Are (some) older women supposed to be heavy?

[hedgehog]

When I was a young teenager, there were three categories of clothes sizes for females:

Misses - for young developed women

Juniors - for young women without curves

Womens - for women say about 40 and above - what used to be called a matron.

Now, I was a size 10 in my 20's, and now i am a size 18 or 20 or 18W or 20W. If I'd been this heavy when I was 20, I would have been worried. But is it possible that this is a healthy size and shape for me now that i am approaching 60?

I was dealing with some health issues that have recently been diagnosed and treated. I'm not as strong as I'd like to be, nor do I have the stamina I used to have. I am working out daily to regain my strength and stamina. My blood work is still all in order.

I know common knowledge says I should not weigh this much. However, are those statistics based on European stock women my age? Life expectancy numbers are distorted because they don't discount infant mortality. For example, life expectancy for a given population may be 50 because so many children die, but anyone who reaches 50 is likely to live to be 75. I'm wondering if the statistics that we use to determine the relationship between body mass and health are also too simplistic.

(Cross-posted from health forum.)

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I used to think so.

I've gained 40+ pounds that wouldn't leave me no matter what diet or how much exercise I invested.

I'm going to a naturopath and have found my endocrine system is off balance. My adrenals are more than fatigued; they are shot. And the adrenal glands affect the entire system of glands including the pancreas (insulin) and thyroid. Go to a naturopath or endocrinologist to make sure everything is "working" fine.

I've also started the insulin resistant diet which means every time I eat a carb (e.g., fruit, potato, bread), I pair it with about twice the amount of protein (meat, nuts, dairy) to counteract the carb being stored as fat and not used as energy.

And to suppress my appetite, I finally bought a juicer and have a raw foods element to my daily diet. The combinations aren't that bad too.

I've lost and kept off 4 pounds for almost a month and I didn't think I could ever do that.