motivation for younger siblings??

[Guest guest]

ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I am

still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this change

for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen. My question is..

for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act), and he

weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " . He's the largest in our family (Both

my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175), and

today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

claims to weigh up to 330 lbs. He got a reading one time and he said

it was around 325. He didn't show it but I could tell he was really

upset with himself. I'm really worried about him - He suffers from

clinical depression, and eats a lot. My parents paid good money

about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't follow

the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain. I love my

brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung problems,

and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my question

is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5 minutes

of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

workout. Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or child

who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem, yet

I care about the kid too much to do that. Anyways, any advice would

be SO helpful!

-

[Guest guest]

,

I don't have any advice for you, unfortunately... I have often wished I

could motivate my own younger brother to lose weight as well. He is a bit

older (23) but has had a weight problem since he was 11 or so. He currently

weighs about 350, I would guess. The difference between he and I is that he

has never really seemed like he even WANTS to lose weight. I know that it

affects his self esteem, but he has adopted this... I don't know...

devil-may-care attitude, and doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact that his

weight is an issue. This has always been hard for me to understand, because

at half his size I was already desperately unhappy with my weight, and

always trying to fight it (not that the fighting stopped me from reaching

300). He has several health related issues that losing weight and/or eating

healthier would help with, including a serious case of diverticulitis for

which he currently requires surgery (which he can't afford). I know that men

in general usually feel less of a need to be thin, but I so wish I could

motivate him to lose even 50 pounds for his health, without hurting his

feelings! I hope you have better luck than I have!

Jette

motivation for younger siblings??

> ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I am

> still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this change

> for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen. My question is..

> for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

>

> My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act), and he

> weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " . He's the largest in our family (Both

> my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175), and

> today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> claims to weigh up to 330 lbs. He got a reading one time and he said

> it was around 325. He didn't show it but I could tell he was really

> upset with himself. I'm really worried about him - He suffers from

> clinical depression, and eats a lot. My parents paid good money

> about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't follow

> the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain. I love my

> brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung problems,

> and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my question

> is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5 minutes

> of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> workout. Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or child

> who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem, yet

> I care about the kid too much to do that. Anyways, any advice would

> be SO helpful!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

,

I don't have any advice for you, unfortunately... I have often wished I

could motivate my own younger brother to lose weight as well. He is a bit

older (23) but has had a weight problem since he was 11 or so. He currently

weighs about 350, I would guess. The difference between he and I is that he

has never really seemed like he even WANTS to lose weight. I know that it

affects his self esteem, but he has adopted this... I don't know...

devil-may-care attitude, and doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact that his

weight is an issue. This has always been hard for me to understand, because

at half his size I was already desperately unhappy with my weight, and

always trying to fight it (not that the fighting stopped me from reaching

300). He has several health related issues that losing weight and/or eating

healthier would help with, including a serious case of diverticulitis for

which he currently requires surgery (which he can't afford). I know that men

in general usually feel less of a need to be thin, but I so wish I could

motivate him to lose even 50 pounds for his health, without hurting his

feelings! I hope you have better luck than I have!

Jette

motivation for younger siblings??

> ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I am

> still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this change

> for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen. My question is..

> for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

>

> My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act), and he

> weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " . He's the largest in our family (Both

> my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175), and

> today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> claims to weigh up to 330 lbs. He got a reading one time and he said

> it was around 325. He didn't show it but I could tell he was really

> upset with himself. I'm really worried about him - He suffers from

> clinical depression, and eats a lot. My parents paid good money

> about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't follow

> the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain. I love my

> brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung problems,

> and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my question

> is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5 minutes

> of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> workout. Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or child

> who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem, yet

> I care about the kid too much to do that. Anyways, any advice would

> be SO helpful!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

,

I don't have any advice for you, unfortunately... I have often wished I

could motivate my own younger brother to lose weight as well. He is a bit

older (23) but has had a weight problem since he was 11 or so. He currently

weighs about 350, I would guess. The difference between he and I is that he

has never really seemed like he even WANTS to lose weight. I know that it

affects his self esteem, but he has adopted this... I don't know...

devil-may-care attitude, and doesn't seem to acknowledge the fact that his

weight is an issue. This has always been hard for me to understand, because

at half his size I was already desperately unhappy with my weight, and

always trying to fight it (not that the fighting stopped me from reaching

300). He has several health related issues that losing weight and/or eating

healthier would help with, including a serious case of diverticulitis for

which he currently requires surgery (which he can't afford). I know that men

in general usually feel less of a need to be thin, but I so wish I could

motivate him to lose even 50 pounds for his health, without hurting his

feelings! I hope you have better luck than I have!

