Losing weight is never an easy thing to do but after the age of thirty or so, that process gets a little more difficult. There are a number of factors that are working against the woman once they start getting a little bit older. This may be the age where women are experiencing the hormonal upsets of one stage or the other of menopause. Metabolism also slows down for this age group which makes losing any weight more difficult.

Women in their fifties may also start experiencing muscle loss, a natural phenomenon which can become serious if there is no effort to rebuild it. Building muscle can be a scary thing for women because many of them are convinced that they will bulk up if they do start losing weight. Ladies should get the message loud and clear that lifting weights will not make them bulk up and will only help them in their efforts. Muscles burn more fat so that will rev the metabolism into higher gear- that is key for women in this age group. Another huge advantage of building muscle is that every pound of muscle burns fat even during sleep.

A slowing of the metabolism and health issues may cause a woman to either eat incorrectly, not eat enough calories or stop eating altogether. She may pick at food here and there thinking that she will lose weight. What she may not realize is that she is causing her already slowed metabolism to be further damaged and may cause her body to go into starvation mode. If the brain thinks that the body might starve, calories are not burned and are instead stored away as fat for protection. It is important to learn how many calories that you need each day and to work toward getting that amount. This is an individual number dictated by height, weight and activity level. A doctor or a nutritionist can help you find the number of calories that you need every day or you can use a calculator found online.

Even if you are in your fifties, you should not assume that you just cannot lose weight. You can do so, but you will need to be more careful with your food intake than women who are much younger. You will also need to increase your activity level. Your activities should include cardio exercise, stretching for flexibility and of course, strength training to help you build lean muscles.