To wonder why so many post menopausal women are overweight?

[Fruitandnutqueen]

My friend and I are both 44 and love to sit and people watch.
One conversation and observation we make regularly is the fact we notice there appears to be a high percentage of women, late 40's plus, who are overweight.
Last week I was on a campsite where the majority of the people where 50+ and most of them were quite overweight.
We are coming to the conclusion that it's either menopausal hormones and we'll have no control over the bulge attack when the time comes (not long now ) or that most people hit that age and think 'oh fuck it, life's too short!' and just eat and drink to their hearts content.
I suppose there are probably just as many men that age overweight too, but I can't help but notice women I know who were previously slim, hit that age group and expand quite a bit!
Just wonder if it's inevitable?

Place marking to see if MNHQ delete this GF of a thread

Soup - is there any reason you can't take HRT (previous breast cancer, high blood pressure, that sort of thing)? Because if not, I really have found it a game-changer. Have a look at the NICE guidelines for prescribing HRT, or the Menopause Matters website. Both have excellent discussions of the pros and cons. Yes, there are slightly enhanced risks of some cancers (to put it in perspective, much lower risks than those attached to smoking, drinking or being overweight). But those are offset by alleviation of symptoms and protective effects on your bone structure (hip fractures, for e.g. are one of the leading causes of death in old women).

I'm in my late forties so I must be approaching the Menopause...I've also been looking for a new tent....

I had no idea the two things were connected...

Perhaps my subconscious is telling me I can always wear the tent when I turn into a moose?

soup the simple fact is that 1600 cals may be too much for you now at this age.

That amount is around what I eat (maybe slightly more than I eat) on a daily basis . You are possibly overestimating the amount of calories that 10K steps uses up (I've a Fitbit and have tracked my own 10K / cals.)

You need a deficit of 500cals a day for a week to lose one pound.

I think you perhaps need to reassess your intake (and be sure it really is 1600 cals) and if so, drop to 1300 and see if that works. I can certainly eat pretty well on 3 x 400 cals meals a day including lean protein, lots of fruit and veg.

OP is making an observation. I don't see it as goady or nasty.

I'm in my late 50's and have been on HRT for 4 years. My weight has actually gone down a bit and my shape hasn't changed - I still carry most excess weight around my bum and thighs. Most of my friends are a bit older than me - generally around 60 - 65. They all complain about weight settling on their stomachs and it being very hard to shift.

Hormonal changes, health issues etc I'm sure do make a big difference for some women but definitely not all. I do agree that a lot of women over 50 do carry any excess weight around their middle. Flipping hormones.

My weight gain is positively correlated with my consumption of clotted cream.

Fact, that.

I've noticed that almost 100% of men over the age of 45 are ugly. The majority, but not all, are also fat. Is it because they think ugly thoughts and get ugly that way, or is there something else going on?

DH is 49 and is dashingly handsome, NameChanger.

The only thing iv noticed are people are all different shapes and sizes.

I don't see anything goady about this at all. Maybe if we discussed this a bit more we wouldn't all end up with health affecting obesity in our older age!

You and your little friend sound like colossal idiots.

I'm post menopause and I like to people watch.

Yes weight gain can be a thing after the menopause, as other posters have already explained. It's not inevitable but you may have to work much harder to keep it off.

Weight distribution can also change. I'm 3 or 4 pounds heavier than I was before but a very different body shape (I've sprouted boobs) and much fuller in the face.

I'd advise any posters who have plans to lose weight and who are coming up to the menopause to crack on with it now because it'll probably be twice as hard to lose it afterwards.

In my 20s l was 8 and a half stone played competitive sport most days walked everywhere and hadnt much time to eat. In my 30s l had 3 children gave up sport gained half stone extra on each pregnancy was cooking all the time for family so gained weight. All the time l had a flat stomach with weight on thighs. In 50s now weight on tummy. Have joined a gym . Less eating as kids gone. But now it takes me a month to lose a few pounds where before l could drop half a stone in a week..l feel brilliant though and love my body more than in my 20s. I dress to suit my shape. All l want now is to keep moving.

Women of ALL ages are massively overweight these days and the related illnesses are proving to be a huge drain on an already overstretched NHS.

