Older Women and Weight Gain

[Robinwomb]

If all you knew about me is that:

I am a 46 year old post surgically menopausal woman with 3 decades of hypothyroidism
I have a distant history of an eating disorder
I am 5' 5.5" and weigh 111-116 lbs give or take clothes on/off etc
I am relatively active (exercise 1.5 hours per day about five days per week and sometimes longer on a Saturday) but also have a desk job 40 hours per week
I have long standing osteoporosis and am currently dealing with a tibial stress reaction in left leg and stress reaction in right foot metatarsal from lots of dance training

Would you consider me healthy or consider this "natural"?

I have maintained this weight for almost five years (was much lower weight for many years before that) but it has been some mild effort to maintain via eating mostly whole foods, meal planning, rarely eating out and doing a lot of scratch cooking, religious effort to exercise on a regular basis, keeping food intake to around 1550 calories per day on average (sometimes more or less), keeping meat out of diet with exception of fish (my protein is concentrated on beans, nuts/seeds, some dairy, eggs, fish, leafy greens etc). I eat a lot more if doing stuff like canoe camping, all day hikes, distance canoeing or cycling, more than two hours of dancing in a day.

I thought I was doing well and most people think I am really healthy, but with all these stress injuries going on I am now getting more concerned. My physical therapist brings up how important nutrition is to this healing process but he never elaborates and I am afraid to ask because I already think I have too much body fat and am hardly too thin and I maintain on the calories I consume with exercise but a generally sedentary lifestyle (sit a lot at work but with a few walks spread out and exercise before and after). And he is a dancer and so perfect in every way (and way younger than I am lol). I just don't want to open a can of worms if I don't have to. I do take a drug for my osteoporosis, as well as supplements and HRT due to surgical menopause in addition to healthy diet and exercise.

I always wonder what other women my age and stats, or women in menopause who exercise lightly or moderately, consume to maintain. So many people seem to eat less than I do on these forums. Maybe I am making a big deal out of nothing?

[Mikala43]

Robin, you seem to be doing everything right, but sometimes it is not enough - sorry.

You could most of what you do below my name.... but I have a whole different set of medical problems...

[moxiegal]

Am there. Dealing with that. Older woman-56, peri-menopausal, recent dx diabetes 2 and hypertension, also PCOS, which has always left me dealing with increased appetite. Also MS, which makes it difficult to do certain exercises, due to over heating.
I am using my fitness pal, since 2013. Lost 60 lbs, but at a plateau because I must deal with learning how to eat differently. So, I am working with that for now. I still have 40 lbs to go. Yes, weight loss after menopause is proving to be frustrating. Used to be no problem. Now the rules have changed.
I am also trying LC/HF when I can, and focusing on using EVOO in more of my meals.

[KaraG]

Originally Posted by Robinwomb

I have long standing osteoporosis and am currently dealing with a tibial stress reaction in left leg and stress reaction in right foot metatarsal from lots of dance training

My mother's doctor said he thought her osteoporosis was caused by not eating meat most of her life. Plus smoking.

[Charlie&Rose]

A good way to loose weight, is being told you have to go on statins. I lost 12 pounds, right off the bat. I was not over weight either.

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by Robinwomb

If all you knew about me is that:

I am a 46 year old post surgically menopausal woman with 3 decades of hypothyroidism
I have a distant history of an eating disorder
I am 5' 5.5" and weigh 111-116 lbs give or take clothes on/off etc
I am relatively active (exercise 1.5 hours per day about five days per week and sometimes longer on a Saturday) but also have a desk job 40 hours per week
I have long standing osteoporosis and am currently dealing with a tibial stress reaction in left leg and stress reaction in right foot metatarsal from lots of dance training

Would you consider me healthy or consider this "natural"?

I have maintained this weight for almost five years (was much lower weight for many years before that) but it has been some mild effort to maintain via eating mostly whole foods, meal planning, rarely eating out and doing a lot of scratch cooking, religious effort to exercise on a regular basis, keeping food intake to around 1550 calories per day on average (sometimes more or less), keeping meat out of diet with exception of fish (my protein is concentrated on beans, nuts/seeds, some dairy, eggs, fish, leafy greens etc). I eat a lot more if doing stuff like canoe camping, all day hikes, distance canoeing or cycling, more than two hours of dancing in a day.

