Letting Yourself Go Later In Life - Ramifications?

[audreyh1]

So sorry about your Dad losing 35 pounds and a lot of muscle due to COVID!

 

[Dtail]

Precisely the reason why BMI is such an imperfect measurement for some people. You can see the same in some incredibly fit people like pro football players and other sports figures. By the book they are "obese" but in fact nothing could be farther from the truth.

Very impressive arm on your dad at that age!

Evander Hollyfield was a perfect example.

 

[Nick12]

Precisely the reason why BMI is such an imperfect measurement for some people. You can see the same in some incredibly fit people like pro football players and other sports figures. By the book they are "obese" but in fact nothing could be farther from the truth.

Very impressive arm on your dad at that age!

Herschel Walker at his age and his incredible shape has more muscle tone than some current NFL players.

 

[Dtail]

Herschel Walker at his age and his incredible shape has more muscle tone than some current NFL players.

Yes, although not sure if I believe that he didn't use weights to achieve this muscularity.
However, I did read that when he was in the 12 year old football league, the other parents wanted him out of the league, as he was running over their children and hurting them.

 

[athena53]

A wise friend of mine once suggested that it’s not just about the years we live, but the quality of those years. People who maintain a healthy weight and reasonable level of fitness will likely retain mobility and better health much longer than someone who eats and drinks whatever they want. After working in the senior living industry and observing the differences first hand, I’m a believer. As much as I love good food and wine, I value my mobility and health more so I manage my intake better than I used to.

This is my feeling, too. I'm 68 and try to keep my weight at around 125 lbs. (I'm female and 5'7".) Fortunately I love vegetables of every description and am happy with meat maybe once a week. I do eat dairy products for protein as well as faro, lentils, etc. Today I rode my bike 21 miles. I have some cardiac insufficiency in my aortic and mitral valves but overall my cardiologist is happy with my health and says I should live my life but heed my body's signals and not overdo it.

Travel is still a passion and I know that I need to keep in shape if I want to enjoy it to the fullest.

 

[Jenna]

If you research it you will fund that daily intermittent fasting i.e. limiting eating to a timed daily window does not reduce lean body mass.

Agree! From my research too. I did a dexascan before starting my time restricted eating in 2019. I have been an intermittent faster since Jan 2019. I usually eat in a 4-5 hour window. I am healthier at 56 than I was in high school and my bone density is excellent. I never thought I could enjoy fasting and then I read some of Gin Stephens books and listened to her podcast intermittent fasting stories. It's so sustainable-no calorie counting, no restricted foods. It's been life changing for me. I think its important to find what works for you.

 

[Nick12]

This is my feeling, too. I'm 68 and try to keep my weight at around 125 lbs. (I'm female and 5'7".) Fortunately I love vegetables of every description and am happy with meat maybe once a week. I do eat dairy products for protein as well as faro, lentils, etc. Today I rode my bike 21 miles. I have some cardiac insufficiency in my aortic and mitral valves but overall my cardiologist is happy with my health and says I should live my life but heed my body's signals and not overdo it.

Travel is still a passion and I know that I need to keep in shape if I want to enjoy it to the fullest.

Cardiac inefficiency / aortic is a serious issue but it is good you have a cardiologist monitoring it. You seem to keep active and eat right which is a great thing!

 

[ejman]

Eh, I just found that video of Chuck Grassley and Tom Cotton doing pushups on stage.

See this: https://nypost.com/2021/06/30/87-year-old-chuck-grassley-battles-tom-cotton-44-in-push-up-challenge/


That's not how I do pushups! You've got to get your chest a lot lower.

I still give Grassley some credits for his age though. It's not bad for an 87. I cannot be sure I will even live to 87.

Here's a guy who does real pushups.

What? Only one clap in between push ups? What a wimp!

 

[NW-Bound]

What? Only one clap in between push ups? What a wimp!

Well, I will admit that it's not that good, compared to a guy who can clap his hands once in front of him, and once more behind his back.

 

[athena53]

Cardiac inefficiency / aortic is a serious issue but it is good you have a cardiologist monitoring it. You seem to keep active and eat right which is a great thing!

