# What's your life expectancy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 5, 2022, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-life-expectancy/957257 "2022-01-05T12:30:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-life-expectancy/957257/63 "2022-01-26T23:07:46Z")
Well, Son-of-a-Bitch! I’ve been dead for the last 7 years! ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-life-expectancy/957257/64 "2022-01-27T02:41:40Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > 1. I’m 56 so enough time to enjoy some new cuisine. > > Losing 50 pounds gets me to 91. I’m currently 5’3",135 lbs, 23.9 BMI (Normal weight = 18.5–24.9; the BMI chart says I’d be overweight if I were 6 lbs heavier, 141 lbs). My life expectancy is 97. I’'d like to lose 10 lbs, 125 lbs / 22.1 BMI But losing 10 lbs brings me **down** a year, from 97 to 96 🤔 **Gaining** 15 lbs and going up to the overweight range, at 150, still gives me a life expectancy of 97. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-life-expectancy/957257/65 "2022-01-27T02:58:55Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Anyway, it tells me I’ll live to 83, seven years from now. If it told me I have seven years, more or less, I’d be doing the opposite of buying the sponsor’s annuities. I’d be booking tickets around the world. Me, I’ll be sticking around til 94. Which means 25 years of retirement… BEING BORING PAYS OFF ! ---
**Author:** ![billy-jack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@billy-jack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billy-jack)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-life-expectancy/957257/66 "2022-01-27T03:29:31Z")
They are missing one obvious question: Do you use zinc phosphide without protective gear? If the answer is yes, give them a few days. That’s what killed four kids and put six people in the hospital in Amarillo about five years ago after someone tried to wash it away with water. On Wednesday last week, I needed to go into a local grain elevator about 7 pm. When I pulled up, I saw the sign that entry was forbidden without the proper protective gear. So I didn’t go in. Talking to them the next day, I was told that if I survived the trip up to the top of the elevator without protective gear, I would be unlikely to survive the trip back down. They are airing it out now. It ought to be safe for me to enter by Friday or Saturday. I’d rather stay clear for a month or two, though. ---
**Author:** ![Esprise\_Me](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprise_me/32/2947_2.png) [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-life-expectancy/957257/67 "2022-01-27T17:53:49Z")
I got 95, which sounds about right. All my grandparents lived to at least 80, and one lived to 92. The one who died first had prostate cancer (and refused conventional treatment), so that’s not how I’ll go. Other than the congestive heart failure that eventually claimed the one who lived to 92, none had known heart trouble, despite one of them being an overweight, heavy smoker. My parents are in their early 70s, active, and in excellent health; I wouldn’t be surprised if at least my mom sees triple digits. I’m surprised to see that drinking less and exercising more would change so little. (In fact, it looks like they’re saying drinking less would actually shorten my life by a hair!) I note that they don’t ask about dangerous activities. I’m an avid scuba diver, but currently I’m staying within the recreational limits, which makes my risk of death pretty low. I have considered venturing into the realm of technical diving, which is much more dangerous, even if you’re careful. Some tech divers have trouble getting life insurance policies. If I go that route, it’ll be a strong incentive to get in shape (all that extra gear is heavy!), but it’ll greatly increase my risk of dying young. But I’d probably go back to low-key recreational diving, or quit diving entirely, by 80 at least, so if I made it that far, who knows how long I’d hang on. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-life-expectancy/957257.md?page=3)