I thought I was doing well and most people think I am really healthy, but with all these stress injuries going on I am now getting more concerned. My physical therapist brings up how important nutrition is to this healing process but he never elaborates and I am afraid to ask because I already think I have too much body fat and am hardly too thin and I maintain on the calories I consume with exercise but a generally sedentary lifestyle (sit a lot at work but with a few walks spread out and exercise before and after). And he is a dancer and so perfect in every way (and way younger than I am lol). I just don't want to open a can of worms if I don't have to. I do take a drug for my osteoporosis, as well as supplements and HRT due to surgical menopause in addition to healthy diet and exercise.

I always wonder what other women my age and stats, or women in menopause who exercise lightly or moderately, consume to maintain. So many people seem to eat less than I do on these forums. Maybe I am making a big deal out of nothing?

I remember you from the exercise forum. Despite having a desk job, you are pretty active. 1.5 hours a day is above and beyond what many people do, especially at your age. I think a lot of what you are going through can be tied physically and mentally, unfortunately, to your distant eating disorder. Congratulations for putting that behind you, but as you are well aware, it's a constant battle. Its effects linger. The truth is, you probably don't have "too much body fat" at your weight/height. I wouldn't say that you are "too thin" but you are pretty lean and you know that deep inside. I have around 22% and absolutely don't look like I have "too much" at all, and I'm 5'10 and 150. I think maybe you should do more strength training (sensibly of course) to help with bone density. I know that thanks to lifting, my bone density was VERY good, which was great news considering osteoporosis runs in my family and if I had remained sedentary, I would have gotten it by now.

Injury, in my opinion, is an eye opener. I recently tore my labrum in my shoulder and I have to admit that maybe I was doing too much.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by Mikala43

No, Having a Little Extra Fat Won't Make You Live Longer

https://www.livescience.com/62355-ob...scle-mass.html

LOL, according to that reasoning, having a lot of extra fat might make you live a LOT longer.

One would be hard pressed to find a body system (ie, cardiovascular, skeletal, respiratory, GI) that aren't adversely affected
by a lot of extra weight as they have their own challenges as the body ages.

[Robinwomb]

Originally Posted by KaraG

My mother's doctor said he thought her osteoporosis was caused by not eating meat most of her life. Plus smoking.

My osteoporosis was actually diagnosed when I was still a meat eater. I went through surgical menopause at age 33 in 2005 when I had a total hysterectomy and the surgeon decided to take both ovaries due to endometriosis. I had a terrible time with it despite being given HRT right off the bat. In 2006 I asked for a baseline dexa scan to monitor my bones since despite hrt my hormone levels were next to nonexistent. I was shocked at the severity of my scores (-3.2 spine). Though surgical menopause sped up the process, I am certain my osteoporosis was there even before that because you don't lose that much bone that fast. There is no direct cause, but I have been treated for hypothyroidism for over 30 years, and I trained intensively in ballet daily as a teenager (six days per week 3 to 4 hours daily) and did not reach 100 lbs until I was 16. I did not get my first period until sixteen either. So very short lifetime exposure to my natural hormones.

I stopped eating meat much later, in February 2011. I will say however, that my DEXA scores were stable from 2006 to 2010 despite being at times severely underweight. Spine remained at -3.0 but hips fluctuated up and down with weight. I went from omni to vegan in 2011 and was vegan until 2017. during that time period my dexa scores plummeted big time in spine, from -3.0 spine 2010 to -3.8 spine by the time I had a dexa scan again in 2014. I put on a lot of needed weight in 2014, about 22 lbs, and got on an osteoporosis drug. I had already been taking supplements, lifting weights etc and had been on hrt the whole time. But likely being so underweight and having so little body fat made it so my body did not absorb any of the fat soluble vitamins (especially D) or the hrt, and exercising so hard when eating too little and being a low weight was likely more detrimental than helpful. I was able to increase score to -2.5 spine by 2016, but I also "stepped down" from vegan to pescetarian in 2017 to further fight my ED and bone loss. I do now eat fish about 2x week on average, and eat some dairy and eggs. My protein intake has improved immensely (I average 55-65 grams day instead of 35-45 grams when I was vegan) but my fruit/veggie intake may be slightly less than when I was vegan, but still healthy. I had another dexa this last year and spine score is remaining steady at -2.5, no further improvement but no deterioration. Hips are -1.0 from -1.8 in 2014.

