Any suggestions for someone with an overweight mom who needs to lose weight but isn't motivated?

Question

My mom is overweight and it's starting to effect her lifestyle. She is somewhat depressed, but I think if she could shed a few pounds (to start) she would find herself much happier (despite circumstances). But she's not motivated! Any suggestions??

Answer 1

Hmm, parents can be a little too stubborn sometimes, so I understand this predicament very well. Perhaps you can try to approach her from a medical standpoint, instead of relying so much on emotional appeal. Give her all the facts, and show her exactly where she falls into these statistics. I urge you to be prepared beforehand, otherwise she'll lose interest while you're shuffling through printouts and going back to the original site.

Even if she's aware of the effects, remind her of the physical complications she could face later... Find a few photos of women her size who suffered from some of these complications.

Arthritis
Breast Cancer
Endometrial Cancer
Cardiovascular Disease
Gallbladder Disease
Urinary Stress Incontinence
Diabetes
Stigma & Discrimination

Tell her that she'll have your support and that you could help her with the meals, shopping and exercise. Tell her to give it a shot for a month, and if she doesn't feel any better than you won't plead to her as much...

Best of luck.

Answer 2

Try a cleansing diet! I did and lost 11 pounds and 21 inches in only 9 days. I was very happy with the results and continued on the program and lost 29 pounds in 5 weeks. This is the fastest I have ever lost with other diets like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Medifast, Slimfast etc…. Cleansing works by removing impurities from your body. You get impurities from your food (pesticides, preservatives, food additives, colorings) water, chemicals, pollution, medications, alcohol, hormones that the animals you eat were fed etc….YUCK! The impurites get coated with fat and remain in your body. To remove the fat, you have to remove the impurites. This system worked for me, maybe it can work for you too. You can check out the website or call this toll free number 1-877-587-4647 for more info. The program is not cheap, but it is worth every penny since it works and keeps you motivated. Good luck! More cleansing info at http://diet4cleansing.com

Answer 3

Ask her to go on walks with you, preferrably in the morning.
I lost 105 pounds in 6 months. Here is how I did it.
1. Every morning get up and walk for 45 minutes. You can start with less time, but you want to get up to 45 minutes, and it must be fast walk. You want your heart rate to go up. It must be in the morning, it kick starts your metabolism.
2. I cut out Red Meat, and fatty foods. Boneless skinnless chicken breast, baked, or grilled, rice and vegetables (steamed).
3. Eat half. Just eat half of what you normally eat. Put 1/2 on your plate, and put the rest away. Cook less. When you go to fast food, get salads only. Or grilled chicken. No fries, only diet soda. Or water.

It will work, once you get into a routine, you will get hooked on the results, and you will keep the routine. It has been over a year for me.

Also start counting your calories. Write them down. You would be amazed as to how much more aware you are of your caloric intake, if you actually write it down. We recently discovered a site that offers a great program that counts calories, as well as keeps track of everything. It allows multiple users, so everyone in the family can keep track. They offer a free 7 day trial, and so far I am very impressed with the product. Try the 7 days and see. It allows you to add the exercise that you do during the day, which increases the amount of calories you can take in. Very Cool!!
http://www.calorieking.com

A sight with some really cool diet calculators and interesting calorie counting calculators is here. Check it out.
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/



Check out my before and after pic at my yahoo 360 page
http://profiles.yahoo.com/gorillamyke

Stay motivated, and get up and walk every day. I seriously lost all my weight starting off my day on my walk.

Good LUCK!

Answer 4

If you live close enough, why don't you just go visit and take her for a walk a few times a week. She won't even realize she's exercising because she'll be having a nice talk with you. Then when she starts to feel a little better maybe you could join a gym together or go to parks for longer walks, play tennis, join a bowling team. During your first walks find out what things interest her and go with it. Just make it fun and mostly about being together.

Answer 5

How old is she? My mom sounds similar to yours. I started doing Isagenix - a cleansing/weight loss program and am seeing results. My mom is trying it but is very negative and says things like "you're young, I'm old, it doesn't matter for me". She's 63 and loves to cook/entertain and eat. I tried to talk to her about being healthy for her grandkids, nothing like a little guilt to motivate but I don't think it's enough. Sorry I don't have much of an answer, I guess I would suggest trying to talk to her about her health and living longer. Maybe do something together with her? Going for walks or dieting together? Just a thought! Good luck!

Answer 6

Be her workout buddy....nothing better than have a partner when trying to loose weight.