USA Senior Obesity...the mirror vs. self-image!

I ask my husband this question a lot: Do I look like that? If I see an obese person I ask. If I see a skinny person I ask. If I see a woman that looks just right I ask. I cannot seem to get a handle on how I look at this weight and what I would look like if I lost the weight recommended. I am sure that a great many women my age have the same self-image problem. I am 68 years old and am 5'4.5" tall!

We all face our aging in different ways. Some let their hair go gray at very young age and love the way they look. Others begin coloring their hair at the first sign of a gray hair and by the time they are 68 they cannot even recall what their real color is. When I was young my relatives had no idea what my natural adult hair color was. I guess I fall into the latter category. I liked it that way.

I have written a great deal about acceptance of our aging-self and not giving in to the myths that surround aging. Gray hair is not unacceptable nor is red...we get to choose. Walking 2 or 3 miles a day is not hard but if you can't do that and should, a trip around the block is better than nothing. But move we must. Being overweight is not a choice either! Or it is not for me...I like life much to much to go about digging my grave with my teeth...eating to stay alive is much better that eating to kill myself. When we think of how much we weighed when we were thirty and how much we weigh now, most of us will find that the pounds have slowly but surely come to rest and stay. It is an on going battle. That is where I am right now. I think I finally have a clear picture of myself in my mind. I can tell by judging how I feel. No mirror can tell me that. Fatigue is not a sign of over doing...for me it is a sign of underdoing ! Undoing is not good. In my case it is a matter of working through a little pain. So be it!

Let me just review where I have been in the past 10-15 years so you can see the whole picture.

• Fifteen years ago I discovered that my cholesterol had gone to the danger point. I worked for several years at Oregon Health Science University to come up with a mixture of diet and drugs that seemed to help. But following the regimen has taken many years of adjustment and I seem to still not have it whipped.
• Three year ago I was at a loss when it came to getting my eating under control. When I noticed the Weight Watchers had an online program I signed up and paid a fee to track food nutrition and exercise. I posted weight gained or lost every week and checked charts for progress and back sliding. My computer sat in my kitchen so the process was very easy. I exercised more and tracked that activity too. It worked up to a point!
  
• Four years ago I could not turn over in bed without flailing around like a walrus. I joined Curves and relearned muscle movement. The things I learned during the year I belonged still work. I turn over in bed easily, sit on the floor with grandchildren and get up with no problem. I can turn and look out the back car window when I park. I could do none of these things before I began the program. In my view it is one of the best and quickest ways to get yourself back in shape and relearn simple muscle movements. It was a real success for me!
  
• Five years ago I found that my digestion was terrible. My stomach was bloated and hurt! I learned to make my own yogurt and ate a good portion every day. I buy my yogurt from the grocery now but I still eat non-fat yogurt almost every day. My stomach does not hurt and I feel much better. I felt better then and still feel good!
  

As with most people, there was a lot of steps backwards even when things were working so well. Vacations, inactivity, temptations, etc. This winter I sat at my computer, period. That routine left me weak and more over weight than before. It made me feel depressed or maybe depression made be feel like eating. I don't know which came first and I don't care. At 156 lb, I felt like a blob. I love beautiful clothes but not even the most expensive outfit can make be feel better about my appearance. My self-image was shot, I did not feel right and in this case, the mirror was not a help. I could not lie to myself. As a result I am trying, again, to learn about food portions and how I feel when I eat RIGHT!

I made an attempt to join Weight Watchers but the website wasn't in the mood to sign me up on that day. This is the part I love . I decided to look for something else. After a search for free online weight loss programs I found a website called Sparks People. I signed up and began using their tools to track food intake and see how I felt living on less than 1500 calories (their recommendation). (Unlike when I belonged to Weight Watchers, I began to count calories.) I continued to eat about the same diet. However, I did quit drinking any wine or mixed drinks and I cut back on the amount of meat I was eating. I cut back on coffee intake, drink 8 glasses of water a day and walk as much as I can everyday. Well, maybe I made more changed than I thought. I dropped several pounds immediately because I was just bloated!

I wrote in the note portion of the website "I will quit lying to myself...every bite I take counts...every bite I take counts!" Watermelon has calories. Everything we put in our mouth causes a reaction in our bodies...everything, even if it is calorie free. For example, sugar free pop is not good for you because it is replacing a nutrient that you body needs. 0 calories is not necessarily health.

While we may think that the way we look or feel emotionally can be the only motivation for eating right, there are other factors that might cause us to take pause. Research, for example. Scientist from the United States and Britain have come forward with information suggesting that fat people age faster...an obese person adds what looks like 8.8 years to their birth years. The study I read did not say you would die 8 years earlier but your cells look like you might! I don't suppose old looking cells in a fairly young body are a good thing. This study confirms in my mind that not only do I look older on the outside, I look older on the inside too.

Health and Age had this to say about being fat when you are older:

From the point of view of the individual , obesity is just as threatening to the health of the elderly as it is to younger persons. In terms of health policy on the other hand, alarm is rightly directed at the younger age groups. What the elderly need is alertness: to be aware of the risks, to act in order to diminish them, and to receive professional assistance when they need it or want it.

This article, Obesity and Ageing: Alert or Alarm?, says that if you were overweight when you turned fifty, you may have missed your chance to take control. This could be true but do we care? And what is elderly anyway? I cannot tell you how I hate that word and the connotations of it's use. I think we should continue to learn, evolve and change in a good way until the coffin arrives at the front door. Don't discount the aging person's ability to be smart and proactive...ever. But then that is just me. I am fighting until the end! GO TEAM!!!

Don't get me wrong, I think an annual physical is absolutely necessary...a wonderful doctor that gives you good advice, prescribes the right medication and encourages you to keep trying in priceless. Take your medications and be aware of how they work with your body. Most importantly though...eat the right food in the correct portions and get up and move. In the end we can control this part of our life. I don't know about you but I like being in control.

(note: This article from Health and Aging did have a great deal of good information on body mass i.e. comparing your height with your weight and judging what was bad or very bad. It is worth your attention. When calculating my BMI I was overweight. BAD BARBARA!!!)

In the end, most of what we think about our self...our self image...is what we become. While the mirror does not lie and tells how we look, our self-image tells us how we live...what we do to maintain a healthy self image our reality. Living is what it is all about! So go buy some vegetable...walk to the store if you can. Play a game....throw a Frisbee. Read about stylish older people on Advanced Style and for heaven sakes put on some make-up! You are in charge! The picture you have of yourself is up to you.

Have a wonderful day.

b

Link: Baby Boomer Take on Retirement

How to Slow the Aging Process

Good grief Hannah...why would anyone read the stuff they say about us on advice for aging websites. I do it because I am a writer and need good information.  I hate the stuff they are dwelling on when they talk about aging and baby boomers.   Nursing Homes/Assisted Living, Blood Sugar, Depression, Tongue Fissures (I can't imagine!) and Blood Sugars! I would not read these if I were you until it is information you will actually need. Living is hard...getting old is the biggest challenge yet. But is "age related illness" and "dementia" all that there is left?  As for aging and weight gain we all know we gain some as we age.  I am talking here about those of us that go over the edge and eat anything and everything!  The links I have provided are only there to convince you of my point if you are in doubt not to depress you.