Are (some) older women supposed to be heavy?

[hedgehog]

When I was a young teenager, there were three categories of clothes sizes for females:

Misses - for young developed women

Juniors - for young women without curves

Womens - for women say about 40 and above - what used to be called a matron.

Now, I was a size 10 in my 20's, and now i am a size 18 or 20 or 18W or 20W. If I'd been this heavy when I was 20, I would have been worried. But is it possible that this is a healthy size and shape for me now that i am approaching 60?

I was dealing with some health issues that have recently been diagnosed and treated. I'm not as strong as I'd like to be, nor do I have the stamina I used to have. I am working out daily to regain my strength and stamina. My blood work is still all in order.

I know common knowledge says I should not weigh this much. However, are those statistics based on European stock women my age? Life expectancy numbers are distorted because they don't discount infant mortality. For example, life expectancy for a given population may be 50 because so many children die, but anyone who reaches 50 is likely to live to be 75. I'm wondering if the statistics that we use to determine the relationship between body mass and health are also too simplistic.

[paulsby]

1. of COURSE they are too simplistic

fwiw, BMI measures body MASS

it doesn't even distinguish fat from muscle

i know competitive athletes with under 12% bodyfat that are obese...

like... me

according to BMI

it's a ridiculous approach

[Salviati]

5. Yeah, the BMI is pretty crazy

It also makes no allowance for body types. I have very broad shoulders, I'm 5'10" and my armspan is about 6'4". Mostly the reason I'm not 6'4" is that I've got relatively short thighs, which seems to really throw off the BMI. I mean I know that I could stand to lose a few pounds, but I don't think I'm anywhere near as obese as the BMI claims I am...

[paulsby]

8. it tries to fit every peg into one hole

it's kind of like the RDA. the RDA iirc, was based on the amounts of nutrients needed to prevent diseases from too little of various nutrients (scurvy- vitamin C etc.) among sedentary 25 yr old males iirc

it says nothing about what is optimal for health or performance, and certainly doesn't take into account an athlete's , elderly, or active person's needs

[salvorhardin]

9. You're partly right

The original dietary nutrient recommendations were developed in WWII to keep both soldiers and citizens at home healthy. However, when the RDA (in all its successive incarnations) was formulated, it was calculated to keep 98% of the people in every age group healthy -- not just living a sedentary lifestyle, but active and healthy. It is calculated for each nutrient individually for each age group. The RDA has been supplanted by the DRI (Daily Reference Intake) but nutritional labeling laws have not kept up so they still use the older 1968 RDV (Recommended Daily Value) numbers based on the then RDA. You can find the newer DRI numbers here: http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=4&tax_level=3&tax_subject=256&topic_id=1342&level3_id=5140

FWIW: In just the past couple of years, the Institute of Medicine has recommended that randomized control studies be done to get better evidence as to exactly what levels of each nutrient are needed for each age group.

[paulsby]

11. do you understand what they mean by "healthy"?

it means not suffering from a disease.

iow, if you don't have scurvy or other deficiency related DISEASES, then you are getting enough vitamin C.

the effects of oxidation (C is an anti-oxidant) are not considered

OPTIMAL health is not considered.

health by their standards (RDA) is freedom from disease.

that's like saying happiness is freedom from sadness.

iow, health is defined as free from disease, with the understanding that many poor health conditions aren't even considered "diseases" but are just considered natural effects of aging, etc. hey, it's ok that old people get brittle bones, lose muscle mass, flexibility, etc. because that's "normal" and natural in their view.

except much of it ISN'T. it's the result of poor diet, lack of exercise, etc.

nothing you said or shows disputes my point. this is also an object lesson on western medicine which is disease and trauma based, not holistic/health based.

if a dr. can't point to a specific disease, then you're ok, so to speak.

optimal health is not considered, so much as "treat the symptoms" etc.

that's my point about RDA.
now, western medicine HAS made great strides but RDA is still a relic of the past, as are (ime) many if not most conventional MD's, etc. because that's how they were taught.

look at nutrition, and medical doctors. i used to be a personal trainer. i happen to know a lot about nutrition. i recall having a MD as a trainee, who would routinely ask ME questions about nutrition. he readily admitted he knew next to nothing and god knows medical school didn't teach him nearly anything, and waht they did teach was grossly outdated AT THAT TIME, let alone 20 yrs after the fact.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. I'm going through the same challenge.

I eat a healthy diet. I walk 3 miles a day at a good clip. I don't overeat or snack. I'm doing everything "right" and yet I can't shake the 30 lbs I've gained in less than 10 years.

My naturopath has reviewed my diet and suggested supplements and the weight stays with me.

Let me know if you find out how to be menopausal and lose weight.

[Big Blue Marble]

17. I have finally figured it out!

Amazingly, after over a decade of being fat and menopausal, I have finally lost nearly 50 pounds. I have gone
from a size 16 to a very fit and trim size 6. I lost this weight rather slowly at about one pound a week.

First and very important, I do interval training. I did it with walking only. I, now, am a very fast walker.LOL
Second, I center my diet around low glycemic unprocessed foods eating lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
Third I take supplemental omega 3. I do a few other things, but these are the core of my success.

I had nearly given up hope of having my pre-menopausal body back. Now my body is in the best shape
of my life.

