Any seriously overweight men around? Insight needed.

[happydog]

Please can some men answer this?

My brother is in his sixties and is seriously overweight (20 stone). He hasn't always been like this, but has piled on the pounds after retiring from a career in aviation. He doesn't seem to care, will not alter his diet, takes no excercise and utterly refuses to join any slimming clubs(not that I can blame him myself). He comes out with the most ridiculous, jokey reasons as to why he won't make an effort :roll: . He is shortening his life and his health is already beginning to suffer as he won't (cannot) walk very far because of hip pain. How can he be motivated? It is driving his girlfriend(and me) bonkers. I know nagging isn't the answer so please, if you were in this physical state, what would motivate you?

[Pixie]

The threat of Gillian McKeith maybe??? Sorry got no real ideas :oops:

[Simon]

Thats a really tough situation to be honest. If he doesn't want to change things for himself then its an uphill battle.

[Alpha]

I don't have any advice but it must be terrible to sit and watch this happen.
I can never get motivated to loose the extra weight I have put on.....if you find out how to do it will you let me know.
But the best of luck.
Just as an aside if he is classed as Morbidly Obese the NHS will prescribe appetite supressants and they will do gastric banding...but you have to get him to a specialist first.

[PhilWill]

In my experience it'll probably be something quite drastic that will make him change his ways. My father was overweight in his very late fifties (bearing in mind he'll be 69 in December), he started to have problems with blood-sugar levels and one day he woke up to find his right foot had swollen to the size of a rugby ball. He went to the doctors because the foot was painful (not too mention a really horrible purple colour) and found that his lifestyle of not being too careful on what he was eating had landed him with Type 2 Diabetes, the foot was a symptom of it and a lot of people who get this symptom end up losing their feet by amputation. He had started walking to work and back and totally changed his diet top-to-bottom, and watches what he eats very carefully and he lost a lot of weight although he wasn't happy with it at first.
Now, he's in good shape and the foot receded after a few weeks, and hes in the best shape that I've ever seen him in.

The thing that scared my dad into doing something about it was that on that first visit to the doctor (I didn't find this out til over 6 months later) was that he was told that if he didn't change his lifestyle he would be dead within four years- guaranteed. That scared the crap out of him because the men on his side of the family don't seem to live past sixty, he saw the signs and changed and now hes doing well.

All the best in your situation I hope your brother does something for his own (and yours) good.

[happydog]

Yeah, it looks as though we need a stooge Doctor to spell it out to him in no uncertain terms. Thanks guys.

[Alpha]

I don't think a stooge would do any better of a job than his GP. I am sure that if he goes they will spell it out to him in no uncertain terms.....or he could always borrow Gunner and do a few laps round the block a day!

[Krisdt]

We see loads of over weight people in our gym and the ones who actually stick it out are the ones who want to do it, the ones that get 'persauded' to loose the weight never last.