Yeah, my first reaction was relief that there was an explanation for my shortness of breath on mild exertion- not something anyone could see but I could feel it. My second reaction was freaking out. I asked him if I could still climb Macchu Picchu on my planned trip in March and that's when he said, "Live your life". (Yes, I WILL take altitude sickness pills.) I'm headed to Alaska next month so we'll see how I do on lesser hikes.

I am convinced that regardless of my limitations, they'd be far worse if I didn't watch my diet, my weight and my exercise.

 

[ivinsfan]

Yeah, my first reaction was relief that there was an explanation for my shortness of breath on mild exertion- not something anyone could see but I could feel it. My second reaction was freaking out. I asked him if I could still climb Macchu Picchu on my planned trip in March and that's when he said, "Live your life". (Yes, I WILL take altitude sickness pills.) I'm headed to Alaska next month so we'll see how I do on lesser hikes.

I am convinced that regardless of my limitations, they'd be far worse if I didn't watch my diet, my weight and my exercise.

Valve replacements and repairs have made tremendous strides in the last 10 years. Including robot assisted repair. It's nothing short of amazing.



Enjoy your trips...

 

[Nick12]

Yeah, my first reaction was relief that there was an explanation for my shortness of breath on mild exertion- not something anyone could see but I could feel it. My second reaction was freaking out. I asked him if I could still climb Macchu Picchu on my planned trip in March and that's when he said, "Live your life". (Yes, I WILL take altitude sickness pills.) I'm headed to Alaska next month so we'll see how I do on lesser hikes.

I am convinced that regardless of my limitations, they'd be far worse if I didn't watch my diet, my weight and my exercise.

Take caution hiking in Cuzco and Macchu Picchu. I hiked in Bolivia without supplemental oxygen one-hour outside La Paz at 17,500 ft above sea level. The city is 12-13K above sea level so I was chewing A lot of coca leaves and drinking mate de coca which helped a lot to combat altitude sickness. I had gotten used to the high altitude in 3 days. Coca is sold everywhere in Cuzco so I highly recommend it so you won't get into medical situation with altitude.

 

[athena53]

Take caution hiking in Cuzco and Macchu Picchu. I hiked in Bolivia without supplemental oxygen one-hour outside La Paz at 17,500 ft above sea level. The city is 12-13K above sea level so I was chewing A lot of coca leaves and drinking mate de coca which helped a lot to combat altitude sickness. I had gotten used to the high altitude in 3 days. Coca is sold everywhere in Cuzco so I highly recommend it so you won't get into medical situation with altitude.

Thanks- I was at 12,000 feet in La Paz, Bolivia for a week in March, 2020 and also hiked to the top of Isola del Sol in Lake Titicaca. There's a really good travel clinic near me and the doc read me the riot act about getting the prescription- he said you can die from altitude sickness. I got the meds, took them as directed and also had occasional servings of coca tea as well as a cocktail made with an infusion of coca leaves!

 

[isisdave]

My advice is to go to Rome now, and climb to the top of St. Peter's. Don't wait until you are 70+.

I did St. Peters in my 50's. And I did Santa Maria del Fiori in Florence as well as Giotto's Bell Tower in my 60's. I think me and my friend were the oldest people up there. We were certainly the slowest going up.

I could probably make it up both again, but with more problems. I'm glad I did it then.

I did these, plus St Paul's in London, a year after surgery on my injured knee (age 56). I sent postcards to the orthopedic surgeon.

OP, both DW and I found that soon after 65 the amount of food we could eat at a sitting decreased by about half. So no weight change because of that. If you eat out, you can share an entree and maybe get an appetizer, or get two entrees and take half of each home. It's doable. Your body may react differently, but I doubt you'll want to eat as much as you do now.

 

[rmcelwee]

Two datapoints (not sure what they mean):

Oh, for those of you who don't know. The fat guy is Roy Nelson, a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and a destroyer of people, including the "fit" guy on the left. Jim Fixx started the running/fitness revolution in the US. He died at 52 while running. Maybe, you just never know what will happen.

