Anyone over 60 stay slimish - how do you do it?!

[NotSoFastCuckoo]

Please don't say Zumba! (I can't do exercise unfortunately).

I don't want to go on a diet. Just looking at handy tips! And I genuinely wonder how slimmish women over 55 stay that way? Is it simple and effortless habit or steely self-control?

Answers on a postcard?

I was going to say Zumba, because I do three sessions a week, as well as cardio and dance. If that’s no good for you, what about yoga and/or Pilates for toning.

Could you just lower any carb intake without actually dieting, so fewer potatoes, rice, pasta etc. We have things like lasagne made with courgette instead of lasagne sheets, we reduce potatoes, eat very little bread and cereal.

I’m mid 50s
Low carb low fat low sugar
Don’t drink too much alcohol
I swim twice a week too

I've managed to stay roughly the same size through 2 pregnancies and the menopause. I eat 3 proper meals a day, today porridge for breakfast, hummus and salad wrap for lunch nd for dinner it will be poached salmon with green beans, spinach and wild rice. Pudding is an occasional treat and I rarely eat between meals. I do like a glass of decent red occasionally. So for me it's eating well and not having a particularly sweet tooth that keeps the weight from creeping on.

No exercise & no diet?

Magic? 😁

I'm late 40s not 50 but have started slow jogging, thread here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/exercise/3273109-niko-niko-running-technique-experiences

It's pretty easy and people much older in Japan do it. I've also started cutting my meal portions in half. Eat the rest next day for lunch. Am losing weight. Don't feel hungry.

My mother is 65, had 11 children and is a size 6.

I don’t know how she does it, except she walks everywhere as she doesn’t drive. That can’t be the only reason though.

I've been trying to work out how my Mum stayed slim until the day she dies, and I seem to have expanded rapidly in my 50s.

Difference are - I drive. She didn't, and regularly walked everywhere - would always do a couple of miles a day, often more, just going about her business.
Mainly though, it is the little treats I have, that she never did. I've got into bad habits of having a cappuccino most days, then I sit and scoff a chocolate bar if I sit to watch TV in the evening. We have a takeaway or a meal out at least 3 times a month. For my parents, that would be high days and holidays only. (I think we only had fish and chips if we were decorating, or if on holiday at the seaside - we never had Chinese or Indian takeaway), meals out were for a birthday only.
When I add up all the "only a little" things I have, I think that is what makes the difference.

It's the snacking, carbs and puddings that's the problem. No snacks, no puddings and low carbs is the answer. It's hard though! I think our metabolism gets slower as we get older, especially if we don't do much exercise.

I am 71 and would endorse the walk as much as possible, no snacks, biscuits or cake ( or chocolate)
I was a slimmish 8 stone (height 5 foot 2 ) and by backsliding on the above during the winter I went up to 9 stone.
For health reasons I am finding exercise difficult now but by curtailing my input of food I have managed to loose the excess. Walking is extremely good exercise - not ambling - serious fast walking (with a dog if you can)

60, BMI 23, would like to lose half a stone or so but qualify as 'slimmish'. Sadly it does take concentration - very disciplined on snacks, very little alcohol, keep a vigilant eye on portion control. Boring but necessary. And for added bore, the quality of what there is is a bit floppy and saggy.

But there are compensations, with age comes wisdom etc.

Mid 60s, BMI 23 but currently (deliberately) losing weight by re-training my stomach to expect less (it's working). The tendency to weight gain is because as I get older I'm becoming less energetic, so need to eat less than I used to.

My mum is in her 70s and has always been slim. Since she’s got older, she has eaten less as she’s less active, but still eats 3 meals a day, is very healthy (no junk foods / fried foods) and always eats at the same times every day (main meal midday and a light tea around 6pm). She keeps active with gardening, volunteering and doing stuff in the house. She also never snacks. In her case, she’s always followed that eating pattern so has never actively tried to cut down.

thanks for your ideas, and purples humour. I just don't want to buy new clothes either!

I can't really exercise except very little 'cos of health issues .

A little more focusing then. A little less self-indulgence. Perhaps.

zen1 your mum sounds like she's got it sorted.

