Wow. I guess I just didn't do what I did. Took my very post menopausal weight down to my 30 year old weight. And, I disagree completely that the amount of exercise I get is "inappropriate" for someone my age. 4.5 miles a day average is not that far! And, if you think it is, it's part of the problem. I'm not running marathons, which I agree is probably stressful for a body over 60 years old. Heck, I'm not even running 10Ks! And, you don't want to start from your couch and immediately move to 4 miles a day. You've got to work up to it gradually. I feel FANTASTIC. My health is excellent. I'm "depriving" myself of nothing. I get adequate nutrition for a woman of my age and fitness level....which is LESS than I ate as a 30 year old, but that's just how it is. The reason people gain weight is they keep eating as if they are 20 or 30 when they are not. Is it hard? Well, it's not "easy", but it also wasn't that difficult. For me, keeping track and holding myself accountable for every last morsel I ate is what worked. Other people have success in other ways.
Just as an example, over the holidays, I made flourless chocolate cake (eggs, chocolate, butter and sugar...that's it). Ate quite a bit of it, but never a LARGE slice. Always a small piece and only once each day. I ate the turkey, the mashed potatoes, the squash....the cheeses, the crackers, etc. And, once I week I eat an entire wood fired pizza (personal size...10 inches in diameter) with cheese, lots of cheese, on top. I have not gained a single pound since hitting my goal weight because I keep my total average calories below about 1600 per day. Works for me.
I KNOW there are some people with metabolic disorders, etc, but MOST people can lose weight by following the simple principal of eating less calories than they burn in a day. If you haven't seriously tried, and stuck with it for an extended period of time, then you don't know. When I was losing weight, I did not "cheat" and I did not eat pizza and chocolate. Now, that I'm maintaining, I can literally eat anything I want. Just smaller portions! I do not feel hungry. The only time I felt hungry was the first week I was trying to lose weight. It was awful. But, as my body adjusted to eating the appropriate amount of calories, that feeling went away.