sixtyfive and retired
#4
FitDay Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1
I saw your post about gaining weight since retirement. I can so relate. I have gained 30 lbs. since retiring almost exactly one year ago, and I could not afford to gain any. I didn't realize how much exercise I had actually been doing on my old job. Also, like you said, this last year has seemed like a kind of vacation where you can splurge and then you'll take off the weight when you go back to work. Only there's no work to go back to.
Don't be too hard on yourself, though. You have found this website and are taking steps hopefully to change things. I have realized that retirement is a huge mental adjustment. People say you should have a plan for what you're going to do after retirement, and I actually did ... I even took a part-time job. But it's more than that. There's a mental shift you have to do....going from spending your entire life in work mode, assuming on one kind of routine, living life on the basis of having a full-time job, always, expecting to spend your days one way. I did this for 40 years. And all of a sudden, I have day after day to plan and live out, and I'm supposed to be creative and fulfilled in an entirely different way. It's very traumatic in some ways. No surprise that you gain weight and get lazy. Maybe it takes an extended time to realize what you need to do. Now I feel like I'm just beginning retirement, after that initial period of adjustment, and I'm kind of excited about it. So be patient with yourself, and decide how your retirement is going to look. It may be completely different from what you thought it was going to be. Jane Pauley has a new book out on reimagining your life, and I found it really helpful.
This website I think is going to be very helpful for me, but I think weight gain is just a symptom of an imbalance in life. When all the pieces fall into place, it's easier to keep the diet and exercise in its proper place, too. At least, that's what I'm hoping for! Good luck and thanks for the inspiration. I realized that other people have had the same problems as I have since retiring.
Don't be too hard on yourself, though. You have found this website and are taking steps hopefully to change things. I have realized that retirement is a huge mental adjustment. People say you should have a plan for what you're going to do after retirement, and I actually did ... I even took a part-time job. But it's more than that. There's a mental shift you have to do....going from spending your entire life in work mode, assuming on one kind of routine, living life on the basis of having a full-time job, always, expecting to spend your days one way. I did this for 40 years. And all of a sudden, I have day after day to plan and live out, and I'm supposed to be creative and fulfilled in an entirely different way. It's very traumatic in some ways. No surprise that you gain weight and get lazy. Maybe it takes an extended time to realize what you need to do. Now I feel like I'm just beginning retirement, after that initial period of adjustment, and I'm kind of excited about it. So be patient with yourself, and decide how your retirement is going to look. It may be completely different from what you thought it was going to be. Jane Pauley has a new book out on reimagining your life, and I found it really helpful.
This website I think is going to be very helpful for me, but I think weight gain is just a symptom of an imbalance in life. When all the pieces fall into place, it's easier to keep the diet and exercise in its proper place, too. At least, that's what I'm hoping for! Good luck and thanks for the inspiration. I realized that other people have had the same problems as I have since retiring.
#5
FitDay Member
Join Date: Jul 2023
Posts: 68
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