Retirement weight gain/loss

[jimbee]

By three months after my retirement earlier this year, I lost 10 pounds of weight and 10 points off my blood pressure measurement.

[martyp]

After 3 years of RE my weight has remained about the same. I had the flu earlier in the year and lost my appetite for most of the week. I lost weight but regained it since. My weight has always been on the high side of normal.

[48Fire]

Lost 15 pounds, and gained more muscle.

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[unno2002]

From retirement 2 years ago this month, I'm down 55 pounds. Attributed to less… junk during the day, less stress, less sitting at a desk 10+ hours per day, running errands on my bicycle… whatever, it means I "get even" by hopefully collecting my pension for a longer period of time…

[Katsmeow]

I have lost 46.5 pounds. DH lost 75 pounds. I did have one stretch of time (when we moved to our current house) when I regained some, but I've lost all that and am at my lowest weight in many years.

[CyclingInvestor]

My weight maxed out in my final month of working almost eight years ago. I have lost about 65 lbs since then in spite of exercising less, mainly due to eating better. I still have a ways to go.

[Jaded salami]

Retired around 5 months ago. Dropped around 20 pounds in the first month as I changed my diet, replaced one meal a day with a green smoothie and cut out work related eating, no change in exercise routine. Have maintained the weight since. People have been noticing, saying retirement must agree with me.

[Alan]

I actually made a concerted effort to lose weight a few years before I retired, and I have maintained that weight loss this first few years of retirement.

It is much easier for me to stay at a good weight now because I'm not faced with loads of easy food at work and on business trips.

[donheff]

After ER I continued eating my half pound of chocolate a day and my weight continued it's slow climb of 1 pound a year that had gone on since my twenties. Then two and a half years ago I switched DW and my eating regimen to low carb at her request (I am the cook). I dropped 33 pounds in a few months (17% of body weight) and have stayed steady at 162 since then. The initial rapid fall probably needed the fairly strict LC approach I took but maintaining the loss once achieved was easier. I just avoid sugar and highly processed grains. I have added back a rational amount of rice and potatoes and a little bread with no impact on weight or blood numbers. Sugar is the real villain in my case. YMMV.

[Looking4Ward]

I've been FIRE'd for three and a half months now, have been lifting weights regularly every weekday morning but have gained 6 pounds.

When I was working, I only ate once a day (late dinner gorge). The rest of the time I was pretty much too stressed to eat. Now, I have a couple of hard boiled eggs, some yogurt and nuts after working out for the protein fix and then a normal dinner in the evening.

I think the gain is due to increased muscle mass. Yeah, that's what it is... I'm sure of it. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it

[DayDreaming]

I lost about 30 lbs after retiring. Not from dieting, but from healthier eating, and being more active. The company cafeteria and the Chinese buffet that my coworkers liked were certainly not the healthiest choices.

[jerome len]

Congratulations from all who have lost weight! In my and my DW family most are gaining weight. And, the Country is getting fatter but I don't think we're hearing from them in this blog.........it's not something most people with weight problems want to talk about.

Weight can sometimes equal health. In my family diabetics is a killer.....killed my Dad, is killing my brother and killed one of my business competitors. So, about 8 years, ago I became a pre diabetic and it scared the hell out of me. .....my weight was close to 250 lb w/o clothes. I didn't look too bad BUT I knew the misery of diabetics since I watched my Dad lose a leg to grangrene and die of a stroke.

I started a life long change of eating habits. None....I mean none.....of pie, cake, doughnuts etc for the rest of my life. I added salads with fat free dressing, veggies, fruit, lots of chicken, some beef......yams instead of potatoes, dropped ice cream and hit the treadmill twice a day at the times I normally watched TV.....with a TV in front of the treadmill. Today, after losing 3 to 5 lbs a year I'm at 186 lb, haven't changed weight in 2 years, never am hungry because I eat tons of salad and veggies.....love Mexican food but watch what I eat and am really feeling good and seldom even get a cold.....used to have a couple a year. DW did about the same but kept ice cream and does yoga...I don't......overall I call my diet closest to volumetrics....there are library books on the subject......I don't mean to brag.....I just want to say I"m alive and healthy.....and I've enjoyed the change in lifestyle. I have a DSIL who is heavy, doesn't want to hear it and will someday probably get the same message from his Doc.......So, if anybody out there doesn't know how to lose weight but wants to.....try what I did but plan to do it for the rest of your life......and, hopefully, like me......you'll enjoy your new eating habits more than you ever did the old ones that, if you become a diabetic could kill you.

