch or healthy frozen lunch instead of eating at Burger King every day.
When eating at home remember portion control. Take a look at the nutrition fact before cooking for yourself and look at how many servings there are in the container. A lot of people today believe they are eating healthy based on what the nutrition facts say, but they eat two or three servings at a time. A great example is a Marie Calendar’s chicken pot pie frozen dinner. The average person would 
not have a problem finishing a 16oz pot pie by themselves, and it seems like a fairly healthy dinner; roughly 650 calories per serving. But what a lot of people do not look at is a 16oz pot pie contains two 8oz servings bringing the actual calorie count closer to 1,300 calories. This is 65 percent of a 2,000 calorie diet in one meal! You do not necessarily have to start counting calories, but you should be aware of about how many you take in each meal and smaller portions will help keep the number low. There are a number of online calculators that will tell you the ideal number of calories you should take in for your weight. Some will also tell you how to adjust your diet to reach your target weight by a certain target date.
Exercise is also an essential part to weight loss. A lot of older people, especially women, are hesitant to go to a gym because they think they have to work themselves to death to see any results. This is not true; in fact light to moderate exercise four times a week will provide you will outstanding results. Besides helping you lose weight, exercise will give you more energy for everyday life and make you feel better by improving your general mood. The thing to remember when working out for weight loss is that you are not necessary trying to build a bunch of muscle. Instead you are going to strengthen and tone the muscle you already have which will burn off excess fat fast.
To tone muscle you should do high numbers of repetitions with light weight. Aim for three sets of 15-20 repetitions each. You should also chose a weight that will allow you to complete all three sets with relative ease. The last set should be the hardest of the three, if not then chose a higher weight. When working out it is best to work muscle groups versus doing a whole body work out. You will recover faster and you will see better results sooner. There are three main muscle groups or pairings that can be worked; back and biceps, chest and triceps, and legs. You should try to work only one muscle group per workout day. Core and auxiliary muscles, which include abs, shoulders, and neck, can be worked in with the main groups on your workout days at your digression. 
Cardio is another exercise that should be done at least 30 minutes a day, three or four times a week. Running the one of the more popular cardio exercises, but many older people find that this puts too much stress on their legs and that they are doing more harm than good. Biking is a good alternative as it greatly reduces the stress on the legs and many people enjoy it better. For those who wish to stay indoors for their cardio workout for whatever reason you can find cardio machines at most gyms. These include treadmills, stair steppers, stationary bikes, and elliptical machines.
Lose Weight After Menopause by Feminestra is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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