Jette

motivation for younger siblings??

> ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I am

> still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this change

> for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen. My question is..

> for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

>

> My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act), and he

> weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " . He's the largest in our family (Both

> my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175), and

> today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> claims to weigh up to 330 lbs. He got a reading one time and he said

> it was around 325. He didn't show it but I could tell he was really

> upset with himself. I'm really worried about him - He suffers from

> clinical depression, and eats a lot. My parents paid good money

> about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't follow

> the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain. I love my

> brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung problems,

> and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my question

> is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5 minutes

> of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> workout. Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or child

> who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem, yet

> I care about the kid too much to do that. Anyways, any advice would

> be SO helpful!

>

> -

[Guest guest]

,

I know how hard that is. I have 4 older sister and #3 Gayla is bigger

then I ever was. She eats terrible and never exercises. I hate to tell

you this but there really isn't anything you can do. Like you said, you

are SELF motivated. You wan t it. You can't make somebody else want it.

They have to want it for themselves. If you try and tell him it is just

going to make him resent you. All you can do is be encouraging. Do you

have any control over the food in the house? If so maybe try having

things like fruits and veggies ready to eat. If you do any of the

cooking, I'll post the healthy cooking tips. They are easy things that

the whole family can eat. I don't cook any different for my family then

I do myself. Meanwhile don't try to tell him anything. Just be there

for him. Let him know that when he is ready you would be willing to

help him. Maybe see if he would like to go for walks after dinner with

you? Just don't try to get him to do it. He will only pull away. I'm

sorry I don't have better advice. I know it's hard. My mom tried for

years with my dad but he died 3 years ago of obesity related illnesses.

You can bug him and try and tell them until you're blue in the face but

until he wants it for himself it wont do it. Then, if and when he gets

to that point, then be there for him and support him.

Take care,

Gena

> ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I am

> still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this change

> for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen.  My question is..

> for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

>

> My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act), and he

> weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " .  He's the largest in our family (Both

> my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175), and

> today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> claims to weigh up to 330 lbs.  He got a reading one time and he said

> it was around 325.  He didn't show it but I could tell he was really

> upset with himself.  I'm really worried about him - He suffers from

> clinical depression, and eats a lot.  My parents paid good money

> about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't follow

> the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain.  I love my

> brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung problems,

> and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my question

> is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5 minutes

> of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> workout.  Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or child

> who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem, yet

> I care about the kid too much to do that.  Anyways, any advice would

> be SO helpful!

>

> -

>

[Guest guest]

,

I know how hard that is. I have 4 older sister and #3 Gayla is bigger

then I ever was. She eats terrible and never exercises. I hate to tell

you this but there really isn't anything you can do. Like you said, you

are SELF motivated. You wan t it. You can't make somebody else want it.

They have to want it for themselves. If you try and tell him it is just

going to make him resent you. All you can do is be encouraging. Do you

have any control over the food in the house? If so maybe try having

things like fruits and veggies ready to eat. If you do any of the

cooking, I'll post the healthy cooking tips. They are easy things that

the whole family can eat. I don't cook any different for my family then

I do myself. Meanwhile don't try to tell him anything. Just be there

for him. Let him know that when he is ready you would be willing to

help him. Maybe see if he would like to go for walks after dinner with

you? Just don't try to get him to do it. He will only pull away. I'm

sorry I don't have better advice. I know it's hard. My mom tried for

years with my dad but he died 3 years ago of obesity related illnesses.

You can bug him and try and tell them until you're blue in the face but

until he wants it for himself it wont do it. Then, if and when he gets

to that point, then be there for him and support him.

