Losing 100 pounds

[Saisha]

I'm looking for some advice that I could pass on.  I have a friend whose aunt has just been classified as morbidly obese.  The doctors say that she needs to lose 100 pounds but the problem is, she can't walk anymore than she does because she will damage her knees from the weight.  She does move around a lot bc she is my friends nanny and she chases three kids around all day and cleans their house.  She also eats fairly healthy so changing her diet is not going to do much to help her.  I'm stumped; I suggested using hand weights in the evening when she does sit down to keep her moving a bit but that's all I came up with.  I'm not sure how much weight she needs to lose before allowed to start walking again, but any advice would be helpful. 

[divedragon]

Does she have access to a pool?  She can do walking and/or aerobics in the pool to take the weight off joints.  Hand weights are a good idea or the exercise bands.  Ab exercises sitting in a chair and lifting knees.   Try to google exercises for office workers and that usually has a lot of exercise to do while sitting at desk she may be able to incorporate.

As to diet, she may eat healthy foods, but in unhealthy quantities.  Diet is 85% of weight loss and exercise has a surprisingly little impact on weight loss.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/22/obesity-owes-more-to-bad-diet-than-lack-of-exercise-s...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2013/09/04/the-6-weight-loss-tips-that-science-actually-kno...

Exercise is important, but seemingly not for weight loss.

[divedragon]

A little more information on exercise and weight loss:

https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/myth-exercise-exercise-part-1/

I don't like to post articles, but prefer studies where I can.  The above link has the data and not just the quotes.

[JohnRi]

I would look at how many calories she is eating.  Being older make it a lot harder to lose weight. I like the pool comment, water exercise would help.

But exercise only helps weight loss very little.  Diet change is the only true way to lose weight, and to keep it off.  You think she's eating healthy, but if she's eating more than 1800-2200 calories a day, that's probably too much.  Sodium is a also big problem.  I find that older generations put tons of salt in their food.  Sugar in tea, coffee, also in huge quantities.

She needs to eat at least 1200 calories a day, mainly in vegetiables, and fruits.  Meats should be lean cuts of chicken, pork, fish and in the 3-4 ounce per meal max.  2/3 to 3/4 of all of her calories should come from fruits, vegetiables, nuts, etc.  Lunch meats, Bacon, ham favorites of older generations, none of them are good for you. 

Also look the fat content of her food, and what she drinks.  Does she drink whole milk?  1% or no fat are better choices.

So start with her diet.  Log what she eats every day, and start there.

[FoxFace]

Hi. This is a tricky one that I have been struggling with for some time as my mum is unable to do conventional exercise do to a brain tumour which throws off her balance when her blood pressure rises.

Hand weights can and do work but they must be careful as overuse age will put strain on the elbow and shoulder joint. Personally I would recommend resistance based exercises, possibly using a resistance band as they are easy to adapt to personal intensity levels and it is  difficult too go far wo with things posture etc which, as I am sure you are aware, can caused serious injures if not done right.

The good news is that even just a little exercise can go a long way and even the smallest changes in diet, such as swapping the fizzy drinks for water, can make a huge difference.

Hope this helped 🙂

[HelenaFitbit]

Weight loss is 85% food and 15% exercise. If exercising is not possible at this time, a properly monitored diet by a physician will be very beneficial for her. 

[Saisha]

Thank you so much and I did suggest the pool, I'm not sure she feels comfortable with that due to others being around but honestly at this point, it's her comfort or her life as harsh as that sounds.

[Dominique]

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@Saisha wrote:

She also eats fairly healthy so changing her diet is not going to do much to help her. 

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A lot of "healthy" food is high in calories. Think avocados, nuts, olive oil etc. Thus someone eating "clean" can actually overeat. Given her current condition, most of her weight loss will have to come from her diet. Someone familiar with calorie counting should take a critical look at her current diet and tell her how to control portion sizes and her total daily intake.

[sabitabi88]

Everyone's tips are spot on but I would also add that I know a lot of people who consider "healthy foods" to be diet foods (diet soda, low calorie chips, low fat condiments etc.) which can be more dangerous than the real stuff. Fake sweeteners trick your body into expecting sugar to come and when it doesn't you end up with a craving. Also our bodies were never intended to eat those fake sweeteners so when you eat them your body turns them straight to fat because it has no idea of how to use them. I only say this because I have family members who believe that diet foods are "healthy".

Oh and also if she eats a lot of fruit, that is a healthy food that if eaten in to large of a quantity can turn to fat because of the sugar content. Even though it's the best kind of sugar for you, it's still sugar.

When I was heavier I never would have imagined that I ate around 3,000 calories a day but once I actually started counting I learned that that was exactly what I did. most people severely underestimate the calories in the foods and drinks they consume.

[Dominique]

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@sabitabi88 wrote:

most people severely underestimate the calories in the foods and drinks they consume.

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And overestimate the calories they burn 

But fortunately, our Fitbits are now telling us!

[iMike]

If her doctors have classified her as morbidly obese and needing to lose weight, they should have also recommended a nutritioinist to her as well.  Weight loss is 80-85% diet/nutrition.  She may be eating healthy foods but in unhealthy quantities.  A licensed nutritionist will be able to come up with a dietary program that will help her lose the weight; there may be some "healthy foods" she may have to give up in the short term.  If increased exercise has to be limited (due to potential knee damage from the excess weight) then it's got to be dietary changes/calorie control.  Her doctor should be able to refer her to a licensed nutritionist who can work with her.  I would start there.

As for physical activity, I like the water suggestion.  Swimming is an excellent way to burn calories without putting too much pressure on her knees.

[Annie-NH]

I agree that she should go see a nutritionist and maybe join an online weight group for accountability, motivation, and ideas.  Recumbent bikes should not put much stress on her joints as she won't be bearing her weight, it is something she could start slow and work up to, even watch TV while doing it. She needs the right nutrition, and the right exercise if she is going to succeed,  swimming would be wonderful, but it sounds like she isn't ready for that

[HelenaFitbit]

Forgot to add; if her aunt has gained the weight for emotional eating, I recommend to take a look on Overeaters Anonymous' website https://www.oa.org/

They have meetings all over the world and downloadable material for her to check out. 

[NinKnits]

Hmmm.  As a person that was morbidly obese, I know that she is not tracking what she eats and when.  You get the shock of your life when you see how much "grazing" adds up in a day.  Even if it is "fairly healthy."  Keeping a food journal is not fun, but it will save her life.

As for lowering calories and looking at food intake, I'd suggest she up her healthy proteins to at least 70grams per day.  This keeps the hunger at bay.  Greek yogurt and cottage cheese, salmon, tuna fish, eggs... and VERY lean cuts of chicken and fish.  Weigh everything before you consume.  It is very easy to "guesstimate" back into those larger portions. 

Get the very power packed veggies in, even if as smoothies.  Raw spinich with the high iron will help with the fatigue due to lower calories.  And the biggest tool--- WATER... drink like your life depends on it, because it does.  Cut out all refined sugar, it's just jagged "glass" in the veins. 

For exersize, a very slow walk up and down a hallway is great.  At one point I had to use crutches to help keep the weight minimized on the knees.  Aquasize is AWESOME.

But she needs to get to the root of the problem, the brain.  There is a reason people get that big.  It is NOT FUN to figure it out, but it needs to be done to change the thought patterns around and about food.

God bless her, and good luck to her!