[MrMickeysMom]

20. That sounds like what people have been telling us for years...

steady, gradual weight loss, anti-inflammatory diet with lots of anti-oxidents, complex carbohydrates, and large muscle activity.

I surgically had menopause at a young age, and I've always struggled to stay within 15 lbs of ideal body weight.

I think it should be a goal of health over beauty, and bottom line - be able to enjoy going places without limitation!

Good for you. That's inspiring.

[dmallind]

3. Well IMO there is nio "supposed"

But you are certainly right about the impacts of weight. For all the handwringing about obesity, weight has only been shown to have a significant impact on longevity for men who become very obese in their youth and never lsoe that weight. For other categories such as your own the differences are mostly trivial or nonexistent.

Oh and BMI measures are based on statistics gathered from Belgian peasants long ago with nowhere near the range of dietary options or medical care most current Amreicans enjoy.

[hedgehog]

4. Any data based on a single ethnic group is going to be flawed.

Some of us are Arabians, some are Clydesdales and some are Shetland ponies, IMO. I come from people who herded cattle for millenia. I don't expect to have the same body as someone whose ancestors lived on rice.

[notadmblnd]

6. I think as long as you're healthy, you're weight shouldn't be a concern

Thin/skinny doesn't equal healthy. I used to kid my husband (he was 6' 165, lifted weights for fun. Me I'm 5'4 and hover around 200). I'd tell him that if he became ill, he'd go quickly as he had no stored resources to aid in fighting illness. Where I on the other hand, would waste away slowly and have an opportunity to make a lot of people miserable. He passed 6 years ago (heart). I'm still hovering around 200 and still kicking. I guess my little ribbing was more prophetic then I realized at the time.

[Raschel]

7. I think what weight you feel good at is what you should weigh.

I think most people know what they need to lose. Any time I have too much weight I feel heavy and it drags me down.

Extra weight is hard on the body - knees, back etc. and I believe harder as you get older.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. It could be, if you have some energy and stamina.

There is a massive epidemic of people misdiagnosed/nondiagnosed and undertreated for low thyroid and adrenal fatigue problems, especially in women.

The thyroids and adrenals work together. Doctors don't want to help women who are fat and tired and they just put them on synthetic thyroid, or give them an anti depressant.
There are millions of people who are physically exhausted because these two glands have given up.

Please read up on this at www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

I was diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism at age eleven, and have taken Armour thyroid ever since then. I also have had adrenal burnout for a couple of decades, but docs won't give me enough cortisone to make me functional. However, I think my adrenals died a long time ago.

Example: I go to the Y, get on the treadmill for ten minutes, max speed 3 MPH, go home exhausted, and sleep for thirteen or fourteen hours straight.

I think that's clearcut adrenal exhaustion, in my case.

And also testosterone is in the mix for determination, willpower and energy. Doctors don't want to prescribe that stuff to women, either.

[Warpy]

12. A study came out several months ago

that said overweight women over 50 generally outlived their sisters of both normal and below normal weight. I think we do pack on the pounds after menopause as a storage of energy so we can better fight the illnesses that come along with aging.

I know mine happened within 3 months after I turned 50 with no change in either exercise or diet, although I cut the diet way back while it was happening with no effect except tiredness and low resistance to illness.

That's all that happens now when I cut back on the food. My weight hasn't fluctuated more than 5 pounds either way since I blimped up, no matter what I do or don't eat.

I hate being this heavy. I was always underweight. However, it seems to be normal, protective, and there isn't a damned thing I can do about it unless I want to spend my life in bed.

[hedgehog]

13. It sounds like we're in the same boat, especially with regards to

dieting. As I said in my OP, I'm just about ready to toss the scale and concentrate on the aerobics! That, and getting some clothes that look good on me instead of trying to fit into those that don't!

[Warpy]

14. Those are the reasonable things to do

It took me 3 years to get rid of all my skinny jeans, 3 years of unnecessary frustration. Now I just dress "it" in things that fit, mostly online because stores carry the Omar the Tentmaker line and nothing else.

Aerobics are difficult for arthritics, but I do them on good days. Mostly, I make sure my diet is a really good one. I step on the scale maybe twice a year, grunt, and shove it back under the bed.

Most of all, I just learned to accept where I am in life. I did the cute thing, I did the skinny thing, now it's time to do something else.

[hedgehog]

15. I love that last line! Perfect!

[Tumbulu]

16. I love it too and recently

have been thinking what a huge RELIEF it is to not even think about what anyone else thinks of how I look. It does not matter to me anymore. I used to think that I paid little attention to what other people thought of my looks, but now I realize that I did care a bit. It took me getting to this point in my life to realize this.

[K C]

18. Nothing wrong with your weight

There is nothing wrong with your weight, especially at your age. It's actually recommended that adults slowly gain weight once they're 40. Typically once reaching an older age, a person's health improves with weight gain if they started off underweight or normal. For overweight and obese, I don't remember if weight gain helps, but losing weight, even if morbidly obese, has been shown to have health risks.

My suggestion is to not worry about your weight, or BMI (which isn't useful for anything), and to simply try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by regular activity, and a diet rich in vitamins and so forth.

If you're interested, this site talks about certain studies about this matter, http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2007/04/news-women-can-use.html

[hedgehog]

19. Thanks for the references!

:hi: