Can weight gain make you look older

Scandinavianblonde
Scandinavianblonde Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 25 years old. I turned 25 less than 4 months ago, and it feels like yesterday. Time is going by really fast! anyway, my whole life people have commented on how young I look. Most people assume I'm 19-21 but I have gotten the occasional "can you even legally drive?" comment. For most of my adult life I have been very underweight ( it's in my genes and my parents were at my age too). I used to weigh 115-125 at 5'9 and now I'm pushing 140 ( still a good weight). However because I have such a small frame (4 inch wrists and 25 inch waist) this weight looks so much on me, and I'm wondering if its aging me? I have had two people in the past two months comment that I look MUCH older than 25.. Which literally shocked me since everyone I know thinks of me as 20. Even in photos I don't see how anyone could mistake my age by more than 2 years over ( and that's being generous). I have a baby face despite high cheekbones. I am super curious if anyone here has noticed that they look older when they weigh a significant amount more than usual ( say 20+ pounds)? I always was told losing weight ages your face, not gaining. It's also important to note that nothing else has changed in my life. I drink tons of water and tea, workout 7-14x a week and wear sunscreen everyday in addition to moisturizing 2x a day with either coconut oil or ole henrikksen skin products. I'm more focused on health than weight loss and clearly I must be doing something wrong if two people think I look "aged". I have never heard this before in my life lol. Opinions?

Replies

  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    Yes, I think so. Heavier weights can male you look older as we are more used to seeing younger people at lower weights.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    anything that changes your face can make you appear different. in my case losing weight made me look older.

    but i'm wondering - most people won't tell you if you look "much" older, as most people would consider that extremely rude. and have you changed other things about how you look - different hair style or color, stopped wearing makeup, anything like that?
  • ald783
    ald783 Posts: 690 Member
    I think it can go either way, and also agree with @itsbasschick that I look older when I lose weight. My facial features are kind of angular so I think my face looks younger when it's a big rounder and fuller. But not a reason to not lose weight either.

    And really, anyone telling you you look much older than 25 is a jerk. I think sometimes people are just ignorant or not good with ages.
  • NoLimitFemme
    NoLimitFemme Posts: 118 Member
    edited April 2016
    Being a heavier weight doesn't necessarily make you appear older. Being unhealthy is more likely to do that in my opinion. It could be also that maybe you just had a bad day when they said you appeared older (ie not enough sleep and just generally disgruntled can give you an unhappy scowl that can make you appear less friendly or "older").

    Also, it's hard to tell how old you look from a picture of the beach.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    Older or younger, depends on the person. I think my body type reads younger when I am skinny, like you I'm 5'9" and was hanging around 120 for awhile (it's not unhealthy underweight if you are built light) and I get "boyish" body type when skinny because I'm built straight and small bust, that tall and skinny thing looks like someone not finished to a lot of people, I guess. I am at 136 now and most everyone tells me I look better...

    Facewise, I think probably most people look younger chubby, and being underweight can age them.

    Also, it's just hard to tell at your age, my 23 year old daughter gets mistaken for 18 or for well maintained 35, depending on the context (if she is out with her young sisters, people assume she's the mom). Same thing happened to me - when I was 12 people thought I was 20, but once I was 30 people thought I was younger. Once you are adult-looking, you look kind of the same for a long time.

  • Scandinavianblonde
    Scandinavianblonde Posts: 22 Member
    Robin.. That's so true I never really thought of that before. It's true I look basically the same as I always have as an adult. And some 30 year olds look really good! It's hard to guess age. I'm just so surprised that someone could think I was way older than 25, when I'm used to being carded and strangers ( who are not being polite) tend to think I am a few years younger. It would be different if my friends said it since they would obviously be being nice and not as truthful. One time in an airport flying out of my city the man checking my id couldn't believe I was 24. He actually questioned if it was me. He thought I was about 18!
  • Scandinavianblonde
    Scandinavianblonde Posts: 22 Member
    Oh and to whoever asked about my picture.. I'm too embarrassed to put my real picture up on this site :p I'm still immature enough to be embarrassed that I am on a diet and relying on a calorie app
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,214 Member
    I am occasionally startled by how much younger people look in their "after" photos in the Success Stories forum, even though they are actually a year or more older. I can't tell you why, or what my cues are.
  • mespreeman
    mespreeman Posts: 70 Member
    Scandinavianblonde wrote: »
    I'm still immature enough to be embarrassed that I am on a diet and relying on a calorie app

    I remember those days...

    Feels so long ago now.

  • lesleyloo7879
    lesleyloo7879 Posts: 439 Member
    Scandinavianblonde wrote: »
    Oh and to whoever asked about my picture.. I'm too embarrassed to put my real picture up on this site :p I'm still immature enough to be embarrassed that I am on a diet and relying on a calorie app

    not immature...... perhaps not confident in yourself but that comes with time and experience! I think it can go either way I have seen some pictures where the person looks so much younger and others not so much.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    edited April 2016
    Obesity, grey hair, birth certificates ... They all make me look older. At least I have hair.

    Also, a history of smoking tobacco and crank will make you look older.
  • allaboutthecake
    allaboutthecake Posts: 1,531 Member
    edited April 2016
    Your post struck home with me. When I was a young and eventually teenager, people thought I was older. It could have been from my height. When I turned 30, people thought I was younger. I was like, say what?! I would even get carded lol. Maybe it was clothes I had on or maybe it was because I was a pretty happy person. People have always thought I was younger now that I'm middle-aged, too, which is very nice. I'll take it!

    I say lower your stress! Your profile says you're under stress....that can show up on how your face looks and how you present yourself, too.

    (ETA: I also think a person in their senior years looks younger if their face is a little fuller. Gaunt can make a person look older, imo.)
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    Like others have said, I think it can go either way. I think I tend to look a little older when I am heavier.

    However, it sounds like you are taking these comments really personally. Don't. They are just comments, you are still young and nobody will think you are more than a few years older than you really are (which is still young), and you know how old you are. Plus I think most people are actually pretty bad at guessing ages, I know I am. Also keep in mind that, for some people, saying you look older is intended as a compliment reflecting your maturity, poise and confidence. How we view people's ages isn't just about physical appearance but also demeanor.

    At 31, I really don't care how old people think I am. I cared when I was younger and I will probably care when I'm older, but right now there are so many more important things for me to worry about.
  • starwhisperer6
    starwhisperer6 Posts: 402 Member
    The fact that I find a new gray hair every time I look in the mirror, and that my laugh lines have stopped going away when I am not actively laughing, have ruined that whole "wow you look so young!" thing for me. Oh well :)
  • meonlybetterDUH
    meonlybetterDUH Posts: 25 Member
    I think anyone past 45-50 looks way older when they lose a significant amount of weight. They look gaunt and sometime haunting. Now, this is not everyone but anyone I know, it's what has happened.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    It really depends on the person. I feel like I look much older now than I did when I was bigger.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    I think I look older when I'm thinner, but I do have a slim face anyway, even when I weigh too much, and when I lose weight I lose from my face first. I I go below a certain weight my face looks terrible.
    I'm 38 now and I'm convinced I look my age due to bags under my eyes from a nearly 2 year old who has never slept all night!

    Everyone is different though. I think I dress differently when I'm slimmer, so maybe if you're bigger than you're used to you dress in clothes that make you appear older.

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