Many people who age gain a lot of weight, don't they?

[noname223]

I see this happening with many people. Many people I went to school with gain A LOT of weight. I am quite obsessvie about my weight. I have atypical anorexia and I am obsessed about not gaining weight. In school I was very obese, I was bullied a lot and it traumatized me. Though I lost a lot of weight and now I am thin.
Though for many people the opposite happens. I think many people who I went to school with gained a lot of weight. My theory is: as a person who grows up they needed a lot of calories and they could eat whatever they wanted without gaining weight. But this time period is over for them. I had to learn discipline in order to lose weight. Others have not learned that lesson.

I think some of them don't really care about the weight gain. I think mostly about young men. I am not sure but I have the theory that in the past their parents restricted the access to unhealthy food. My parents never did that. And now as adults they don't have any restrictions anymore.

I am worried. The older I get the more difficult it gets to maintain my weiight. And I am doing insane stuff to achieve this goal. I took one specific medication for one year. I needed it. It slowed down my metabolism extremely. And I only ate very healthy food and only very low amounts. I was hungry 24/7 one year long. Lol. It was kind of torture.

There are many variables but my problems concerning weight seem to get worse. The metabolism usually slows down when one ages. I think I will have atypical anorexia till I die. And I might have to take some other medication and the starving period will repeat.

 

[ColorlessTrees]

A complex and interesting topic. People generally become less active as they age, and they have more responsibility. Plus, depending on the culture and individual food may be a common part of their life and relationships. I think most would prefer being a healthy weight, but it isn't a top priority and it's very hard to maintain when your life is so hectic. Either way, it sucks to be overweight physically and because it makes you a target.

I'm also sorry to hear about the medication. This is the main reason I won't touch antidepressants; I'd rather stay sicker than get fatter.
And I'm sure you're aware, but muscle mass is the best way to increase your daily caloric limit/metabolism. It's probably the healthiest way to keep off the pounds as you age, but easier said than done or everyone would be fit.

 

[Unworthyoflove]

to me it seems that also older people have different metabolisms. not everyone who is old needs to be super disciplined when it comes to eating. I am old, slim and I can eat what I want without worries. two of my friends (62 ,71 y) are thin and they also eat a normal diet. one of them even eats cake every day ;) its a very individual thing I guess. food is a wonderful joy,I would feel sad if I had to restrict it in some way. wish people would stop being so judgemental over others who have some kilos more and mind their own business. we all are wonderful the way we are :)

 

[gottablast888]

i recovered from anorexia 10 years ago. i have gained some weight from antidepressants, but i am not obese. when you fully recover your idea about what is "fat" changes. some people would call me fat, but i feel healthy and strong and so i will not lose weight intentionally

 

[Banshee]

I see this happening with many people. Many people I went to school with gain A LOT of weight. I am quite obsessvie about my weight. I have atypical anorexia and I am obsessed about not gaining weight. In school I was very obese, I was bullied a lot and it traumatized me. Though I lost a lot of weight and now I am thin.
Though for many people the opposite happens. I think many people who I went to school with gained a lot of weight. My theory is: as a person who grows up they needed a lot of calories and they could eat whatever they wanted without gaining weight. But this time period is over for them. I had to learn discipline in order to lose weight. Others have not learned that lesson.

I think some of them don't really care about the weight gain. I think mostly about young men. I am not sure but I have the theory that in the past their parents restricted the access to unhealthy food. My parents never did that. And now as adults they don't have any restrictions anymore.

I am worried. The older I get the more difficult it gets to maintain my weiight. And I am doing insane stuff to achieve this goal. I took one specific medication for one year. I needed it. It slowed down my metabolism extremely. And I only ate very healthy food and only very low amounts. I was hungry 24/7 one year long. Lol. It was kind of torture.

There are many variables but my problems concerning weight seem to get worse. The metabolism usually slows down when one ages. I think I will have atypical anorexia till I die. And I might have to take some other medication and the starving period will repeat.