[Robinwomb]

Originally Posted by riaelise

I remember you from the exercise forum. Despite having a desk job, you are pretty active. 1.5 hours a day is above and beyond what many people do, especially at your age. I think a lot of what you are going through can be tied physically and mentally, unfortunately, to your distant eating disorder. Congratulations for putting that behind you, but as you are well aware, it's a constant battle. Its effects linger. The truth is, you probably don't have "too much body fat" at your weight/height. I wouldn't say that you are "too thin" but you are pretty lean and you know that deep inside. I have around 22% and absolutely don't look like I have "too much" at all, and I'm 5'10 and 150. I think maybe you should do more strength training (sensibly of course) to help with bone density. I know that thanks to lifting, my bone density was VERY good, which was great news considering osteoporosis runs in my family and if I had remained sedentary, I would have gotten it by now.

Injury, in my opinion, is an eye opener. I recently tore my labrum in my shoulder and I have to admit that maybe I was doing too much.

Thanks riaelise! Yes, the mindset is still there and always a battle. I can not see my body the way others do. I will always see myself as far bigger than others seem to. I am probably still a bit too strict at times with eating, not in the way of restriction, but having rules and being somewhat rigid and "careful". For example I rarely eat out, maybe six times per year on average, and cook a LOT from scratch. I plan menus constantly, and keep food as whole and unprocessed as I can. But I break my rules sometimes to challenge myself and try to relax more. Last Friday I went out to eat at a not so organic clean restaurant and had a fish "fry" which is way outside of my comfort zone and not something I would usually do. I let my husband choose this place and take some control away.

I do lift weights and have for years, but not going to lie, it's probably nowhere near what you lift lol. My average dumbbell size I work with is 15 lb dumbbells (at one time I was up to 20 lb ones but slacked off and now dealing with a shoulder/rib strain as well so have had to be more careful). I'm lucky to handle a 50 lb Olympic bar alone, without plates added. I do more body weight exercises and Pilates and so on than weights. Due to the severity of my osteoporosis I do have to be somewhat more careful than others. Last Fall I went on my eighth canoe camping trip and carried 3 45 lb packs on my back over 14 portages (totaling 5 land miles on rugged wilderness terrain in the BWCA), paddled over 22 miles in our canoe, and carried our 18 foot 46 lb canoe over 1/4 mile of portaging (husband still does most of the canoe carrying though). By the time I got back to the car after the trip, I had severe back spasms and pain for weeks after. Really scared me. I still have chronic pain in upper back. I've had three rib "strains" over the last few years though plain xrays never showed fracture, but they were so painful I couldn't move much for months and even breathing was painful for a while. I have a very small upper body compared to legs/hips/butt which tend to be much stronger, and it is very very hard for me to build muscle up there. My chest is nearly flat for reference, and I only wear a bra for aesthetic looks. I can wear a child size shirt, but wear a size 4 in jeans. When I first did PT this time around, the physical therapist was testing my arms due to a chronic shoulder strain I am also nursing, and I was supposed to push against his arm to test strength. Lets just say it was pretty pathetic lol.

for sure as of late I have been working on some more strength training and have cut back on cardio due to the nature of my injuries which won't allow me to do much weight bearing (no running, jumping in dance, releves, stair climber etc).

[dizzybint]

IM almost 72 now and have gained over two stones since I was 20.. Its not too bad and I dont think I would look good any thinner at my age as although Im not the ideal weight at 149lbs and short 5ft1.... but its quite evenly distributed I think and clothes sit ok .. I would lose a stone if it didnt affect my face which I think it would now.... losing weight when your older doesnt have the same desired look .... but we should exercise, all I seem to do now though is take the dog a walk and do some light stretches and bends...I stopped drinking alchohol three years ago too and eat small meals.. but dont diet ever.... no one sticks to them... eating sensibly is much better...