Take care,

Gena

> ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I am

> still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this change

> for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen.  My question is..

> for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

>

> My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act), and he

> weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " .  He's the largest in our family (Both

> my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175), and

> today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> claims to weigh up to 330 lbs.  He got a reading one time and he said

> it was around 325.  He didn't show it but I could tell he was really

> upset with himself.  I'm really worried about him - He suffers from

> clinical depression, and eats a lot.  My parents paid good money

> about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't follow

> the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain.  I love my

> brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung problems,

> and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my question

> is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5 minutes

> of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> workout.  Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or child

> who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem, yet

> I care about the kid too much to do that.  Anyways, any advice would

> be SO helpful!

>

> -

>

[Guest guest]

,

I know how hard that is. I have 4 older sister and #3 Gayla is bigger

then I ever was. She eats terrible and never exercises. I hate to tell

you this but there really isn't anything you can do. Like you said, you

are SELF motivated. You wan t it. You can't make somebody else want it.

They have to want it for themselves. If you try and tell him it is just

going to make him resent you. All you can do is be encouraging. Do you

have any control over the food in the house? If so maybe try having

things like fruits and veggies ready to eat. If you do any of the

cooking, I'll post the healthy cooking tips. They are easy things that

the whole family can eat. I don't cook any different for my family then

I do myself. Meanwhile don't try to tell him anything. Just be there

for him. Let him know that when he is ready you would be willing to

help him. Maybe see if he would like to go for walks after dinner with

you? Just don't try to get him to do it. He will only pull away. I'm

sorry I don't have better advice. I know it's hard. My mom tried for

years with my dad but he died 3 years ago of obesity related illnesses.

You can bug him and try and tell them until you're blue in the face but

until he wants it for himself it wont do it. Then, if and when he gets

to that point, then be there for him and support him.

Take care,

Gena

> ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I am

> still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this change

> for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen.  My question is..

> for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

>

> My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act), and he

> weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " .  He's the largest in our family (Both

> my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175), and

> today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> claims to weigh up to 330 lbs.  He got a reading one time and he said

> it was around 325.  He didn't show it but I could tell he was really

> upset with himself.  I'm really worried about him - He suffers from

> clinical depression, and eats a lot.  My parents paid good money

> about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't follow

> the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain.  I love my

> brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung problems,

> and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my question

> is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5 minutes

> of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> workout.  Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or child

> who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem, yet

> I care about the kid too much to do that.  Anyways, any advice would

> be SO helpful!

>

> -

>

[Guest guest]

Gena,

Thank you for posting all those awesome cooking tips! I don't do a

ton of the cooking around here but I usually help my dad if I'm home

in time. (he does more of the cooking than my mom, and he's better at

it!) He usually cooks pretty healthily - meats with lower fat

content, using little or no oil, etc.

I told my mom I was worried about my brother the other day and she

was like " he's a big growing boy , you have to remember that

he's 6'2 " to which i could only reply " mom, he's 16. and if

he's 'growing' the only way is horizontally! you can't use that

excuse anymore! " I guess I really am just gonna have to wait for him

to realize he's got a problem and let him deal with it himself.

We generally don't keep too many fatty foods in the house - my dad

buys (ha, he also does the grocery shopping too!) reduced fat

cookies, skim milk, no sugar added ice cream, WOW chips or Baked

Lays, things like that.. but my brother has a huge problem with

eating gigantic portions. it's not unlikely for him to put away half

a carton of ice cream, a whole pizza, and 1/2 a package of oreos on a

single day. I've never really had a huge problem with binging.. I

get full quicker, I guess. He also just got a job, so now that he's

got disposable income he's been making a few more stops at taco bell

and the chinese food place than normal - but there's no real way to

control that. Just this morning I dragged him away from Krispy Kreme

and we went to tim hortons instead for bagels (though not that much

better calorie wise, ah well..)

So I guess it's just back to being the supportive sister who stays in

the background while he eats us out of house and home (ok that's a

little bit extreme, but sometimes it seems like it!) Thank you for

all your advice and support, because I really had no clue what I

should be doing in this situation!

