Gain or Lose Weight At Retirement Start?

[RAE]

Thanks to retirement I starting eating real food, the kind that takes some time to prepare. Out went the easy convenient foods high in sugar, highly processed and containing all sorts of odd sounding things. As a result I am down about 25 pounds and almost 4 inches off the old waistline.

I also exercise more. The main benefit is increased endurance and more 'energy' during the day. I do not attribute the weight loss to exercise, that is probably 90%+ the difference in the foods I eat.

Yes, my experience is very similar to Chuckanut's. I lost 20 lbs. within a few months after retiring, after improving my diet. Cut way back on my consumption of processed foods, which is probably responsible for most of it. Since then (almost 4 years) I have maintained the new weight and improved my fitness as a result of more exercise. So, retirement was a very good thing for me, in terms of improving my health and fitness. Yeah, I should have done this before retirement, but it's much harder to do when work (and daily commute) occupies so much of your time.

 

[Moscyn]

Retired 3 years. At the first year, I did not lose much weight - was celebrating too much. I lost around 5 lbs the second year due to more exercise. Since then I have experimented with losing more but realised that my ideal weight is 111lbs, so I just try to maintain this.

 

[NW-Bound]

No change immediately after full retirement, but then I had been working sporadic part-time for 10 years. BMI had been 25, but recently is down to as low as 22. It's 23 right now. I am lean and really mean.

 

[gardenfun]

First 7 years no change. My stress levels dropped, I continued exercising regularly, and I added in cycling (near 100 miles/week) but continued to add a pound a year which I had done for 35 years. Two years ago I dropped virtually all processed food, all low fat stuff, almost all sugar, and reduced bread and other carbs. I quickly dropped 35 pounds and have effortlessly stayed at my college weight ever since. Since I love meats, fish, eggs, bacon, and butter I am in dietary heaven. YMMV.

Pretty much the same for me. Exercise never really affected my weight very much--I've always been active, but the pounds kept creeping up. Exercise does help me feel better and have more energy. I do pilates and ballet to work on flexibility, balance, and strength.
Recently I went on low carb/high protein/fat diet, for the second or third time. This time it's sticking. I lost 20 pounds and no longer crave sweets or bread. did you know distilled spirits have no carbs?