Letting Yourself Go Later In Life - Ramifications?

[KingOfTheCheapos]

That's really awesome! Maybe the life expectancy gain isn't as much as you hope, but I'd bet that your qualify of life gain is high--able to do more things, fewer aches and pains and fatigue due to carrying less weight, etc.

I don't know, eating good chocolate often does improve my quality of life.

 

[Chuckanut]

I just did one of those life expectancy calculators at my pre-retirement weight (250 lbs … ugh) and current weight (204 lbs … yea). Being lighter only added two years. I was expecting a bigger difference.

It's also quality of life. You must recognize that since you plan to outrun the 50-somethings when you are 70. A good plan, indeed! Good diet and exercise will improve quality of life. This weekend I plan on having a water balloon fight with a Grand. The kid can still out run me, but not enough that I can't give as well as I get. A

 

[qwerty3656]

I just did one of those life expectancy calculators at my pre-retirement weight (250 lbs … ugh) and current weight (204 lbs … yea). Being lighter only added two years. I was expecting a bigger difference.

My plan is to keep hitting the gym, cycling up the steep hills here in Northern California and trail running as long as I can. I’m encouraged by a guy who I race against who is in his 70s and very fit and fast. He regularly posts lap times faster than most of us 50-something guys. My goal is to be that guy a decade and a half from now.

You lost 50lbs after you retired - that is great. Were you cycling/trail running before retirement, or did you start after retirement? I've never been a runner, but thought I might try one of those C25K type things (couch to 5k)

 

[ls99]

What about us late in life folks who didn't "let" ourselves go, but our bodies went anyway?

GRAVITY wins.

 

[ls99]

Exercise, too. You know what the best exercise is? "Push-aways" You know, you push-away from the table rather than eat seconds or desserts.

Seriously, moderation is key. You don't need to give up stuff completely, just have smaller portions of the not-so-healthy foods, and eat them less often.

Also the see food diet. See food bout don't eat it.

 

[Nick12]

Are there any obese late 80's early 90 year olds here? I am late 50's and would probably be considered obese. I'm assuming that I won't make it much past 80.

I hope to live a long life but in my 30s I was obese with the medical conditions that went it. It took me more than 20 years and it is a continuous process of diet and exercise to change my life. It is not easy but in the long run I know it is all worth it.

 

[Dtail]

My father is obese and 83. That's the only data point I have.

I think that this example is relatively rare, as most folks who appear to be 80 and older are typically on the thinner side.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dtail]

Just pulled a calf muscle playing Pickleball and will be out of commission for 3 weeks.
First thing I thought about is I need to eat less in this timeframe.
I definitely use hard exercising to assist greatly in maintaining my weight and do wonder what will be if I can't do as much in later life.

 

[Nick12]

Just pulled a calf muscle playing Pickleball and will be out of commission for 3 weeks.
First thing I thought about is I need to eat less in this timeframe.
I definitely use hard exercising to assist greatly in maintaining my weight and do wonder what will be if I can't do as much in later life.

Some of the gym members I know ( male ) who are in their 70s and early 80s swim on a regular basis ( indoor lap pool ) and females in the same age group do something like pool aerobics set to music.

 

[RunningBum]

I think that this example is relatively rare, as most folks who appear to be 80 and older are typically on the thinner side.
Just my 2 cents.

Depends where you look. The ones you see out and about are likely to be thinner. Go to a retirement home and you see a lot of heavier people who rarely leave there. My observation.

 

[EastWest Gal]

What about us late in life folks who didn't "let" ourselves go, but our bodies went anyway?

+1

 

[MichaelB]

From my POV, "at that age" I'm not sure who has it worse... The person with severe dementia or the family caregiver.

Caregiver. The patient doesn’t have the cognitive awareness to understand the gravity.

Good one!

+1

For most of us (not everyone) the BMI calculation is a reasonable place to start when looking at your weight.

But I've always said that the best device available is a full length mirror.

Right on both counts. If the pants are getting a bit tight, it’s not because they’re shrinking.

 

[Nick12]

Depends where you look. The ones you see out and about are likely to be thinner. Go to a retirement home and you see a lot of heavier people who rarely leave there. My observation.

+1, very true. A neighbor of mine bought a home a year ago. For the next year many contractors worked on the home inside to include building handicapped ramps to the entrance of the home, whole house generators etc . The home is now an assisted living facility staffed by 24/7 aides. The residents are not thin.

 

[Amethyst]

A female friend, 68, decided during COVID lockdown to lose 100 pounds by exercise and a low-carbohydrate diet.

In a bit over a year, she lost the 100 lbs, worked her way up from a slow walk to running 3-5 miles daily, and is lifting weights. Recently she posted a photo of herself and her 2 daughters in bathing suits. She now looks like their older sister, not their mom. Her skin is glowing. She claims to have more energy than she knows what to do with.

So there's a data point from someone much older than OP.

 

[Jerry1]

A little off topic, but this brings to mind something that happened with my father in law. It was in the last year or so of his life and eating certain foods would elevate his fluid and that was not good, medically speaking. Unfortunately, dad really liked crap food and in particular he liked hot dogs. Right out of the package. One of DW’s sister made a big deal about giving him a hot dog. DW and other sister said “give him what he wants”. Now, when we eat food that we like that we know isn’t great for our health, not too often, we just smile and say - “Sometimes, you just want a hot dog.”

There does come a time when it doesn’t matter any more, but I don’t ever expect to give up until the end is in sight. The pain and discomfort of letting oneself go is not worth the pleasure of going for it. I am not now and don’t ever expect to be crazy healthy, but I do expect to try my best to keep moving and regulate my food choices along the lines of “everything in moderation”.