-

>

> ,

> I know how hard that is. I have 4 older sister and #3 Gayla is

bigger

> then I ever was. She eats terrible and never exercises. I hate to

tell

> you this but there really isn't anything you can do. Like you said,

you

> are SELF motivated. You wan t it. You can't make somebody else want

it.

> They have to want it for themselves. If you try and tell him it is

just

> going to make him resent you. All you can do is be encouraging. Do

you

> have any control over the food in the house? If so maybe try

having

> things like fruits and veggies ready to eat. If you do any of the

> cooking, I'll post the healthy cooking tips. They are easy things

that

> the whole family can eat. I don't cook any different for my family

then

> I do myself. Meanwhile don't try to tell him anything. Just be

there

> for him. Let him know that when he is ready you would be willing to

> help him. Maybe see if he would like to go for walks after dinner

with

> you? Just don't try to get him to do it. He will only pull away.

I'm

> sorry I don't have better advice. I know it's hard. My mom tried

for

> years with my dad but he died 3 years ago of obesity related

illnesses.

> You can bug him and try and tell them until you're blue in the face

but

> until he wants it for himself it wont do it. Then, if and when he

gets

> to that point, then be there for him and support him.

>

> Take care,

> Gena

>

> > ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I

am

> > still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this

change

> > for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen.  My question

is..

> > for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> > encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

> >

> > My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act),

and he

> > weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " .  He's the largest in our family

(Both

> > my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175),

and

> > today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> > our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> > claims to weigh up to 330 lbs.  He got a reading one time and he

said

> > it was around 325.  He didn't show it but I could tell he was

really

> > upset with himself.  I'm really worried about him - He suffers

from

> > clinical depression, and eats a lot.  My parents paid good money

> > about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't

follow

> > the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain.  I

love my

> > brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung

problems,

> > and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my

question

> > is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> > I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> > parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5

minutes

> > of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> > weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> > workout.  Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or

child

> > who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> > where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem,

yet

> > I care about the kid too much to do that.  Anyways, any advice

would

> > be SO helpful!

> >

> > -

> >

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Gena,

Thank you for posting all those awesome cooking tips! I don't do a

ton of the cooking around here but I usually help my dad if I'm home

in time. (he does more of the cooking than my mom, and he's better at

it!) He usually cooks pretty healthily - meats with lower fat

content, using little or no oil, etc.

I told my mom I was worried about my brother the other day and she

was like " he's a big growing boy , you have to remember that

he's 6'2 " to which i could only reply " mom, he's 16. and if

he's 'growing' the only way is horizontally! you can't use that

excuse anymore! " I guess I really am just gonna have to wait for him

to realize he's got a problem and let him deal with it himself.

We generally don't keep too many fatty foods in the house - my dad

buys (ha, he also does the grocery shopping too!) reduced fat

cookies, skim milk, no sugar added ice cream, WOW chips or Baked

Lays, things like that.. but my brother has a huge problem with

eating gigantic portions. it's not unlikely for him to put away half

a carton of ice cream, a whole pizza, and 1/2 a package of oreos on a

single day. I've never really had a huge problem with binging.. I

get full quicker, I guess. He also just got a job, so now that he's

got disposable income he's been making a few more stops at taco bell

and the chinese food place than normal - but there's no real way to

control that. Just this morning I dragged him away from Krispy Kreme

and we went to tim hortons instead for bagels (though not that much

better calorie wise, ah well..)

So I guess it's just back to being the supportive sister who stays in

the background while he eats us out of house and home (ok that's a

little bit extreme, but sometimes it seems like it!) Thank you for

all your advice and support, because I really had no clue what I

should be doing in this situation!

-

>

> ,

> I know how hard that is. I have 4 older sister and #3 Gayla is

bigger

> then I ever was. She eats terrible and never exercises. I hate to

tell

> you this but there really isn't anything you can do. Like you said,

you

> are SELF motivated. You wan t it. You can't make somebody else want

it.

