Weights probably didn't do all of it. 10's of thousands of miles of bike riding, 10's of thousands of miles of a running, back country skiing hiking ,walking climbing mountains etc most likely helped wear things away. Most everyone gets shorter to some degree as they get older. As the space between the bones gets smaller when the cartilage wears away in the knees, hips and vertebrae, people get shorter. According to this it ia about 1/2 inch every 10 years after age 40. I may only be a little a head of the curve. I find most guys don't measure themselves every decade as they get older and just keep using the same numbers they did when they were young. Guys have a thing about size and not being honest sometimes!
Your body shape changes naturally as you age. You cannot avoid some of these changes, but your lifestyle choices may slow or speed the process.
medlineplus.gov