No matter what you feel, no matter what people say, no matter what drugs you take, no matter how your metabolism works, no matter what diet you do... CALORIES IN - CALORIES OUT. There is literally, biologically, scientifically, factually no other way to gain or lose weight other than you calorie intake. Doesn't matter if you're 5 or if you're 100 it ALL works the same.

Maintaining or achieving a goal weight is literally the easiest thing to do biologically and scientifically... But... the self control is an absolute killer

 

[Superdeterminist]

Yep, ageing often brings increased body mass, although with advanced ageing (~70+), this effect seems to reverse. It's another one of the many indignities brought on by ageing.

 

[tiredplant777]

It does happen, but it doesn't really have to imo. I think it's often related to lifestyle stuff.

 

[Zegers]

Aging is yet another human problem

 

[noaccount]

It is actually the majority of anorexic people who have (what's called) "atypical anorexia" so it's a misnomer for clinicians to call it "atypical."

Bodies change and there is nothing wrong with it, youth is an impossible product used to sell us stuff by marketers.

The truth is, much of the time being fatter isn't what's making people sick - it's literally that doctors won't give the same tests or treatments to fat patients much of the time, they'll say "try losing weight" instead of giving the life-saving labs, meds, surgeries, that they would give a skinny patient.

There is a guide here to finding size-inclusive medical providers.

 

[Foresight]

No matter what you feel, no matter what people say, no matter what drugs you take, no matter how your metabolism works, no matter what diet you do... CALORIES IN - CALORIES OUT. There is literally, biologically, scientifically, factually no other way to gain or lose weight other than you calorie intake. Doesn't matter if you're 5 or if you're 100 it ALL works the same.

Maintaining or achieving a goal weight is literally the easiest thing to do biologically and scientifically... But... the self control is an absolute killer

That'a true. Drugs, age, metabolism, health factors, etc will change your TDEE. People usually require less calories in as they age, unless they stay active and are maintaining or building muscles. Muscle gain is really the only solution if you don't want to be hungry all the time. It requires time and effort though.

For me, I'm not as thin as I'd like to be because of comfort eating. I care about my weight too so it is on my mind. I find that adult life creates more need for comforts. Work life is much harder than school from my experience. It sucks up more energy and time that I could invest in my health and wellness. I think people are tired and reaching for quick meals that aren't as healthy. Modern adult life is soul sucking and we give up. I'm trying to turn that around but that's what I noticed.

 

[gottablast888]

No matter what you feel, no matter what people say, no matter what drugs you take, no matter how your metabolism works, no matter what diet you do... CALORIES IN - CALORIES OUT. There is literally, biologically, scientifically, factually no other way to gain or lose weight other than you calorie intake. Doesn't matter if you're 5 or if you're 100 it ALL works the same.

Maintaining or achieving a goal weight is literally the easiest thing to do biologically and scientifically... But... the self control is an absolute killer

medications like antidepressants alter metabolism and cause weight gain ....

 

[Banshee]

medications like antidepressants alter metabolism and cause weight gain ....

Metabolism affects your body's basic energy needs. How much you eat/drink along with energy expelled ultimately determines your weight. Regardless, weight gain/loss is 100% due to calorie in/out... Unless you get liposuction, obviously.

 

[Altvtysp]

No matter what you feel, no matter what people say, no matter what drugs you take, no matter how your metabolism works, no matter what diet you do... CALORIES IN - CALORIES OUT. There is literally, biologically, scientifically, factually no other way to gain or lose weight other than you calorie intake. Doesn't matter if you're 5 or if you're 100 it ALL works the same.

Maintaining or achieving a goal weight is literally the easiest thing to do biologically and scientifically... But... the self control is an absolute killer

I've battled with being very overweight/slightly obese in my mid 20s but managed to lose it and kept it off thoughout my 30s and on by specifically counting calories. Track what you're eating and calculate your BMR x activity and you'll know how much you'll gain or lose over time. 3500 calories is one pound. I also increased my physical activity a lot since then but the amount of food one eats is the most important factor. I cannot stand being heavier than "normal" and will naturally start eating less food to compensate for it. Having an unhealthy guilt about food helps a lot.