> They have to want it for themselves. If you try and tell him it is

just

> going to make him resent you. All you can do is be encouraging. Do

you

> have any control over the food in the house? If so maybe try

having

> things like fruits and veggies ready to eat. If you do any of the

> cooking, I'll post the healthy cooking tips. They are easy things

that

> the whole family can eat. I don't cook any different for my family

then

> I do myself. Meanwhile don't try to tell him anything. Just be

there

> for him. Let him know that when he is ready you would be willing to

> help him. Maybe see if he would like to go for walks after dinner

with

> you? Just don't try to get him to do it. He will only pull away.

I'm

> sorry I don't have better advice. I know it's hard. My mom tried

for

> years with my dad but he died 3 years ago of obesity related

illnesses.

> You can bug him and try and tell them until you're blue in the face

but

> until he wants it for himself it wont do it. Then, if and when he

gets

> to that point, then be there for him and support him.

>

> Take care,

> Gena

>

> > ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I

am

> > still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this

change

> > for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen.  My question

is..

> > for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> > encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

> >

> > My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act),

and he

> > weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " .  He's the largest in our family

(Both

> > my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175),

and

> > today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> > our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> > claims to weigh up to 330 lbs.  He got a reading one time and he

said

> > it was around 325.  He didn't show it but I could tell he was

really

> > upset with himself.  I'm really worried about him - He suffers

from

> > clinical depression, and eats a lot.  My parents paid good money

> > about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't

follow

> > the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain.  I

love my

> > brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung

problems,

> > and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my

question

> > is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> > I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> > parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5

minutes

> > of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> > weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> > workout.  Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or

child

> > who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> > where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem,

yet

> > I care about the kid too much to do that.  Anyways, any advice

would

> > be SO helpful!

> >

> > -

> >

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Gena,

Thank you for posting all those awesome cooking tips! I don't do a

ton of the cooking around here but I usually help my dad if I'm home

in time. (he does more of the cooking than my mom, and he's better at

it!) He usually cooks pretty healthily - meats with lower fat

content, using little or no oil, etc.

I told my mom I was worried about my brother the other day and she

was like " he's a big growing boy , you have to remember that

he's 6'2 " to which i could only reply " mom, he's 16. and if

he's 'growing' the only way is horizontally! you can't use that

excuse anymore! " I guess I really am just gonna have to wait for him

to realize he's got a problem and let him deal with it himself.

We generally don't keep too many fatty foods in the house - my dad

buys (ha, he also does the grocery shopping too!) reduced fat

cookies, skim milk, no sugar added ice cream, WOW chips or Baked

Lays, things like that.. but my brother has a huge problem with

eating gigantic portions. it's not unlikely for him to put away half

a carton of ice cream, a whole pizza, and 1/2 a package of oreos on a

single day. I've never really had a huge problem with binging.. I

get full quicker, I guess. He also just got a job, so now that he's

got disposable income he's been making a few more stops at taco bell

and the chinese food place than normal - but there's no real way to

control that. Just this morning I dragged him away from Krispy Kreme

and we went to tim hortons instead for bagels (though not that much

better calorie wise, ah well..)

So I guess it's just back to being the supportive sister who stays in

the background while he eats us out of house and home (ok that's a

little bit extreme, but sometimes it seems like it!) Thank you for

all your advice and support, because I really had no clue what I

should be doing in this situation!

-

>

> ,

> I know how hard that is. I have 4 older sister and #3 Gayla is

bigger

> then I ever was. She eats terrible and never exercises. I hate to

tell

> you this but there really isn't anything you can do. Like you said,

you

> are SELF motivated. You wan t it. You can't make somebody else want

it.

> They have to want it for themselves. If you try and tell him it is

just

> going to make him resent you. All you can do is be encouraging. Do

you

> have any control over the food in the house? If so maybe try

having

> things like fruits and veggies ready to eat. If you do any of the

> cooking, I'll post the healthy cooking tips. They are easy things

that

> the whole family can eat. I don't cook any different for my family

then

> I do myself. Meanwhile don't try to tell him anything. Just be

there

> for him. Let him know that when he is ready you would be willing to

> help him. Maybe see if he would like to go for walks after dinner

with

> you? Just don't try to get him to do it. He will only pull away.

