Gaining weight in old age

Over the past five or so years, I’ve put on about ten pounds. I don’t mind so much. Like my mother-in-law used to say, “what’s so great going to happen to me if I get thin?” However, I do mind that the waistband of some of my pants has become too tight. Even so, I’m certainly not going to diet.

The latest research shows that people who restrict their eating are more likely to engage in stress eating. Moreover, unlike intuitive eaters, who eat when they’re hungry, dieters exert mental effort to control their intake. According to psychologists, this effort to restrain eating can increase negative emotions. Dieters—including people who simply watch what they eat—are more likely to suffer from depression, low self-esteem, disordered eating and overall psychological distress than intuitive eaters. In contrast, intuitive eaters have more positive moods, greater body appreciation, and overall life satisfaction. Food deprivation, they say, seems to play a role in creating the very mental conditions that lead people to want to self-soothe with food. 

Research has also shown that the notion of being “addicted” to sugar is bogus. Sugar addiction is the idea that sugar activates the reward centers of our brains, making it irresistible. In fact, it’s the dieters whose brains are significantly activated in response to sweet foods. The brains of intuitive eaters are unfazed by sugar.

I don’t know why I gained ten pounds. My diet and activity haven't changed over these past years. If anything, I eat less. I always thought that old people sort of waste away, getting thin and frail. I’ll just hang around and wait for that to happen. 

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