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And I think the real reason metabolism slows with age is that the average modern person is physically inactive. In the past, everyone wasn't getting fatter as they got older. Some were, but probably most were not.
Since the invention of cars and TV everyone's metabolisms started slowing down.
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My mom is 81 and has always been a good weight, but now she has a belly, which makes her mad. Her doctor told her it was because she was shrinking in height and it had to go somewhere. She's lost a good 3 inches so far.
Anecdotal: my two grandmothers placed end to end would have measured ~10'2" and weighed close to 700 lb--Both lived deep into their 80s and neither had a sick day in her life (and had 14 kids between 'em)-- each just didn't wake up one morning.
Obesity is an independent risk factor for NO disease. (Eg- if you eat too much and get fat, your diabetes will not be controlled and that's unhealthy-- It's not the obesity, it's the uncontrolled DM)
Metabolism slows down as we age, but so does our activity level for various reasons, and as just pointed out above, we shrink a little so we look fatter without having to gain weight. (I dropped 20 lb in the last 2 yrs-- it dropped from my chest to my waist.)
For twenty yrs now the cardiologists and nutritionists have been hemming & hawing trying to explain away "The obesity paradox"-- fatsos have a higher survival rate after a heart attack.
In general, the more fat you have saved up on your bones, the better your chances of surviving a sever illness where you may not be able to take in adequate nutrition for awhile.
Fat or not- it's important to exercise. Every morning when I wake up, I touch my knees 10 x without bending my ankles. I feel great!
At age 64 I actually weigh 40 pounds less than I did 3 years ago. I am 5'1" give or take and when I was young I was between 105-118 pounds. After having 2 children in my 30's, keeping 10 pounds with each of them and gaining more weight while trying to work full time, raise two sons, take care of my sick husband I got up to 166 pounds after he died. That's a lot on my small frame. I was pre-diabetic also. My doctor told me to lose 10 pounds which I did with exercise and cutting out sugar & the bad carbs. Then I developed pancreatitis from a gall stone and was in the hospital for 11 days at the end of 2017. Came out 8 pounds thinner and without a gallbladder and I have little appetite these days. Joined a gym last July and right now I weigh 124.5 pounds. I also practice intermittent fasting.
While I'm happy with the weight loss and being able to wear nice clothes again, it's hard to tighten up the body when you're older despite aerobics & weight lifting. Have some crepey skin on my forearms and upper thighs but I'm going to increase my weights to see if that helps.
In general, the more fat you have saved up on your bones, the better your chances of surviving a severe illness where you may not be able to take in adequate nutrition for awhile.
This is basically true, but it's a double-edged sword. There are some diseases you don't necessarily want to survive for too long. For instance, ALS, which has no treatment and no cure. My sister developed ALS, and some years ago a woman at my church did too. They both had the same type, bulbar onset, which starts in the throat and affects first speech and then swallowing and eventually breathing. It gradually affects other muscles in the body as well, but naturally, difficulty swallowing = difficulty maintaining adequate food intake = weight loss. Neither of these women wanted to have a feeding tube placed.
Sister was slim to begin with, about 130 lbs. She dropped down to 85 lbs and died in her sleep about 15 months after the disease began.
The friend was very heavy, maybe 300 lbs. She also dropped down to under 100 lbs, but it took four long and increasingly miserable years during which she could not communicate because she could not speak. Finally, mercifully, she passed away.
These may be rare cases, and we can't choose whether we get a disease and what that disease might be, but sometimes it's better to go sooner.
My metabolism did slow down once I hit 40. That isn't a lie. Maintaining my body takes far more effort than it did when I was in my 20s.
Ditto.
I was never active; never exercised nor worked out. I do walk the dog 4-5 miles daily but that only started in Oct 2016.
I was never a gluttonous eater; from age 14-50 I was (unless pg) never once over 125lb and usually 115-118. I am 5'2".
After menopause at age 50 (am now 55) having neither decreased activity nor increased intake, I started to gain.
The poster you quoted states lifestyle changes, being more sedentary as we age, as reasons. Neither of these applied in my case; in fact I became more active after getting the dog in Oct 2016.
In my case menopause most definitely caused an endocrinologic shift that affected my weight (to greatly oversimplify for brevity). I lost prob 50+lbs low carb/eating once per 24hr. I started this in Aug 2017.
This shall NOT work for all and I get irritated with those who state it -ar any other way- shall. There are no absolutes when it comes to weight loss. It works for me because of my individual biochemistry. I do think it's worth a try for those otherwise struggling.
from VexedandSolitary: "In my case menopause most definitely caused an endocrinologic shift that affected my weight (to greatly oversimplify for brevity). I lost prob 50+lbs low carb/eating once per 24hr."
Oh, I agree. Endocrine shift/slowere metabolism are certainly culprits behind our weight gain when ll other factors remain the same.
My weights about 15 pounds more than in my hey day and I'm okay with that. I look okay in my clothes and stay tuned up with daily exercise.
I've shifted away from most carbs and stick with healthy fats, good quality protein and lots and lots of in-season produce and berries.
Smallish breakfast (mostly a couple of scrambled eggs and a slice of cantelope or some berries, no bread), larger lunch (big, complex salad or steamed veggies, some protein like a turkey patty or sockeye salmon or beans, no bread) and a tiny dinner (soup and/or another big complex salad with some nuts and crumbled cheese, no bread).
Few snacks except for some nuts and edamame in the pod...one small square of dark chocolate daily -- cause hey, a girls' gotta have an indulgence once in a while.
Only drinks are water, red wine, and tea and morning cup of java.
Keeps me healthy and full of energy. I don't feel deprived at all; no hunger.
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