I'm

> sorry I don't have better advice. I know it's hard. My mom tried

for

> years with my dad but he died 3 years ago of obesity related

illnesses.

> You can bug him and try and tell them until you're blue in the face

but

> until he wants it for himself it wont do it. Then, if and when he

gets

> to that point, then be there for him and support him.

>

> Take care,

> Gena

>

> > ok, so while i consider my weight to be a big problem of mine, I

am

> > still pretty self-confident and self-motivated - I want this

change

> > for me, and I do what I need to to make it happen.  My question

is..

> > for those of you with children or younger siblings.. how do you

> > encourage them to get movin, eat right, and lose weight?

> >

> > My younger brother is 16 (going on 30, or so he tries to act),

and he

> > weighs around 325 and is 6'2 " .  He's the largest in our family

(Both

> > my parents are probably around 240, and I'm the lightest at 175),

and

> > today i know he took sort of a blow to his ego when i brought home

> > our new scale - He keeps getting error messages b/c the scale only

> > claims to weigh up to 330 lbs.  He got a reading one time and he

said

> > it was around 325.  He didn't show it but I could tell he was

really

> > upset with himself.  I'm really worried about him - He suffers

from

> > clinical depression, and eats a lot.  My parents paid good money

> > about a year ago to send him to a nutritionist, but he didn't

follow

> > the plan he was given from day one, and continues to gain.  I

love my

> > brother, I don't want to see him suffer with heart or lung

problems,

> > and I don't want him to feel so down about himself.. so my

question

> > is, what can I do to motivate him to eat less, and to stay active?

> > I've convinced him to come to the gym with me on rare occasion (my

> > parents bought us both memberships) but when we go, he does 5

minutes

> > of walkign on the treadmill, wanders around pretending to lift

> > weights, then goes and sits in the hot tub until i'm done with my

> > workout.  Have any of you had issues dealing with a sibling or

child

> > who needs to lose weight? what do you do? I'm almost to the point

> > where i want to give up on him and tell him it's his own problem,

yet

> > I care about the kid too much to do that.  Anyways, any advice

would

> > be SO helpful!

> >

> > -

> >

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

>>>I told my mom I was worried about my brother the other day and she

was like " he's a big growing boy , you have to remember that

he's 6'2 " to which i could only reply " mom, he's 16. So I guess it's just back

to being the supportive sister -

I would suggest telling your brother that you know it's difficult being

overweight, that you love him no matter what, and that you know he's at a

difficult time in his life, being 16, a teenager. Then say you're there for him

to help and support him in any way when and if he's ready to focus on his weight

issues. Tell him if he even just wants to talk about it, you'll listen. And

listening means not trying to talk him into changing, but just listening. I

would have loved it if someone had approached me that way when I was an

overweight teen. In my case a " frontal attack " would never have worked. I did

end up going to ww when I was in high school and losing a bunch of weight. It

came from inside me, because I was ready. Good luck, :-) XXXMarge

[Guest guest]

,

Glad you liked them. Yep as far as your brother goes I really suggest

just being there for him and waiting until he is ready. Being the

youngest of 5 I know I don't like my sisters telling me things much.

Granted as I get older I'm better but as a teenager I'm sure he wont

take it too well. From any family matter really. It has to be because

he wants it for him not because he's being worried about. I know you

are concerned and that is hard but it would be worse if you try and

push him. Just be there for him. Maybe lay helpful articles out in

places he might see or maybe tell him about us. :-) You are sweet for

caring and I'm sure he will appreciate that someday.

> Gena,

>

> Thank you for posting all those awesome cooking tips! I don't do a

> ton of the cooking around here but I usually help my dad if I'm home

> in time. (he does more of the cooking than my mom, and he's better at

> it!)  He usually cooks pretty healthily - meats with lower fat

> content, using little or no oil, etc.

>

> I told my mom I was worried about my brother the other day and she

> was like " he's a big growing boy , you have to remember that

> he's 6'2 " to which i could only reply " mom, he's 16. and if

> he's 'growing' the only way is horizontally! you can't use that

> excuse anymore! " I guess I really am just gonna have to wait for him

> to realize he's got a problem and let him deal with it himself.

>