Age & weight

[PineappleCakes]

Reading about Trousers of Truth, Victory Jeans (of which I have many pairs...) made me think about my weight. Again.

I'm 45 and I weigh roughly 1stone more than I did 20 years ago. I gained and never lost 1/2 stone post-pregnancy, then another 1/2 stone a couple of years ago through stress and comfort eating.

I'm not happy nor resigned to being this heavy. But is it normal that we women expect ourselves to weigh the same throughout our life? Our style changes, our skin ages but the hope/expectation that we "stay slim" or similar to our teen or 20s self seems even more entrenched yet possibly just as unrealistic.

Many of the fab posters on that other thread were talking about getting back into summer shorts etc. and I think we all watch our weight to some extent. How common is it, to stay the same weight or shape through the decades? Or is it just damaging to ourselves?

I’m the same weight at 43 that I was at 18. I eat really healthily in the main and don’t drink unless things are really, really bad.

Jillian Michael's did a You Tube talk on this. Basically, when you are going through menopause and afterwards you need to exercise more and cut calories.

I'm peri menopause at 50 and I cycle, walk, do vinyassa yoga, do cross fit ab exercises and so far I maintain my weight. At 5' 9" I'm usually 63-65 kg and have been this weight for 30 years but I work hard to maintain it through diet and exercise with no alcohol.

My weight has been all over the place. Currently I weigh 56kg at 43 years old (5ft6 ish). I do a huge amount of exercise and very rarely drink alcohol.

I'm 49 - I haven't weighed myself in 5 years and I have no intention of ever doing so again. I wear a size 12ish. I understand my body shape will never change - even if I went down a few sizes years ago. At size 8 I looked better in clothes but worse naked - scrawny - that was a surprise. Now I feel I have reached a happy medium and I'm free from the tyranny of dieting and weighing and that means more to me - I wish I'd got here sooner.

I'm 5ft 7in - 50 and weigh 58kg. I exercise a lot - I'm still having regular periods so I'm not yet sure I've had the peri menopausal weight gain yet.
My weight has been between 8 stone and 12 stone - I put on a lot during my first pregnancy (13 years ago now) but lots a lot during my second 8 years ago as I had quite morning sickness. I do keep an eye on my weight because I've got PCOS but largely I've been around 58-62kg since I had my youngest child.

@Pinkraven that is where I'd like to be I think - accepting and free from the constraints of it all!!

I need to be around 5-7 pounds heavier than my 20s-30s normal weight in order for my face not to look too haggard. I should really put another 7 pounds on but it all goes on to my tummy - wish we could divert fat where we need it to be - cheeks please!

I've embraced it because I'm not willing to do calorie counting or cutting out foods or cutting back. I love exercise and do lots. But other than that, nope, I'm far from the size 6 I was at 30 and care not a jot.

I weigh less now than I did as a teen/in my 20s although I've never been big.
I weighed around 9st 7 until I went through a hugely traumatic patch in my mid 30s (divorce, very ill parent etc) I lost about a stone during that time and although I've now put some back on, over 10 years later I weigh around 8st 11 and find it very difficult if my weight creeps up now as I've got used to being this size!
I'm 50 and do worry that it's not achievable long term?

I change shape and size sometimes. I don't have trousers of truth or anything. If I'm a stone heavier now when I'm post menopausal, I'll be happy enough with that and, chances are, (even though I keep a small wardrobe and buy as little as possible), by that time, I expect my clothes will have worn through and I'll need new ones 🤷‍♀️. So I'll buy them in the correct size and get on with my life.

Stone heavier than I am now*

same weight as before....but i think that it looks different especially with the lockdown. i definitely have a lot less muscle tone at 40 than i do at 20. on paper i weight 48kgs and should be really thin but its not the same thin as before. but this might change as i reach the menopause

Age 25- 10 stone
Age 35- 11 stone
Age 45 12 stone (plus 4 kids)
Age 55.(now) 13 stone.
There's a bit of a pattern isn't there? I'm 5'6 and fit and healthy and not going any further up. Need to lose some but I'm happy enough,

Age 16 -7.5 stone I'm 5ft 2.5
Age 19 after two children 8stone 4
Stayed this weight till around 45/ 50 then 8 stone 10
Now age 60 I'm 9 stone Happy to hopefully stay this weight.