 

[Nick12]

Evander Hollyfield was a perfect example.

He wasn't a smart guy when it came to money. When he earned $10M in one fight, he went ahead and bought a $10M mansion in Atlanta.

 

[Elizrogers]

I am 70. I weighed 104-112 until I was 50, while living on fast food and Southern fried cooking. Retired a little over 2 years ago when lost job in company merger and no one wanted to hire a 68 year old woman, regardless of experience and references. I was 185lbs at 5'6" and considered myself "overweight". Then I saw on a chart in my doctor's office, he'd written "obese." I was devastated, but had to take a close look in the mirror and see a not so cute, sophisticated looking girl anymore. I joined a program that guaranteed a minimum 15lbs off and increased metabolism in 5 weeks, if stuck to their plan. It was basically Keto on steroids, but a lot of starvation. It was not a good program so I won't name it, but I lost 25 lbs, and another 15 on my own after leaving it. I took away some important changes that I stick to, but modified diet to allow me to enjoy eating again. I had already given up sodas and chips and reduced fried food to once or twice a week. I use only stevia for sweetening (no sugar or substitute). Fortunately, I love salads and fairly plain ones. My basics are romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots and shredded purple cabbage. I change them up every day by topping with shrimp, crushed almonds, broiled salmon, hard boiled eggs, or occasionally bite-size chicken tenders. I also cook almost everything fried in either an air fryer or a Turbo cooker (which uses water, not oil). I weigh every morning when I get up just to see if I need to bring it down a bit or am okay to maintain between 140-145. I can gain/lose 1-2 lbs overnight depending what I eat and when I eat it.

I will say, the one thing I hate about ever letting myself get that large is that now I have a lot of saggy, droopy skin I can do nothing about. Some of it came with age, but it became twice as flabby after I lost the weight. I am happy, though, that I have modified my eating habits and am able to stay in a healthier weight range. Also, though I am an orthopedic's dream, having nearly a dozen surgeries, I take no medications (the occasional Advil or antacid) and have no blood pressure, heart, artery, or diabetes issues. I'm deathly afraid I'll live to 90.

 

[Nick12]

I am 70. I weighed 104-112 until I was 50, while living on fast food and Southern fried cooking. Retired a little over 2 years ago when lost job in company merger and no one wanted to hire a 68 year old woman, regardless of experience and references. I was 185lbs at 5'6" and considered myself "overweight". Then I saw on a chart in my doctor's office, he'd written "obese." I was devastated, but had to take a close look in the mirror and see a not so cute, sophisticated looking girl anymore. I joined a program that guaranteed a minimum 15lbs off and increased metabolism in 5 weeks, if stuck to their plan. It was basically Keto on steroids, but a lot of starvation. It was not a good program so I won't name it, but I lost 25 lbs, and another 15 on my own after leaving it. I took away some important changes that I stick to, but modified diet to allow me to enjoy eating again. I had already given up sodas and chips and reduced fried food to once or twice a week. I use only stevia for sweetening (no sugar or substitute). Fortunately, I love salads and fairly plain ones. My basics are romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded carrots and shredded purple cabbage. I change them up every day by topping with shrimp, crushed almonds, broiled salmon, hard boiled eggs, or occasionally bite-size chicken tenders. I also cook almost everything fried in either an air fryer or a Turbo cooker (which uses water, not oil). I weigh every morning when I get up just to see if I need to bring it down a bit or am okay to maintain between 140-145. I can gain/lose 1-2 lbs overnight depending what I eat and when I eat it.

I will say, the one thing I hate about ever letting myself get that large is that now I have a lot of saggy, droopy skin I can do nothing about. Some of it came with age, but it became twice as flabby after I lost the weight. I am happy, though, that I have modified my eating habits and am able to stay in a healthier weight range. Also, though I am an orthopedic's dream, having nearly a dozen surgeries, I take no medications (the occasional Advil or antacid) and have no blood pressure, heart, artery, or diabetes issues. I'm deathly afraid I'll live to 90.