 

[Suicidebydeath]

I don't think it's always to do with discipline or self-control, that's insulting for a lot of overweight people. Problems with the thyroid and pituitary glands in older people for example can mess up your metabolism, you'll gain weight if you eat the same or less as a person without those issues, that's not a self-control issue. 2000 calories/day can cause weight gain when the recommended intake is 2500/day. Also people with a lot of crippling & painful health issues are naturally more sedentary than people with healthy bodies.

 

[vexxed]

I don't think it's always to do with discipline or self-control, that's insulting for a lot of overweight people. Problems with the thyroid and pituitary glands in older people for example can mess up your metabolism, you'll gain weight if you eat the same or less as a person without those issues, that's not a self-control issue. 2000 calories/day can cause weight gain when the recommended intake is 2500/day. Also people with a lot of crippling & painful health issues are naturally more sedentary than people with healthy bodies.

I don't mean to be adversarial, but wouldn't a failure to adjust your diet to the effects of aging be an example of lack of self control and discipline?

I understand in the rare cases of hyperthyroidism it can be excessively challenging to get your nutrients while not gaining weight, but to my knowledge the much more common thyroid malfunction doesn't work the same way. There's still the fact regardless that if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight, so controlling for that intake would make it a non issue in these cases.

 

[makethepainstop]

I see this happening with many people. Many people I went to school with gain A LOT of weight. I am quite obsessvie about my weight. I have atypical anorexia and I am obsessed about not gaining weight. In school I was very obese, I was bullied a lot and it traumatized me. Though I lost a lot of weight and now I am thin.
Though for many people the opposite happens. I think many people who I went to school with gained a lot of weight. My theory is: as a person who grows up they needed a lot of calories and they could eat whatever they wanted without gaining weight. But this time period is over for them. I had to learn discipline in order to lose weight. Others have not learned that lesson.

I think some of them don't really care about the weight gain. I think mostly about young men. I am not sure but I have the theory that in the past their parents restricted the access to unhealthy food. My parents never did that. And now as adults they don't have any restrictions anymore.

I am worried. The older I get the more difficult it gets to maintain my weiight. And I am doing insane stuff to achieve this goal. I took one specific medication for one year. I needed it. It slowed down my metabolism extremely. And I only ate very healthy food and only very low amounts. I was hungry 24/7 one year long. Lol. It was kind of torture.

There are many variables but my problems concerning weight seem to get worse. The metabolism usually slows down when one ages. I think I will have atypical anorexia till I die. And I might have to take some other medication and the starving period will repeat.

After my heart attacks, I am as skinny as I was in HS, thank God! And I also still have a head full of hair! OH THANK YOU GOD!

 

[noaccount]

Flegal is a meticulous researcher: her most recent analysis incorporated data from almost 100 studies and close to three million people. It was published by the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association. Yet Flegal's work has made her a target for those who scoff at the paradox. Walter Willett, a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health who has taken a high-profile stance against obesity, told NPR that one recent Flegal study was "really a pile of rubbish" and that "no one should waste their time reading it." (He was later admonished by the editors at Nature. In recent comments to Quartz, he reiterated his view that the study was "rubbish.")

Scientists now think that being overweight can protect your health

Studies show it helps patients with an increasingly long list of medical problems.

qz.com

 

[Ceterum]

That'a true. Drugs, age, metabolism, health factors, etc will change your TDEE. People usually require less calories in as they age.

True, but due to food being readily available without physical efforts we tend to keep eating the same diet, so to speak . Thus generally speaking, yes, we gain weight with age

 

[noaccount]

Many societies before industrialism and even before settled agriculture have provided their elders with food without expecting them to "work" / farm / hunt for it.

Accepting body changes throughout your lifetime and not restricting your eating is great actually.