Regine wrote to us in January:

"I am a 49 year old woman who has been doing the Strong Women Stay Young regimen for 15 months now. I love the way I feel both during and after the workouts. But I have gained 10 lbs. and inches around the waist and hips in spite of my regular exercising. My clothes are getting tight. What can I do to lose those inches that have crept up on me? Why isn't my exercising making a difference?"

In her message, Regine explained that she was going through a very stressful period: She had been working in Europe. Then her mother, who has Alzheimer's, was hospitalized in a coma. Regine returned to the US to arrange for her mother's care. That would have been plenty. But she was also dealing with upheaval concerning her job, not to mention perimenopause. She'd been taking medication to regulate her period, and wondered if that might be responsible for the gain - after all, she wasn't eating any differently. But she'd started using the medication many months before, and the weight gain was new.

In our answer, we suggested other possibilities:

"The usual culprits with weight gain are decreased physical activity and/or increased food intake. When someone has a major lifestyle change - as you did when you came back to the US - it's very easy to make small changes in activity and eating patterns that can add up over time. For example, if your everyday life at work involved more walking, standing, stair climbing, etc, than you're doing now, that could account for part of the change. Similarly, you might be eating differently without realizing it - for example, US portions tend to be much bigger than European portions. Again, the differences could be very small on any one day, but if nearly every day you're eating just 150 extra calories and burning 150 fewer calories, that would account for a 10-pound weight gain in four months."

Regine hadn't mentioned if she was doing aerobic exercise as well as strength training. We suggested that she start - for overall fitness and for stress reduction, as well as for her weight.

Regine wrote back immediately: "You are right - perhaps I am more sedentary now that I am at home. I have not been doing any aerobic activity (except snow shoveling :-) ). I run around a lot less now that I am not working and still have the same appetite. You really made me stop and think."

We had asked Regine for an update - and we've just heard from her again, with very good news:

"I have been riding a stationary bike 6 miles a day and I have already lost 4 lbs.! My clothes are once again loose and I am one happy camper!

I have been through the wringer and to gain weight to boot was just a horrible experience for me. Once I started doing my 6 miles of bicycling per day, and I saw the changes in my body, I got back my self-esteem. The last thing I thought of was that the change in my activity schedule allowed that weight to creep up on me. The solution seemed so simple when you gave it to me - and the fact that I could see the changes so quickly was exactly what I needed to continue to do it.

So many times those of us who experience severe stress forget the healthy alternatives that exercise offers us. Sure, 20 minutes or more of strenuous bicycling is hard, sweaty work but the results prove that a tiny commitment can make a big difference. We women often have little time left over for ourselves. I have made the commitment to take those 20 minutes of bicycling a day, because I've found out how important they are."

We applaud Regine for her success and her resolve to continue - and thank her for allowing us to tell her story.