[athena53]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan It is much easier for me to stay at a good weight now because I'm not faced with loads of easy food at work and on business trips.

Yeah, that stuff people bring into the break room will kill you! We always had something in there- Girl Scout cookies, someone's left over baked goods, chips and dip from farewell parties... I was pretty good at avoiding them. We did have a box of Tastykakes from a Philadelphia-based client who sent us a gift box of treats from PA-based companies at Christmas. I finally threw them away in March because no one would eat them. Despite the preservatives, they were getting mold on them.

[Car-Guy]

I've gained maybe 5 lbs since retiring 2 and 1/2 years ago. Not too surprising since my only exercise at work was walking to and from the coffee pot. The walk is shorter at home.

[Corporateburnout]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerome len Congratulations from all who have lost weight! In my and my DW family most are gaining weight. And, the Country is getting fatter but I don't think we're hearing from them in this blog.........it's not something most people with weight problems want to talk about. Weight can sometimes equal health. In my family diabetics is a killer.....killed my Dad, is killing my brother and killed one of my business competitors. So, about 8 years, ago I became a pre diabetic and it scared the hell out of me. .....my weight was close to 250 lb w/o clothes. I didn't look too bad BUT I knew the misery of diabetics since I watched my Dad lose a leg to grangrene and die of a stroke. I started a life long change of eating habits. None....I mean none.....of pie, cake, doughnuts etc for the rest of my life. I added salads with fat free dressing, veggies, fruit, lots of chicken, some beef......yams instead of potatoes, dropped ice cream and hit the treadmill twice a day at the times I normally watched TV.....with a TV in front of the treadmill. Today, after losing 3 to 5 lbs a year I'm at 186 lb, haven't changed weight in 2 years, never am hungry because I eat tons of salad and veggies.....love Mexican food but watch what I eat and am really feeling good and seldom even get a cold.....used to have a couple a year. DW did about the same but kept ice cream and does yoga...I don't......overall I call my diet closest to volumetrics....there are library books on the subject......I don't mean to brag.....I just want to say I"m alive and healthy.....and I've enjoyed the change in lifestyle. I have a DSIL who is heavy, doesn't want to hear it and will someday probably get the same message from his Doc.......So, if anybody out there doesn't know how to lose weight but wants to.....try what I did but plan to do it for the rest of your life......and, hopefully, like me......you'll enjoy your new eating habits more than you ever did the old ones that, if you become a diabetic could kill you.

I was diagnosed with diabetes in October and I weighted 218 lbs. I was the first in my family to have the disease but I was the only one to carry excess weight also. Dr. put me on medication and I went on a low carb diet that helped me lose 26 lbs in 6 months and I'm now off the medication and at a non diabetic blood glucose level.

I've been retired since June and still at the same weight and at the lowest level of glucose in years.

[Jaded salami]

I was diagnosed with diabetes last June. Changed my eating habits somewhat but didn't lose the weight until I retired in April. Have reduced my glucose level to normal since then. I was the controller for a resort and we had generous amounts of food to eat at work, so making a healthier diet change after I retired was very easy.

[ArkTinkerer]

Jaded salami--Gotta ask how you decided on that nom de plume!

[Jaded salami]

completely random thought

[athena53]

I find this discussion to be a wonderful mix of good news/bad news. So many people report losing weight, eating better, gaining muscle, lowering BP and blood sugar after retiring. It's a clear illustration of how so many health issues can be addressed by healthy eating habits.

The bad news: look what work is doing to the average person. Maybe if companies want to cut their health insurance costs they could stop measuring performance by how many hours you bill, how often you get on planes, how late you're in the office. They mouth nice platitudes about work/life balance but that's not how you're evaluated and compensated.

OTOH, maybe we're just an atypical group. We retired early because we had many interests, had the resources to enjoy them and made plans, one way or another, to fund health insurance and out-of-pocket medical expenses. There's probably a subgroup that goes downhill after retirement because they sit in front of the TV (or video games) and eat junk food because they can't think of anything else to do or can't afford anything else. They may also be postponing medical or dental care or refilling prescriptions because they don't have the money.

[Jaded salami]

Athena, I noticed the good news/bad news element too.

Unfortunately, from what I've seen, spending money on healthy alternatives from an employer point of view generally just benefit the employees who are making better choices already. Giving better benefits in that regard does not move the needle in terms of attracting better talent. I've come around to the view that decoupling of health insurance and employment would be a very good thing.

I made better choices because, as you point out, I had the resources to do so, including the time required to eat right.