Retirement in reality - 7 months in

Well said, Max.

Such a well written comment and I totally agree with your perspective. We are thoroughly enjoying our 5 month old, first grandchild.

I think a positive attitude and being grateful is essential to a good retirement.

It’s not just the time but expense – adding in dietitians, personal trainers, class attendance and exercise physiologists begins to add up …

As a working person, time is short, so you pay for dietitians, personal trainers, exercise physiologists, gardeners, window cleaners…

As a retired person, time is plentiful, so do your own diet and exercise research, and your own gardening and window cleaning for the exercise.

You don’t need to pay.

100% agree, eating healthy and getting fit isn't rocket science. Spend your money on fresh ingredients, better meats, a decent pair of trainers and google the rest.

Do you really need a dietitian, personal trainer & exercise physiologists in retirement? If so, I'm stuffed.

Of course you don't (especially the first 2), but if you have abused or at least not shown your body the respect it deserved for the previous 30 or 50 years by not exercising or eating properly then you can hardly expect it to recover in 7 months (and unexpected side effects of the new healthy lifestyle are not surprising).

Hi Paul. OldButSame has it right. I dont believe anyone needs all these experts if they keep themselves well enough. The message is to get exercise and diet under control before it gets more difficult.

" change is slow – very slow despite constant effort and attention":

Quickest initial weight loss is due to metabolism of excess glycogen + water weight.
Glycogen stored in body: 0.5 kg normal, 1.0 kg carbohydrate-loaded; difference 0.5 kg.
Glycogen 17 MJ / kg.
Bound water 3 kg / 1 kg Glycogen.
Energy requirement 8 MJ / day.
Starving weight change due to glycogen only metabolism;
= 3 * 8 / 17
= 1.4 kg / day.
Time to elimination of excess glycogen;
= 0.5 * 17 / 8
= 1 day.

Fat 36 MJ / kg.
Starving weight change due to fat only metabolism;
= 1 * 8 / 36
= 0.22 kg / day.
More typical 0.1 kg / day due to eating while fasting and not starving.

"not just the time but expense":
Self directed slow hill walking and protein counting while minimising carbohydrate consumption is satisfactory substitution for paying.

Thanks for the analysis Dudley. Getting glucose under control with diet. Improving dicky knee with exercise plan. Like the idea of maintaining with self directed slow hill walking as a substitute. Will try that too for my 8000 steps. Will report back at 8 months.

"Improving dicky knee with exercise plan":

Re-build knee cartilage rather than wear it out if possible.

Cartilage / tendon is protein.

Protein is polymerised amino acids.

Making protein requires amino acids AND vitamin C in food.

Older people often ingest insufficient of either or both.

Digestion of protein to amino acids declines with age.

The old lose protein, see sarcopenia. Also myopenia.

Cooking gristly protein to gel pre-digests (hydrolyses) protein into shorter chained amino acids.

Long slow or pressure cook gravy beef / lab shanks converts gristle into gel.

MacKenzie's gelatin is a ready made source of 95% hydrolysed protein.

$4.1 / 100 g makes it cost competitive with other protein sources such as eggs (10% protein).

Ingesting 10 gelatin and 1 g vitamin C per day may be sufficient to notice a difference in a few days to a few months, but not immediately.

Most packet jellies contain mostly sugar and little protein.

To make a cup of tasty jelly:

In large cup or bowl add;
Essentials,
1 gram vitamin C tablet(s), crush to powder.
10 g MacKenzie's gelatine.
Optionals to personal taste,
2 grams citric acid.
5 grams white sugar.

Add 200 grams boiling water while stirring for 2 minutes (too slow = lumps, too quick = splashes)

Makes stiff jelly.
Add 50 grams ice to make jelly set quicker.
Add 200 grams cold water if prefer less stiff.
Refrigerate.

Desert or snack.

Clinical Dietitian here. Reducing the formation of muscle in the human body to such calculations is oversimplification. Muscle requires protein ingestion. Muscle does not equal protein. Muscle loss with ageing (sarcopenia) is multifactorial, due to (but not limited to) insufficient protein ingestion - ideally foods containing essential amino acids, adequate overall energy intake and strength training. Don't ignore cardiovascular fitness. Due to reduced absorption with ageing, even distribution of protein containing foods throughout the day would be ideal. Adequate fibre and foods that feed the microbiome are important too. All this needs to take into account individual health issues, preferences and readiness for change.
Dietitians train for many years and are obliged to maintain their knowledge with continuing professional development. They devise individual plans and work closely with other care providers to ensure that optimal information is provided.
Perhaps consulting a dietitian isn't so useless after all?

"Reducing the formation of muscle in the human body to such calculations is oversimplification.":

Simplest start is to calculate an estimate of how much is ingested minus how much is likely required.

Building requires sufficient building materials. Insufficient prevents building.

Then consider other factors.

Example:
'It takes roughly 10 mg per day of vitamin C to prevent fatal scurvy, and about 30 to 45 mg per day to cover basic turnover and maintenance in most adults.'

RDI is 50 to 100 mg / d.

Those quantities are less than the amounts needed for best health for some people.

1 g vitamin C / d is cheap and well tolerated.

At least effective it is a lolly.

At most effective it is a co-factor required for protein synthesis; cartilage, tendon, muscle, connective tissue.

'Vitamin C is an essential enzymatic cofactor required for the hydroxylation of proline and lysine during collagen synthesis. It keeps iron in its reduced ferrous (Fe2+) state, allowing prolyl and lysyl hydroxylases to stabilise the triple-helix structure of collagen.'

Worth wasting $0.05 / d if it is only a lolly.

I worked as an investment adviser until retiring at 80 years.

Since retiring, major new activity was joining local Univ of Third Age (U3A). I attend two classes each week. Have met new people (out from my previous bubble). Keeps my neurons moving. I contribute to discussions and learn of others life experience. You should never stop learning.

I have a plan that keeps me active with minimum expense, I volunteer in organisations that require my attendance in the mornings doing admin or participation. Every afternoon is spent doing anything that takes my fancy .

Excellent article. I am a every month reader. At 72 ,retired 12 years, male being active is the most important factor..I call it going to work, my daily excercise activities. Regards Richard..

KISS - if you are healthy & wealthy with family & friends and interests, you are fortunate and effectively free to do whatever makes you happy in life and later in retirement.

There's no need for (self imposed) stress or post retirement dissonance/guilt - try giving/volunteering and do not expect any returns - indeed, give until it really hurts and you are likely still be happy! That said, I've seen many (old) people pass still working but happy at the time!