Great job and here's to your continued healthy lifestyle!

 

[Dtail]

He wasn't a smart guy when it came to money. When he earned $10M in one fight, he went ahead and bought a $10M mansion in Atlanta.

Probably some real estate broker talked his ear off.

 

[67walkon]

Its a personal choice and maybe partly a genetic issue.
I'm 71 and some. Have been retired for 9 years. Right now, I weigh about 12-15 pounds less than I did when I retired. 6'2'', 180 lbs. I exercise every day, despite having disk issues at every level in my back. I walk 2.5-3 miles 3 days a week, ride a bike for about 2.5 hours 3-4 times a week and do yard work.

Like someone else said, my appetite isn't the same as it used to be. I have to be careful to eat enough to keep my weight from going down. That's probably the genetic part, but I think also its from not eating lunch out every day and from being really active.

Everyone is different. A few extra pounds is probably a good thing. 50 extra pounds probably isn't a good thing.

I have a bias in favor of regular exercise. If I die tomorrow, its ok. If I live another 30 years, its ok. The main point to me is feel alive and to be active

 

[maestro]

Don't do it. Keep your weight constant. More weight is more inflammation, more inflammation is more cardiovascular issues, among many other issues. My Dad is 94; I'm 64 and still cycle 100 miles a week. No more running for me. I'm the same weight as I was in high school. Blessed by God, but still love Scotch.

 

[Live Free]

This issue is hitting me a lot sooner than in my 70s. I hit menopause this year (a pandemic wasn't enough fun!) and my metabolism just stopped cold. I walk 4 to 5 miles a day, lift light weights, eat mostly a low carb, veggie-full diet that doesn't exceed 1500 calories and WHAM! I put on 11 pounds this year. I started intermittent fasting about 4 months ago and have lost 2 whole pounds. Like many menopausal women, my sleep has been crappy, I have anxiety I never had before, and I sweat all night long. Good times. I'm looking into HRT going forward.

My father is morbidly obese and is 86 years old. He walks daily but has a HUGE beer gut. He takes a handful of pills that are keeping him going.

 

[Librarian]

Hi,
So what are the ramifications if you live a healthy life but put on 10-30 pounds in your 70s (currently 6'1 and 185 pounds)?

To be sure, 6'1" & 185lbs. is quite trim.

A couple things--by and large as you get older, most people find their appetite diminishes some. I suspect that is the body's way of keeping things in check.

Second, as a body ages, it does better with a few extra pounds. I'm not talking obese, but possible "overweight" by some charts. If a very thin older person becomes ill & has no appetite/isn't eating/is losing weight, they are in greater danger of issues than those with a few extra pounds (this from my GP; my mother, an RN, readily agrees from her experiences)

SO--keep working out, do whatever you feel up to for as long as you can.
Don't worry if a few pounds creep up over time BUT at a certain point you may say time to make some different food choices.
It doesn't mean giving up what you love--it means not ALWAYS eating what you want...

Last year quarantine brought on a few pounds for me (was used to being on my feet ALL DAY at work).
I'm no skinny mini but I was not comfortable in my skin. I cut the carbs (keto-ish; helps that I cannot eat gluten) & dropped 10 & kept it off.
In anticipation of an upcoming cruise I've cut the carbs again (I know my body--it's either that or starvation level macros) & another 5 down, hoping for 5 more. I walk, lift light weights & stretch regularly. Only meds are HRT & blood pressure (hereditary)--but 120/70 so good now.

GP & OB say as long as I am active, eat healthy most of the time, & blood test numbers all good to not worry about losing weight. (the "charts" say I should) So I watch it pretty closely on a day to day basis but I enjoy myself on vacation & occasionally other times. I love food too & honestly would never have thought I could do that. The key for me is to not get too strict. If I want some wine tonight--I will have some wine. But going to play cards with friends--I'm bringing veggies & a low carb dip & cheese so I'm not tempted by chips or cookies. (and appetizers are my FAVORITE)
Hey--that cruise is in 2 weeks...I wanna eat great food THEN, not waste my time on junk food now!