Yep, it bugs me, too. I'm 42 and my mom says the same thing to me...it bugs me not because it isn't true, but because I feel like she is somehow "excusing" herself from even trying to lose weight, ya know? She isn't obese, but losing some weight would likely help her - even if it just took some pressure off her joints. It bothers me less when much older people say it to me because I know it's true.

I'm only 42 and I gotta say, it *is* harder to lose it now than it was at 22. Not to say it's ever easy, but I do feel badly for women trying to lose past menopause. I used to go to WW meetings, and there was a woman who had been a member for like 2 years, she was in her late 60's and she would celebrate when she lost like 3 ounces. But she kept working, kept coming back, exercised 4-5x per week, tracked everything she put in her mouth. I think she said in her 2 years of coming, she'd lost 20 pounds and she was very happy about it. Most people (including me) would've given up. She had such a positive attitude, but it was very obviously hard for her to lose anything.

Personally though, I would never ever say that to anyone, because I think it's condescending, too.

Losing weight is hard, no matter if you're 12 or 90. If you developed habits to gain the weight, chances are it is going to be really hard to change those habits to lose the weight. Healthy food doesn't taste as good as unhealthy food most of the time, and there are so many activities that are more compelling than exercising everyday. But facts are, the younger you are when you lose the weight -- the easier it will be strictly metabolism wise. Does it make it easy? No, losing weight still sucks. But it makes it easier for you than it would be for you 20 years from now when your metabolism has changed with age.

So many years I wasted being overweight. Not to mention losing weight now (32) has left me with saggy wrinkly skin that wasn't an issue before (I lost weight when I was 22 and my skin bounced right back). Losing weight when I was 22 was also much easier than it is now. Of course none of were there when your relative made the comment, but I would try to take it as encouragement if I were you.