Aibu to think as you get older being a bit fatter looks better?

[ywllowcomercio]

Im 5’6, weighed between 7.5-8stone until I hit mid thirties. Now I’m 40, I think I look awful under 8.5 stone, and actively have to work to keep my weight up to avoid looking gaunt and older.
aibu to think being excessively thin makes you look old and haggard? Also I love having tits again 😂 never had any until I was pregnant the first time ha

Yes, i’m almost 50 and covid dropped to 7.5 stone. It didn’t look good.

My aim as I age is to build muscle and stay at a healthy weight.
I think that being both over and underweight can be aging tbh but I think naturally slim women generally don’t look gaunt. I often think women who’ve lost a large amount of weight look older ( but it’s probably well worth it regardless)

I think athletic "dried up" look is much better than double chin and fat stomach look. I was close to 86kg and now 65 kg and look 100 times better... But I'm not under weight, I'm 1.75m high so finally got my weight to be what it used to for the majority of my life. I'm 54 and my face looks thinner but I still look much better.

Some women look better with a bit of extra weight, some dont. I think it depends what your type is. A lot of women I know look much older with extra weight.

How? Did they explain?

If you are actually underweight this can increase the risk of osteoporosis when you are post menopause - but this is if you are underweight rather than being at the lower end of a healthy BMI.

65kg is not terribly light, though. It's healthy. If you were 55kg you might well look gaunt.

I'm mid 50s and am aiming to maintain my current size and shape which is 23-24 BMI, muscled, low visceral fat.

What that does to my face I don't really care, because I'm doing what I do for optimal fitness, health and strength not to be decorative.

But if I was forced to choose, I'd go leaner rather than plumper.

I know. But being underweight is just as bad as being overweight!

I agree. I put on weight after having a baby in my mid 30s and I looked 10 years younger. Now the fats gone and I look older.

Most middle aged people I know who carry excess weight are struggling with their knees and have breathing issues, personally I’d rather have a wrinkled face

I’m mid sixties, often told I look younger, 5’8” tall, just under ten stone, size 10. I feel big, but when I was poorly last year and went under 9 stone, I looked awful, lined and haggard. This shocked me because I weighed around 8 stone all my younger years. So I agree @ywllowcomercio , a little weight as we age has benefits.

I agree this is the most youthful.

I think when considering our 'youthfulness' we tend to scrutinise our faces in the mirror and don't think about how we appear as a whole, moving person, from further away.

Yanbu. Being excessively thin ( underweight) looks awful at any age though .

There's a difference between not being skinny and 'carrying excess weight', though. Nobody's saying it's healthy to weigh twenty stone. Just that being underweight or even the low end of normal BMI is not optimal, especially as we get older. I think that this is especially important to remember as the ultra skinny look seems to be being pushed once more.

Of course, it does depend on the individual. One of the most beautiful and healthiest people I know is very lean, but she is a professional athlete and her body is a machine in the peak of condition. Most people are not like that.

Yanbu that people, especially women don't look as good thinner as they age but yabu to think the answer is being fatter. I used to think this until I realised the problem is muscle loss. We need to be working to keep our muscle tone rather than getting fatter, although I appreciate that the latter is easier.

Rounder faces do tend to look younger, and skin sometimes looks plumper/smoother all over. Apparently it's better for your health, an elder care worker said. Not sure what age and weight, obviously she didn't mean aim to be obese at 20, but as you age, being too thin can be really dangerous and the person with a bit of extra weight might well deal with illness better.

I have lost 18 kgs over 18 months…thank you MJ . I look so much better generally but my scraggly neck looks awful 😞 I always prided my beautiful long neck for all my adult life! Swings and roundabouts I guess 🤷‍♀️

YABU
You are under weight for your height so of course you’ll look better at a healthier weight.

Im 40, recently lost weight from 11st 11lb to 9st. I look loads better. Gone from a size 1/ to 8-10 depending on where it’s from. I do not look better with more weight. I look better at a healthy weight. I was also 7st 7 ish for majority of my 20s. Also under weight but due to illness.

The way you are talking is making me wonder if you possibly have an eating disorder or similar.

Being overweight is ageing esp in tour 40s+. That middle aged spread makes people look older for sure, have a chubbier face might smooth out wrinkles but IMO it does not make people look younger

Being a healthy weight is much more youthful looking, the weights most people are talking about, esp first few posters were very low to start with and now they are heavier are still low end of BMI so it makes sense they look good.

I have lost 4stone recently, was BMI 28 and now BMI 19, I looked middle aged and frumpy before with a bloated looking face, double chin and round belly. I now have visible cheek bones, slim arms, defined tummy (not like a 20 yos but flat at least). I am 46 and dont look older than I did.

If i was underweight it may not look good but anything ove BMI 24 on me looks awful as I am a small build.

Extra body weight places a constant, heavier physical load on the skeleton. Bones respond to this higher load by increasing in density and strength.

Fat tissue produces small amounts of oestrogen which helps slow down the rapid bone loss that happens after menopause.

Statistical studies show that heavier postmenopausal women have a lower prevalence of osteoporosis and fewer hip fractures linked to low bone mass.

Again, are we taking about heavy vs underweight or heavy vs normal BMI?

Did the studies show what the extra weight does to the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer?

The geriatric BMI calculator (great name!)is based on research that shows your chances of dying of anything increase with low BMI. It kicks in at 65 and basically allows a higher BMI as an indicator of better outcomes.

https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/geriatric-bmi#why-is-bmi-not-accurate-for-elderly

Oh for sure. Most older people look better being a bit fuller in the face. I lost a lot of weight at one point (unintentionally) and was right down the lowest end of my healthy BMI range and it aged me terribly.

This is interesting, I'm still not sure we're seeing the full picture. Just speaking from my own observations, nothing scientific, if we're looking at 65+ many very overweight people suffering from diabetes and CV disease don't make it to that age so the sample size is effectively the more metabolically healthy people who are left.