Is allowing for weight gain as we age a cop out???

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Replies

  • Martucha123
    Martucha123 Posts: 1,093 Member
    I think it's acceptable to get heavier while you are aging, but it's crazy to believe that it's mandatory.
    People who weight less tend to live longer and be healthier.


    the getting ill argument and having reserves of fat:
    I think that if you get healthy (not skinny) in case of emergency your body will be able to use the fat and the muscle that you have.
    It's different for women to be muscular (or toned if you will) and 20% bf with dense bones then be skinny at 15% bf and no almost no muscles. As long as you work out and have muscles you will be fine in case of illness.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
    Many, many people gain weight as they get older, but you don't have to accept that it is the inevitable.

    I am at the same weight now (51) that I was when I was 19 years old.

    To lose weigh this time round however, I did find it took slightly longer, but it is a small price to pay for the end result.
  • info_nrs
    info_nrs Posts: 102 Member
    I am in total agreement with you. And someone here said it so well--- as we get older our caloric requirements drop, but we don't adjust our intake. I was so guilty of that until I joined here last month. I was always so active and so fit --- of course until the kids came (yep, cop out, huh???) But I kept eating like I was in my 20's and working out 2 hours a day. Not only does our metabolism slow down, we are busier and our lives are more demanding, making fitness drop in priority. . which it shouldn't!!! Yes, we need to work harder and eat smarter, but NO, we do NOT have to put on weight as we age!!!
  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member
    I love the confirmation by most of you to whati believe. I LOVE weight training, always have, and that will help. I see people all around me allowing poor health, and like someone said, blaming it on the aging process! I would rather be healthy and hot looking then frumpy and unhealthy!
  • madmickie
    madmickie Posts: 221 Member
    No good reason why you would/should gain weight as you get older.

    Mainly due to less activity and time. A few pounds a year doesnt seem like a lot but over 20 years its 3 stone. 140 seems high for someone your size. A stone less sounds about right.
  • thistimeismytime
    thistimeismytime Posts: 711 Member
    I don't give a freaking damn what magazines, doctors or my family say. I am 57 years old. I am 5'1" tall. I weigh 103 pounds and I have 19% body fat. A year and a half ago, I weighed 142 pounds and I was old, and fat, and tired.

    I started watching what I ate. Then I started exercising more. Then I started running. And four months ago I started lifting heavy.

    I feel 20 years younger, and I look it too. My profile pic is what I looked like a year and a half ago. This is what I look like now.

    ColorMeRad4.jpg

    I will NEVER listen to anyone that says you have to get heavier as you get older.

    My doctor ran every test he could think of last time I was in, because I hadn't gone for almost two years and he didn't recognize me, lol. He did everything from pulmonary function to bone density testing. His conclusion was that I was in better shape than most 35 year olds.

    So you go, girl! Just make sure you eat right for the work you're doing.

    Oh, and the thing about having fat reserves to fall back on if you get sick? That could go for anyone - and I don't intend to live my life planning on being sick.

    Look out y'all--we got a bada$$ over here!!!! WHOOP!!! Do your thing girl!!! I freaking LOVE seeing women over 50 who are strong and fit!!! Amazing job!!

    OP, don't listen to your doctor...she's talking about the "average" person. You're not the "average" person, are you??? I didn't think so. :drinker:
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    I sort of feel like we make excuses for ourselves to carry a few extra pounds because we are getting older! Love other thoughts on this issue!
    Humbug! I just turned 41 this week and I'm in the best shape I've ever been in even when you include high school football. I work out smarter, eat better, and have more dedication than ever before. While people are trying to get back to high school weight I personally wish I was in this good of shape back then. I'm not giving up ever. I'm going to be that 75 year old guy with muscles when I get older. No slowing down for me.

    Don't forget that weigh bearing exercise helps maintain bone mass and density which is extra important for women as they get older. Keep at it and don't surrender. We are not average. We're above that.
  • ChgingMe
    ChgingMe Posts: 539 Member
    I love the confirmation by most of you to whati believe. I LOVE weight training, always have, and that will help. I see people all around me allowing poor health, and like someone said, blaming it on the aging process! I would rather be healthy and hot looking then frumpy and unhealthy!