I was eight and a half stone in my twenties but currently at 10st in my fifties.
Any more than a 7lb loss would make me happy but look scrawny now.

I’ve always had to watch my weight since being a teenager - now I’m 56 and find it a little harder eg if I gain a few pounds due to Xmas or a holiday it takes longer to shift it than when I was in my 30s or even 40s but I feel better if I try and keep on top of it
The last 12 months has caused me to gain weight but I’m determined to shift it this year

A broad range of attitudes, yay! I'd love to be thin, but I also love my food and drink. More.

I know the reality is that my body needs fewer calories as I age, especially post-meno, but that shift in attitude is difficult to achieve. Especially with the stress of raising teenagers, I'm not ready to give up the alcohol yet!

I'm nearly 42 and weigh pretty much the same as I did when I was in my teens and early twenties. I fluctuate between 62-64kg depending on how much exercise I am doing and I tend to eat more stodgy food in winter months.
I am active and walk a lot - always have done. I also run 2 times a week and do a couple of yoga sessions. I've done the same amount of exercise for the last ten years.
I have thyroid disease and even though it's taken a long time to get my TSH right with medication fortunately for me weight gain hasn't been one of my symptoms.

I'm 56 and postmenopausal now and I'm happy enough to be a stone or so heavier than I was in my 20s because having a bit more weight on at my age is protection for my bones. The lack of oestrogen as we age makes our bones more vulnerable, so I'll put up with my bit of extra padding.

I weigh less than I did at 18 (I'm 40) but I've been a yo yo dieter since I was 14 and my weight has fluctuated massively over the years.

This is interesting as I've recently been battling to lose some pounds which have gradually crept on over the last year. I was determined to stay at my mid 30s weight but 10 years later, I now need to eat under 1000 calories a day to maintain it. Exercise seems to make no difference to my weight in fact I tend to put more on, the more I do!

Being small, any weight gain really shows but what I noticed on Zoom calls this year is that I have a tendency to look scrawny when I've lost a few pounds. I'm not intending to put weight on but constant dieting is just not manageable long term so I'm just going to keep eating healthily and accept the new normal for me!

Well I have been all sorts of sizes. I had a baby late [43] and came out of that pregnancy as a 14-16. Lost weight down to a 10-12 [ I don't tend to weigh myself! Put it back on and then last year lost it all and went down to a small 12 again only to put it all back on and am now around 12 stone. It doesn't look bad on my 5ft6 height but would like to lose a stone at least and be more of a smallish 12. Atm i am a 12-14.

Oh and forgot to say, I am in my early 50;s now and losing weight is a complete bugger.

Early 20s, I was a bit thin at 7 st 10.

I looked good at 9 st when I married at 30. Had baby late 30s, then spent my 40's yo-yo-ing between 10 and 11 stone.

Late 50s I'm now heaviest ever at around 11 st 8. I'm cross with myself as I'd got down to 10 st again early last year but put it all back on again and more .

To make it worse I seem to have lost an inch in height and I wasn't tall to start with .

I am past 50 and keep my figure because I want to not because of societal pressure. It takes a bit of discipline and whilst I love my food I don’t eat crap or party food such as crisps unless I am actually at a party.

I eat for health as much as looks and luckily the two work together. What is great for longevity and brain, a ton of vegetables and fruits, does wonder for skin and weight maintenance.
When clothes feel different or the zip doesn’t come up as easily, I am more careful with how much I eat and so far , I have been able to maintain my figure as I like it.
So yes @Littlefluffyclouds13 it is possible to maintain it past 50. You need to know what is the food you thrive o and enjoy