To wonder if eating healthily is worth it?

[Doesitmakeadifference]

I'm late 30s, throughout my life my diet hasn't been very good but it probably hasn't been horrendous either. I've never eaten enough veg.

Several years ago dh and I were in a rut and our diet became very bad, loads of takeaways, way too much junk processed food. Both put on weight.

So a few years ago we turned our whole lifestyle around and now eat well, we exercise every day. Every so often we go on a complete health kick and eat very clean. We go to bed early, rarely drink generally I'd say we have a very healthy lifestyle.

I do wonder though sometimes how much difference it honestly makes. To be honest nearly everyone I know eats what they want. Dh often tells me while he's eating his salad or healthy sandwich or homemade whatever all his workmates are eating Greggs, pizza, sausage rolls crisps chocolate bars.

Apart from being slimmer I can't honestly say I feel massively different to when I was eating junk food all the time. Can't say I've got glowing skin or that I'm full of energy.

When I was 59 I discovered I had high BP. That scared me as it puts you at higher risk of strokes and I am scared of losing my independence due to stroke induced disability. I hate going to the doctor so I decided to try and tackle it by adjusting my diet. I gave myself three months.

my diet now is super healthy. I don't calorie count but I eat a lot of plant based, unprocessed, salt free foods. I aim for 10 fruit and veg a day including legumes, nuts and seeds. I eat an egg most days and very small portions of fish/meat. I still have occasional treats like crisps/chocolate/bread but whereas before I'd eat lots now it's a handful of crisps or just one (Hotel Chocolat) chocolate. natural, protein rich foods are very filling so the urge to snack isn't there.

within 3 months my BP dropped from 173/100 to,127/78 and to my amazement I had lost 6kg. I had assumed that being post menopausal I was doomed to middle aged spread. Healthy eating was working in ways I hadn't expected so I carried on.

That was 2 years ago now. My average BP is now 116/67. I've lost 19kg, my BMI has dropped from 29 to 21. My skin is better. In my sixties l have more energy than I did 20 years ago. I'm stronger than I was before. My dress size has gone from 14/16 to 8/10.

So yes - it's absolutely worth eating healthily.

@FeelingwearyFeeelingsmall That’s really inspiring, and exactly the kind of thing I think of when I am wondering whether it’s worth it. I want to be a slim and fit 60 year old one day too.

My experience mirrors yours, @FeelingwearyFeeelingsmall - except I'm 10 years older and I'm also seriously into exercise, especially weight training.

This is what I ate today - a fairly typical day:

2 egg omelette incorporating a dollop of cream cheese, a bit of dill, red peppers and a cup of broccoli left over from last night's dinner.
A tablespoon of cottage cheese, a few nuts and olives, plus a peach.
A large salad of lentils, tomatoes, celery, red peppers, with a lemon juice/wine vinegar/ balsamic vinegar dressing, plus a breast of chicken (I roasted several, so there's plenty left for tomorrow).

This is real, clean, tasty food which is also very filling. I generally eat between 10-11am and 6-7pm, and i dont feel hungry. There is no way I'd swap this for processed and/or carb-rich meals.

@FeelingwearyFeeelingsmall that's brilliant. Congratulations

Well, my Mum ate crap her way to an early grave… was overweight for as long as I can remember, occasionally crossing over into being obese. Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in her early 60’s, didn’t change a damn thing, just whined about being addicted to chocolate when we tried to remind her that she had a serious illness and needed to sort out her diet… died suddenly last year when my second baby was 8 weeks old. Cause of death was determined as coronary heart disease, with type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and kidney stones being contributing factors.

Up to you if you want to take that risk, but your children might not thank you for it.

I have seen first hand the consequences of eating a crap diet of fast food, and processed food on a family member. It was really sad to see them practically disabling themselves for want of a better diet. They are no longer here, and it is the remaining family who are feeling it. Their last years were not good, being practically housebound, and in really poor health.

Like the PP I think it can also make a big difference to how healthy you are in your later years. Modern medicine works wonders and longevity has been increasing, but our healthspan has not been increasing at the same rate. This means we're living longer but those extra years are not active and healthy. Diet and exercise are not guarantees of a long and healthy life, and there will always be outliers, but it gives you the best chance of seeing your children through to adulthood, enjoying retirement and spending time with grandchildren

Yes this! If you keep it up you're so much less likely to get diabetes, cancer, heart disease etc etc than these colleagues. Well done! If you find you're not enjoying your new diet so much you can experiment a little with different flavors etc but I think you'll look back so happy that you made the change

I'm in my 30s, eat pretty healthy, exercise almost every day and compared to other people at work I rarely get ill and have so much more energy than others. I wake up earlier, am more alert than others etc. It definitely does make a difference I'm sure!

FormerlyPathologicallyHappy · Yesterday 11:04
All it means is that your the one left behind when your partner dies. Dh never held back, food, booze he just did what he liked and died of a cancer caused by radiotherapy 40 years ago. Lifestyle changes were not going to save him.

So here's me little miss healthy eating left behind eating unhealthily and refusing screening etc to try and tip the odds in my favour.

I worked in elderly care for 13 years too so I'm under no illusion that old age if enjoyable.”

Very sorry for your loss.

That really is a very negative view of older age, though. My mother is in the early stages of dementia now but she had 84 spectacularly healthy years before that. The last 40 in particularly were incredibly happy and fulfilling.

This

And this
The podcasts. Not necessarily the programme

Almost as soon as you hit your 50s you will realise the benefits of sticking to a healthier lifestyle. Who knows what is around the corner - but you might as well give yourself the best chance. No harm in letting loose every now and again though.

Mid-40s here. Have never been sporty. I did once manage to lose a decent amount of weight through diet and for about six years was not overweight. It then crept back on but I tried to stick with some exercise. It felt OK but my weight was out of control and exercise did not seem ‘worth’ the effort. I saw people try SO hard to be healthy and they did not see results. BUT 15 years on, their small habits have paid off. And mine have come home to roost.
So don’t give up like I did.

@tanyamcquoid It is absolutely not too late to turn things around.

I actually find it easier and more motivating to focus on health rather than looking good. It feels much more kind and loving to myself rather than self critical.