You say you can't do exercise, is that due to disability? If so, how restricted are you? You don't have to go into any details, but there's exercises you can do in a swimming pool that don't involve any actual swimming. I wasn't physically able to do physio as it was too much for my joints so I started hydrotherapy and did very gentle exercises, some with the assistance of floats. I couldn't walk on land without crutches, but could walk much better in the pool with the assistance of a float. Obviously not as effective as going for a run for example, but it's better than no exercise and in some cases you can slowly build up to more effective exercises

Constant vigilance. (It's less grim than it sounds.)

I don't eat past the point at which my appetite is sated. I'd probably make an exception for a very special event but it wouldn't be >4 times a year at most and probably only x2.

I don't exclude any food groups but, that said, I make sure that I enjoy what I eat and am well-nourished by it. By default, I no longer eat bread, pasta, rice, or typical confectionery. I eat a lot of fish, vegetables, mostly low-fat dairy like yoghurt but some delicious full-fat such as aged cheese.

I'm as active as practical given several long-standing joint problems etc. from congenital conditions, various accidents plus psoriatic arthritis etc. It's non-negotiatable and not optional that I'm active every day as I can lose mobility, muscle mass etc. very quickly and the women in my family are prone to osteoporosis at a relatively young age.

If I have surgery or need to rehab. from an accident/injury, I never give myself any slack on the physiotherapy or physical rehab. and get back every bit of range of motion that I can.

Body fat level 20% (DXA scan) - which puts me in the 2nd centile for my age-group but is the body composition that is best for my amount of lean body mass.

I'm not 60 but late 40s as are most of my friends.
Only 2 of my group of friends have remained slim, I'm exactly the same weight as I was as a teenager possibly less.
My friend is too and the fundamental difference between us and our friends is that neither of us drive and we can't handle our booze! (and never drink at home) On a night out our pals will share many bottles of wine etc while we have 2 glasses at the most.
I think the lack of driving and alcohol is what keeps us trim. Who knows whether it will last until our 60s...,

I walk at least 12000 steps a day and watch what I eat very carefully. I wish I could say it was easy, but it isn't!

Given what PP have observed and in case it's revealed as relevant the more people share similar experiences:

i) I don't drink alcohol;
ii) I don't drive anywhere;
iii) always prepare our food - no ready meals or take-aways and rarely eat out.

I had a colleague who was slim at 63+ and she did weight lifting (with a coach) twice a week, played golf over the week-ends (hence the need for the weightlifting to stay fit) and only ate "home-cooked food", never any fast food, and certainly no soft-drinks. Also, she walked around 15000 steps a day (measured with a step counter, we had a little competition at work...).

My nan was a slim 8/10 until she passed away, aged 81. She did a lot of walking and ate healthily, but still enjoyed a G&T and some chocolate brazil nuts on the weekend and dessert every night. I do believe genetics is a massive part in body composition and weight.

Staying slim is hard any age.

I am 51 and 5/2 8 stone. Had 6 kids and post menopause due to my wonderful merina coil.

So every day exercise 1 hour minimum either cycling swimming running.

Low carbs I can’t give up wine but no cake/bread/treats etc.

Mainly eat salad fish chicken etc.

You have to be disciplined or flabby. Prefer disciplined.

My dm is very slim and 70. She is really rigid with her food intake, no treats no alcohol etc. She is also extremely active.

No talking about genetics is a cop out!

And glands etc.

God forbid if you look at the footage from war torn places no one is fat. It’s diet and exercise. Any other reason to be far is an excuse

Slinks away as expect flaming

I read a long time ago that as you get older you have to choose between your bottom or your face. I've chosen my face. Reading this has reinforced my belief that I've made the right choice, the restricted diets here sound utterly joyless. In the 20 years I may have left I intend to enjoy everything including wine to the full. Life's literally too short.

I found that when I hit 60 my ability to take in my 'usual' number of calories went down. And the effort it took to lose weight increased.

So I've learnt to live on fewer calories by making judicious choices and to not let my weight get out of control by more than 2 pounds.

No more pigging out for a couple of days knowing I could knock off 5 lbs in a week by skipping lunch! Sigh. Those days are long gone.