to think fat isnt inevitable as you get older

[wilsonq2]

I've always been a health freak. Constantly people say this will all change as you get older, as if it is part of live becoming overweight.

Even my DM say this, but she was never into exercise or eating natural.

Aibu to think this is just an excuse ?

The menopause has definitely made me naturally thicker around the waist. It's really bloody hard work keeping it off.

Well look around you. Are all the old people you know fat?

No, it is not inevitable.

What age are you thinking of? I've been married 40 years and weigh the same as I did on my wedding day. My mantra is 'eat for maintenance and not growth'.

I am menopausal and am finding it bloody hard work so no, it is not inevitable, but it is harder to keep in shape (apart from a round one!)

apart from a round one

It's not inevitable, but if you are one of those people who has never really thought or worried about their weight then you may be in for a bit of a shock.
But as you're a 'health freak' you'll probably know what to do to maintain your weight .

No she's wrong. I'm not sure why anyone would feel the need to say this to you? Are you gloating about being slim?

A lot of my friends are my age or older (46) and have gorgeous figures.

I'm overweight by 2 stone but am hoping to lose 2 stone through more exercise and healthier living.

My mum is 84 and very petite.

Well round here (north east) everyone seems huge tbh, was a real shock after living in London for a decade.

IME weight goes on a lot quicker and is harder to shift when you get older - post menopause or after hysterectomy etc.
How you deal with it is then a personal choice.

I know lots of men who used to be very skinny, eat-whatever-they-like types right up until their 40s and then they suddenly ballooned in size. They didn't suddenly start to eat more and do less, their metabolism just doesn't let them eat as they did when they were young.

I will never see size 10 again - but I really don't care.

wilsonq2 I'm in the north east and have to disagree. Although we don't do well on the obesity charts for some of the towns.

It's not inevitable - well I'm only a couple of pounds heavier since the menopause. But my shape has changed which is weird and, when I do put on weight, it's harder to shift.

I'm Vegan, exercise, but since my periods completely stopped (I'm also having hair loss), my shape has changed and I'm really struggling to control my weight and appetite.

We are all different, lead different lives, so it isn't an excuse, it's a reason.

Why you have to give strangers excuses about personal changes, I'll never understand, though.

Once you hit the menopause I've found it so much easier to not have to justify any type of behaviour, to anyone. It really is liberating.

I don't want to spend all my free time, hungry, or exercising. I'm practically child free (youngest 16), so at 47, I'm going to enjoy myself, this will include Wine and Southern Comfort, as well as voluntary work which is food for my soul.

Is everyone in London thin?

"Well round here (North East) everyone seems huge tbh."

EVERYONE?! Really??

Or is that a sweeping generalisation designed to make you look like a goady fucker?

I think people don't have as much motivation to stay slim as they get older. And metabolism slows down. And opportunities for exercise are less when you have a family. And opportunities to stay at home and eat cake are more. It is easy to stay slim when you are 20 something, out socialising all the time or at the gym. I know some slim older people, but they are in the minority.

And I think government campaigns to get everyone losing weight and eating healthy have completely the reverse effect. They make me want to rebel and eat cream cakes.

I'm early 60s, slim and don't go hungry.
I don't eat biscuits, cakes, crisps or the like.

Loads of veg, no wheat, no dairy.

It is not inevitable to be old and fat.

I'm lighter and fitter at 42 than I was at 32.

And in fact (having just come from a few days in London), I was struck by the number of thin, athletic older women (say 60 ish plus, but some a good bit older) I saw in central London. Some British, some tourists, but (coincidentally?) all encountered at the National Gallery, Tate, and Queen Elizabeth Hall.

That's not to say you don't get thin, fit older women in my bit of rural England, either, but I was struck by the numbers i saw this weekend.

Once you hit the menopause I've found it so much easier to not have to justify any type of behaviour, to anyone. It really is liberating.

Yes yes yes to this!

linerunner not everyone, but there is a noticeable difference in average sizes. There was a big long thread on here about this topic a couple of weeks ago. Not specifically compared to northeners though. I notice the difference and I live in Essex.

I am 43 and slim. Size 10. When I was in my 20s I was 12 stone and a size 16 at my fattest. I have been same weight for over 10 years.

I live in London now but come from the north.

Well I was exaggerating, but 4 out of 5 are fat around here. In central London it is the opposite, no joke.

I don't know, after a very stressful couple of years, I have put on two stone. I am determined to lose it (not least because xH told me that a saggy stomach was inevitable since childbirth). I am going to enjoy wearing my lovely skirts again, I swear.

I would hate to generalise, though, I am only talking about me.

DH says this to me constantly regarding getting bigger with age. I think its a lifestyle thing. Im 35, not hit menopause yet, but my lifestyle is so different to what it was 15 years ago. Im no longer young, free and single. I eat more now (partly due to DH's portion sizing - he does the cooking) and have less time for exercising.

Im also in the NE and I can't say that Ive noticed that people are fat up here (maybe because Im overweight a bit myself so your probably looking at me OP) then again Ive never spent more than a weekend in London and didn't really look at people so can't compare. Not that I care anyway if strangers are big or small, it effects their life not mine.