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You need to differentiate what is typical (expected) given the aging effects of both bone and muscle loss (unless you're specifically working on those with moderate impact cardio and weights) versus what would be ideal. Unless you're taking care to exercise well, you should weigh less because you're almost certainly losing muscle and gaining fat - given the same "volume" fat is only half the weight of muscle. That's why most say if you're on a heavy lifting program don't worry about gaining a bit of weight if your measurements are looking good - you're getting "denser" in a good way! (rather than flabbier)
Unless you're taking care to exercise well, you should weigh less because you're almost certainly losing muscle and gaining fat - given the same "volume" fat is only half the weight of muscle..
Right, and losing bone mass too. So many posters are overlooking that this was the question being asked by OP, not "is there an optimal weight for someone X inches tall."
I'm not buying the "put on fat to protect against illness" for aging. Can't eat or drink? That would be an unusual circumstance.
Older people do need to protect against the hazards of weight loss/frailty though.
Fat would lower the odds of breaking bones from falling, and also from being too cold all the time in chilly climates. Injuries to connective tissues-increasingly common as we age-are more likely from carrying extra body weight, however.
Right, and losing bone mass too. So many posters are overlooking that this was the question being asked by OP, not "is there an optimal weight for someone X inches tall."
I'm not buying the "put on fat to protect against illness" for aging. Can't eat or drink? That would be an unusual circumstance.
Older people do need to protect against the hazards of weight loss/frailty though.
Fat would lower the odds of breaking bones from falling, and also from being too cold all the time in chilly climates. Injuries to connective tissues-increasingly common as we age-are more likely from carrying extra body weight, however.
I doubt that extra weight adds much to the survival of elderly people who have illnesses like heart disease or kidney failure. However, I've observed several people suffering from incurable terminal diseases which cause a loss of appetite (ALS and cancer). The ones who were very heavy did live longer than the ones who were thin to begin with, but it would be possible to say that just made them suffer longer, as they were all in pain and died from the disease anyway.
Joint pain and injuries, and loss of mobility are huge problems for obese but otherwise "healthy" people even in middle age, much more so when they become elderly. Thin people also develop these problems but generally not as many and not as soon. At almost 50, I'm still running up and down stairs; my obese friends are already struggling.
A 35 or 40-year-old would be underweight, if they stayed the same weight that they were in their teens or early 20's.
Possibly true for some men; probably not true for most women. I weigh less at 49 (122 lbs) than I did at 19 (128 lbs), but I'm not underweight. Frankly, the majority of women my age would be healthier at their early-20s weight instead of 20 or 40 or 60 lbs heavier.
The typical 62-year-old will have a fair amount of muscle atrophy so they'd ideally be a few pounds less than a 22 year-old. People's mass gets heavier when they get old because they get fat. Bone density peaks around 25 or so and decreases with age. Again, pretty minor difference.
That may be true for a typical person but not for all. I was stuck at 166 lbs. in college. I could not add muscle. I guess I matured late. At around age 25 I started lifting heavy and have been lifting most of my life. At age 64, I weight 225 lbs and I'm much more muscular and stronger than I was at 22. Muscle atrophy only happens when you don't use those muscles.
I was reading some things online about how much someone should weight at different heights. I am currently 62 years old, 6 feet tall and 195 pounds. I consider myself thin and in shape for my age. But, according to the website below, I am overweight. It says I should weight about anything from 140-177 pounds. Anything over 184 is overweight for my height.
I can see someone who is 22 years old being 140-177 at my height but not someone my age. I read somewhere people's body mass and bones just get heavier when they get old so they will get heavier without necessarily being out of shape or fat. But the article below says nothing about the perfect weight being higher as you age. Your thoughts?
Sure I weigh more than I did as a teen or young adult in my 20's or 30's.
I live with it. 10-15 pounds could disappear and make me happier. BUT! Now that I have time to cook, I'm eating healthier food and now have time to work out at the gym, ride my bike and hike more often.
So, yes, I am pudgier, but still look ok in my clothes (maintain size 10) and am healthier than in my younger years when I ate too much junky food and snacks...and smoked!
Not gonna stress about those extra pounds, and will continue to take care of my body/health with good fuel and exercise.
.. Muscle atrophy only happens when you don't use those muscles.
I don't think this is entirely true. Recent research suggests that we lose nerve connections to muscles as we age, which leads to muscle wasting. Exercise definitely slows the process down, but some of it seems to be inevitable.
Leg muscles are most important for the elderly, of course, while most younger to middle aged folks-especially men-focus on strengthening their upper bodies.
"Muscle wasting in old age is caused by a loss of nerves, new research shows, opening the prospect of reversing the condition in the future.
As people grow older, their leg muscles become progressively smaller and weaker, leading to frailty and disability.
While this process inevitably affects everyone living long enough, until now the process has not been understood.
The research from Manchester Metropolitan University, published in The Journal of Physiology, suggests that muscle wasting follows on from changes in the nervous system.
By the age of 75, individuals typically have around 30% to 50% less nerves controlling their legs. This leaves parts of their muscles disconnected from the nervous system, making them functionally useless and so they waste away."
Per the article and, as others here have suggested...
BMI can also offer a rough idea of whether or not a person's weight is healthy, and it is useful for measuring trends in population studies.
However, it should not be the only measure for an individual to assess whether their weight is ideal or not.
Also, I wonder if you have been to see your primary care physician and what he/she has to say about your weight and health in general; in my view, a far more important assessment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by recently laid off
I was reading some things online about how much someone should weight at different heights. I am currently 62 years old, 6 feet tall and 195 pounds. I consider myself thin and in shape for my age. But, according to the website below, I am overweight. It says I should weight about anything from 140-177 pounds. Anything over 184 is overweight for my height.
I can see someone who is 22 years old being 140-177 at my height but not someone my age. I read somewhere people's body mass and bones just get heavier when they get old so they will get heavier without necessarily being out of shape or fat. But the article below says nothing about the perfect weight being higher as you age. Your thoughts?
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