The dreadful thing is that it is entirely preventable, but so many people trot out the usual nonsense about being unable to lose weight, or that diets don't work etc.

The simple truth is if you eat a bit less, and move around a bit more, you will lose weight, no matter what age you are.

I was reading the other day that undertakers have had to buy in super sized coffins large enough to house these obese individuals.

It's a dreadful situation but I have no idea what the answer is.

Today 12:19 SusannahL

Women of ALL ages are massively overweight these days and the related illnesses are proving to be a huge drain on an already overstretched NHS...

Not quite accurate. "Some women of ALL ages..." might have been less of a sweeping statement. However, whilst I agree with most of your post I think class plays its part too. Those who live in affluent, middle class suburbs are generally not "massively overweight". Is that a direct result of better education with all the advantages it bestows - such as a higher standard of living and higher self-esteem? Is it because you have choices when you are not poor and the disposable income which enables you to eat more healthily?

I am always surprised when people go on about an obesity epidemic. I genuinely do not know any one who is larger than a size 12 - not at work, not in my personal life, and don't see many obese people on the street. I live in West Yorkshire so nowhere particularly fancy or different.

Are you a "modelle" or something.

Junebirthdaygirl
Im 54 i go to the gym 3 times a week, swim 2 to 3 miles a week, go to 2 aqua class and a fit ball class and walk a few miles a day, even swam a 5k swimathon in april. My bmi is 33 but at moment losing inches rather than weight and swapped 5lb of fat for muscle in last month. Even visceral fat is in safe zone.

Not quite accurate. "Some women of ALL ages..."

Sorry but technically it IS accurate. The number of women overweight or obese'

See www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/statistics-and-causes-of-the-obesity-epidemic-in-the-UK.aspx

So the majority in fact.

No good trying to avoid the stats and the dire prediction so the next 15 years.

When I was at school in the 1960s, there was maybe 1 child in a class of 35 who was the 'fatty'. Now that has risen to 1:4.

Heron98 so the validated stats that 2/3 of adults are overweight or obese are a myth? It seems that your idea of normal weight has become distorted like many others. If you are referring to an M&S size 12, most women of average height will be overweight if that's what they're wearing.

I think people use the fact its unhealthy to be overweight and could be drain on nhs resources as an excuse to be judgemental and unkind towards overweight people.

The poster was wondering if this would happen to her and her friend and that's a valid question to ponder.

It is harder to keep weight off post menopausal, it doesn't mean it can't be done. My old boss said she ate about 30% less post menopause and this wasn't a diet it was going to be until the day she died as she was determined to not be over weight.

I'm the same, it is harder, I eat less carbs but would never give up an entire food group.

You need to visit my High Street heron.

I also think that we have changed our perception of what 'normal' is. I watch one of those old Top or the Pops episodes that are always on 'Catch Up' not long ago, and it struck me how slim (thin? skinny?) all of the people were - not just the odd exceptionally notable singer, but everyone - audience included, from the snippets I could see. I don't particularly notice people's weight, so the fact it struck me, suggests that my perception of 'normal' is now quite different from 30 yrs ago.

I am also another one who doesn't get why people have portrayed the OP as being nasty. This is an anonymous forum, for pondering about things. She hasn't said where she is, and hasn't identified anyone. She was saying it is something she has observed. As others have said, perhaps if we talked about it more, there might be more awareness about looking after our health. People being visibly overweight is a health issue - this is therefore a conversation we should have about eh population as a whole. I'm not interested from a perspective of what people look like, I'm interested in the health of generations of people.

nina, I do see your point about class and income, but although there has always been this difference in income and class, this obesity crisis is relatively new.

Even as recently as 20 or so years ago, things were nowhere near as bad as they are now.

Of course, walk down any High Street these days and it seems as if every other shop has been turned into a fast food outlet or coffee shop. That's the problem I think - food is so readily available.
Maybe people have forgotten what it feels like to be hungry between meals.

judgemental and unkind towards overweight people.

I can't see any evidence of people being unkind towards fat people.

I can't actually see what is wrong in having an opinion if this is what 'judgemental' means!

People ought to be judged- their greed means the NHS can't treat many illnesses that are not self-inflicted because of all the money spent on treating diabetes.

At least smokers were taxed to help fund their eventual drain on the NHS- fat people aren't.