Why do some get fat when they get older and others not?


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HappyandLight is offline HappyandLight Post #1  September 15,2009, 9:08pm
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I first want to say this is not a post to bash overweight people at all. I am just wondering.

Today while walking my dogs I saw a woman I knew a long time ago. When I knew her, she was about 30 and was trim and in shape. She obviously knew how to keep in shape. She's an intelligent woman and knows how to eat.

Fast forward 15 years. She is over 45...she is very fat. Tonight I saw a protruding belly..just heavy and fat. And has been this way for awhile.

Knowing that she is smart enough to know what to do to stay slim, why is she fat? Why do some people (and I am mostly thinking of women here) get fat when they get older and others no? What is the difference?

I felt a little freaked and had a great deal of compassion for her. Surely, she must not be happy about it. Also, I am over 40, have always been fit and svelte but wonder if I'll change too, or will have to do something different.

I know both types...women who have gained and women who have not. What is the difference?
 
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illustrator is offline illustrator Post #2  September 16,2009, 2:10pm
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HappyandLight wrote :
Knowing that she is smart enough to know what to do to stay slim, why is she fat?

Why not simply ask her?
 
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Robecology is offline Robecology Post #3  September 16,2009, 4:44pm

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In general, the older we get, the more our metabolism slows, and the more foods we "discover" that we like! The rare thin minority are generally mellower, calmer, or in to a more active, less focused-on-eating lifestyle - which has become increasingly rare. America's suffering a true crisis in food addiction...see this...
http://www.weight.com/obesity_2001.gif

We need education as well as health care reform BADLY...
 
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AsianGal is offline AsianGal Post #4  November 4,2009, 9:03pm
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Really?
I do know older people's metabolism slows but so do their eating habits, it shrinks.
My Mom is 60 and she's as trim as she was before. She never ever goes to the gym, she eats a good 3 meals a day and she's very healthy.

I think as you grow older your share of physical activity slows down as well.
Many times food habits might not slow in tandem with the lack of physical activity hence the imbalance in calorie intake and burning off.

I think ingraining a love for physical activity means not going to a stupid gym as it trains your mind to see physical activity as 'exercise' (=negative/chore/work) and bound to flop unless you're a really staunch, goal orientated person.
Instead, having a liking to be involved in pleasant activities and acquiring good habits which do not take mind bending or hypnosis for life.
My Mom loves going for walks. She goes for walks almost two hours a day to enjoy the weather and the scenary, morning and evening.
She has a cup of light tea in the mornings and walks nearby to have a traditional Asian breakfast of sweetened split green pea soup with dough fritters, reads the papers, then takes a good walk around the neighbourhood and parks before coming back home. Many times I go for these walks with her and get the same habits such as the love for long walks. We once walked and talked over 5-8 km (I think more but I'm not sure) in the evening till late and had yummy Chinese porridge for dinner before walking back home.
She has an excellent habit of never drinking soft drinks (hates the taste) and taking care of her skin through moisturising cream and ingestion of Chinese medicinal soups which supposedly improve health and skin.

As a result her health is excellent, she has a lack of wrinkles (you'd swear she's younger than 40) and has very smooth and fair skin, no skin blotches, wrinkles, nothing - maybe just very light smile wrinkles at the corner of her eyes, the rest of her face and arms/legs have very youthful skin.
Many times she has to show her ID for proof of age when using her senior citizen's card because they don't believe she is over 55.

It is possible that it is medical such as diabetes medication which made her grow fatter.
But generally its just lack of physical activity and eating habits.
Last edited by AsianGal; November 4,2009 at 9:09pm.
 
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Lilycat is offline Lilycat Post #5  November 9,2009, 6:32pm
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HappyandLight wrote :
I first want to say this is not a post to bash overweight people at all. I am just wondering.

Today while walking my dogs I saw a woman I knew a long time ago. When I knew her, she was about 30 and was trim and in shape. She obviously knew how to keep in shape. She's an intelligent woman and knows how to eat.

Fast forward 15 years. She is over 45...she is very fat. Tonight I saw a protruding belly..just heavy and fat. And has been this way for awhile.

Knowing that she is smart enough to know what to do to stay slim, why is she fat? Why do some people (and I am mostly thinking of women here) get fat when they get older and others no? What is the difference?

I felt a little freaked and had a great deal of compassion for her. Surely, she must not be happy about it. Also, I am over 40, have always been fit and svelte but wonder if I'll change too, or will have to do something different.

I know both types...women who have gained and women who have not. What is the difference?

Gluten intolerance can cause the weight gain. Happened to me. No changes in lifestyle, eating habits, etc, etc, started to gain and got quite ill along with the weight. Ditched gluten, weight left (most of it at this point, I am only about 6 months into being gluten free) feel tons better. So that can be one cause of the weight gain. Let me tell you, it is totally frustrating when you are doing everything right and STILL packing on the pounds.

Emotional eating is another - there is a ton of writing out there on the subject, and a lot of interesting reading.

Not all overweight is due to gluttony, in fact fingers are starting to be pointed at GM foods (genetically modified) being responsible for some of this happening. Again , interesting reading. It may change your mind about what you put in your mouth for sure!

Lilycat
 
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peppermint21 is offline peppermint21 Post #6  November 28,2009, 6:16pm
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Some of it is genetics. Some is personal choice as you mentioned. Sometimes people go through periods in their life that are emotionally difficult and some turn to food. Some stop seeing the point in putting for the effort to look good. I even know one woman that started gaining weight in an effort to keep her cheating and abusive husband from wanting to have sex with her. Medication. Injury. Stress. There are many things that could be going on.
 
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RoxyRedhead is offline RoxyRedhead Post #7  November 30,2009, 8:09pm
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peppermint4209 wrote :
Some of it is genetics.

snip.
Medication. Injury. Stress. There are many things that could be going on.
IMO most of it is genetics and if we have the genes that want to store fat, we have to fight like crazy to not do it. My grandparents, parents and 2 of my siblings are overweight. 2 of my 4 children are slightly overweight, though they are both athletic and eat in a healthy manner...it's the roll of the genetic dice.,
I have fought my weight most of my life and I had a very physical job, worked out regularly and as a vegetarian ate in a healthy manner-
Now in my 60s I still have to exercise and watch the amount and types of food I eat in order to not gain weight.
It is a tough battle and not a simple one..
If your body is a naturally slender one, value those genes! For the rest of us it's just plain hard work
 
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