Speed Up Weight Loss After 60 to Live Past 80

By Tracy Woolrich

2013-11-16 00:17

The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the word disabled as “The condition of being unable to do things in the normal way.” This could be due to an unavoidable accident or other life altering event. But it could also be due to something you have control over. Your weight could affect your mobility as you age and even decrease your lifespan. There are ways however to decrease your weight while increasing your quality of life well into your 80s.

Obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight should be a priority for everyone. Obesity increases the risk of a number of health conditions including hypertension, type 2 diabetes and elevated cholesterol to mention just a few. I,in fact have a higher BMI than I should. As a result I have elevated blood pressure and glucose readings. My mother who has already entered her eight decade has lost weight and now has normal blood pressure readings. She is an insulin resistant diabetic and now has near normal glucose readings. She takes no medication other than supplements and watches her diet. She is my hero and the one that inspires me to do better.

Data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey in 2009-2010 showed that adults over 60 were more likely to be obese than their younger counterparts. Now a new study shows that maintaining a proper weight post menopause could not only improve a woman’s chance of living past 80, but also improve their quality of life and mobility.

Losing weight is often easier said than done. This is especially true in women as they often tend to put on weight after menopause. To make matters worse, co-morbidities such as arthritis or COPD only add to the difficulty in staying active and exercising. As my mother has shown, it can be done.

A recently published study in the JAMA Internal Medicine was done to investigate how extra weight affects a women’s ability to perform activities of daily living and mobility. Eileen Rillamas-Sun was the lead researcher for the study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

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