    Agreed. Husband told me I looked hot the other day. Makes all the hours spent working out so worth it.
  • DAM_Fine
    DAM_Fine Posts: 1,292 Member
    I don't give a freaking damn what magazines, doctors or my family say. I am 57 years old. I am 5'1" tall. I weigh 103 pounds and I have 19% body fat. A year and a half ago, I weighed 142 pounds and I was old, and fat, and tired.

    I started watching what I ate. Then I started exercising more. Then I started running. And four months ago I started lifting heavy.

    I feel 20 years younger, and I look it too. My profile pic is what I looked like a year and a half ago. This is what I look like now.

    ColorMeRad4.jpg

    I will NEVER listen to anyone that says you have to get heavier as you get older.

    My doctor ran every test he could think of last time I was in, because I hadn't gone for almost two years and he didn't recognize me, lol. He did everything from pulmonary function to bone density testing. His conclusion was that I was in better shape than most 35 year olds.

    So you go, girl! Just make sure you eat right for the work you're doing.

    Oh, and the thing about having fat reserves to fall back on if you get sick? That could go for anyone - and I don't intend to live my life planning on being sick.

    Look out y'all--we got a bada$$ over here!!!! WHOOP!!! Do your thing girl!!! I freaking LOVE seeing women over 50 who are strong and fit!!! Amazing job!!

    OP, don't listen to your doctor...she's talking about the "average" person. You're not the "average" person, are you??? I didn't think so. :drinker:

    Thanks, chica - Not really a badass - just someone who gets tired of hearing it from so many people. My sisters are both about 50 pounds overweight and both have health problems - the younger one had already had hip replacements and knee surgery. My older sister was once asked if she was my mother because of the family resemblance. And yet these two tell ME that I'm doing it wrong - that I'm too thin, do too much, should just do yoga. That losing the weight will make me look older.

    Women at work who tell me I shouldn't lose any more (and I agree NOW, I'm at optimum weight, I think), but when I look at them I see stick thin legs and a bulging tummy. Invited one to come run with me at lunchtime and she found out she couldn't run 200 paces without stopping. That STILL didn't convince her.

    I don't listen to anyone but ME now. And my awesome friends here, who get it.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    Wow, some crazy comments on here. It's not a cop out to weigh a little more when one is older, it can be a safety net! It doesn't have to be flab, people.

    If you are 5'4" 130-140 is a perfectly healthy weight range. IMO 120 is getting a little low. However, it's all what you like and what makes you feel comfortable. Personally, do what you do and see where your body starts resisting losing weight; that's sometimes where it wants to be. I have no intention of weighing what I did when I was 14, but than's me.

    I'm sure that you can go to other doctors and get a "second opinion" and you'll likely find one that says you should be 110. Doctors aren't the always the best contact for health advice. They treat illness, they rarely promote wellness.

    Again, my opinion only.
  • gimpygramma
    gimpygramma Posts: 383 Member
    I am 68 and choose to weigh a little more now than I did in my prime. (emphasizing the words, "a little") It's a vanity issue. Just about the time I think I'm looking my best from the neck down, I glance in the mirror and see an old lady peering back at me. I look gaunt now at the weight I maintained up until the time I was 50.
  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member


    I'm sure that you can go to other doctors and get a "second opinion" and you'll likely find one that says you should be 110. Doctors aren't the always the best contact for health advice. They treat illness, they rarely promote wellness.

    Again, my opinion only.


    So agree with this! I am going to work out hard and keep my calories lower to lose the weight! I did feel great at 123 pounds, the great thing about losing is you feel so great the entire way down! Gaining it never felt good! I plan on redoing my weight lift routine yest again. I am a personal trainer and love to switch things up!
  • AmIhealthyyet
    AmIhealthyyet Posts: 361 Member
    I am 68 and choose to weigh a little more now than I did in my prime. (emphasizing the words, "a little") It's a vanity issue. Just about the time I think I'm looking my best from the neck down, I glance in the mirror and see an old lady peering back at me. I look gaunt now at the weight I maintained up until the time I was 50.


    Love the comment about an old lady staring back at you! I had a friend tell me about looking across the table at her husband and realizing they "were two old faces stuck looking at each other". Just cracked her up. I personally think with a few extra pounds my FACE looks better.

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