 

[Amethyst]

Are they all ancient, though? Bear in mind that inability to do things, not age, is the criterion for AL. People with degenerative diseases - some quite young, sadly - can end up in AL. Some of these diseases mess up the metabolism horribly, making the person fat no matter what they do or don't eat.

These people often go through AL on their way to a nursing home.

+1, very true. A neighbor of mine bought a home a year ago. For the next year many contractors worked on the home inside to include building handicapped ramps to the entrance of the home, whole house generators etc . The home is now an assisted living facility staffed by 24/7 aides. The residents are not thin.

 

[Dtail]

Depends where you look. The ones you see out and about are likely to be thinner. Go to a retirement home and you see a lot of heavier people who rarely leave there. My observation.

Perhaps, but I used to join my mother in retirement and assisted living places, where she was providing "mental gymnastics" and most of those folks were definitely on the thin side albeit in wheelchairs.

 

[RobbieB]

Weight watchers is good for people who like to eat (like me) because their "point" system allows you to eat anything but the points (daily) have to be counted. You also get a weekly allowance of "splurge" points for even more fun.

I can vouch too as I lost 30 pounds in about 6 months. And still eating steak & lobster, pasta and nuts -

 

[chassis]

I think that this example is relatively rare, as most folks who appear to be 80 and older are typically on the thinner side.
Just my 2 cents.

My dad is 82 and obese with CHF, down from recently having been very obese.

My father in law is likely obese at age 77. I don't know his weight but he is not a tall guy, is portly and eats Swedish Fish and gummy worms as a main course. Not joking.

 

[aja8888]

I'll be 78 soon. I am in good physical condition and play golf once or twice per week. We played today @96F outside. I also try to walk 10,000 steps per day.

I'm about 15 pounds over my "desired" weight @ 5'11" tall. This is the heaviest I have ever been and I gained this during the pandemic. Ugh! I'll get rid if it this summer.

All my periodic bloodwork is constantly normal with very good cholesterol numbers, A1C of 5.1 and no cardiovascular or organ problems. My diet is not perfect and I don't count calories or limit carbs. I take one prescribed medication and that's generic Flowmax for urination issues. I could fix this with minor surgery.

Historically, I was very active in sports having played organized baseball and later softball until my early 50's. I also took up long distance running in my 30's and continued into my 40's. I trained for a marathon but gave it up after tearing up an ankle pretty badly.

I had total hip replacements at 65 and 76 years of age, but the new ones gave me a new lease on life. I'm still on my original equipment knees and haven't figured out how that came about.

At my age, I should have developed cataracts, but none yet. My eye doctor says I probably wont ever have them.

I think genetics have a lot to do with a person's health, and one can stay healthy as long as you don't abuse your body, eat right, and not get unlucky and end up with cancer.

 

[luckydude]

Hi,

Just to be clear, I have no intention of letting myself go for the hell of it!

I am 50 and in good health (don't smoke, drink moderately). My only issue is I have higher cholesterol which can be easily treated with statins.

But I LOVE to eat food. It's my one vice. So far my weight is normal due to an excessive variety of exercises routine (every day at least 45 minutes "hard") but I believe that when my body starts to fail me I won't be able to exercise as much. For example, if I get some heart issues I'll stop cycling long distances or if I get knee issues I'll stop running.

I'm guessing somethings going to break in me, hopefully in my 70's and I'll have to stop the hard exercising, but I don't want to stop the eating.

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)?

I know a 78-year-old who still rides a 12-mile trail everyday. Even though he's slow, he's still exercising hard in the sense that it takes him more effort on climbs as he just doesn't have the muscles and explosiveness to propel himself up faster. But he still rides every and fit as sh*t.

I know another guy who just turned 74 and he also rides daily and is very fit. If you keep up your fitness, you should be able to ride well into your 70s.

We're similar. Around same age as you, I love to ride and run and hike and also I love to eat and I eat A LOT. My regular lunch after a hard morning ride/run is usually a huge soda + fries + a big fat burgers/5-6 fish tacos. I'll go through half of the 1.5 qt Thrifty ice cream on a hot summer afternoon. I usually snack on chips and salsa, chicken soup or chocolate chips at night before going to bed. Basically I eat what I want when I want and I don't watch my calories. Been doing that for 15 years and haven't gained any weight (still same weight as in my 30s) and haven't had any health issues at all (knock on wood). I expect to be able to keep this up (working out a lot and eating a lot) well into my 70s.

 

[FIREd]

I’m single and dating so I definitely pay attention to what I eat even though I am only in my 40s (I want to remain somewhat attractive ). But my parents who are in their 70s are still pretty lean too even though they have really slowed down on exercise. They still walk and move about their homes quite a bit during the day. And they don’t eat as much as they used to (less appetite).

 

[mystang52]

In my late 40's I, once and for all, took off weight (50 pounds) and kept it off through a combination of diet and regular exercise. If/when my exercising ends due to physical again, I doubt I'd gain that much. "Letting myself go" for me means an occasional extra treat, or a steak dinner. But I dislike the feeling in my stomach that comes from overeating, so I can't envision ever gorging, and in any event that would not give me any pleasure that maybe others get.
........and that includes ice cream.

 

[Nick12]

When one knows and or takes care of a loved one who is in hospice, eating anything or everything they want is a great thing. Even the hospice nurse recommends it.

 

[Aerides]

I’m single and dating so I definitely pay attention to what I eat even though I am only in my 40s (I want to remain somewhat attractive ). But my parents who are in their 70s are still pretty lean too even though they have really slowed down on exercise. They still walk and move about their homes quite a bit during the day. And they don’t eat as much as they used to (less appetite).

Same here, except 50's. My (70's) parents will be over on the 4th, we're having a small cookout. I can already hear my Mum: "oh those burgers are too big, your Dad and I will split one!"