heres my question, how are you friends with a “seriously obese” person?
OK, I’m going to talk from experience. Two years ago I weighed about 420 lbs. I had high BP, gout, and a host of other problems. Divorce, work problems, and injuries had taken their toll. I couldn’t get my ass out of my chair. Spending time with my son wasn’t any funfor him. I knew I had to do something.
I’m sure many here will disapprove but I decided to pursue gastric bypass surgery. However, I did have to lose quite a bit of weight before the surgery. I started with diet and cut out a few things at a time. No sugared drinks. No snack foods. It’s amazing how small changes can start to cut the pounds.
I also started riding a stationary bike and lifting very light weights. That’s my advice…your friend has to move. Although adding muscle may increase his metabolism, it isn’t necessary at this point. He has to create a calorie deficit. By the time of my surgery, about 8 months, I had lost 130 lbs.
About 3 months after my surgery I started increasing my lifting. Although I still did a lot of cardio, lifting helped me add muscle mass. A year and a half from surgery, I’ve lost over 200 lbs. My muscle mass has increased and I look better than when I was into powerlifting 15 years ago.
Now, I do try to lift as heavy as possible but I’m not looking to reclaim my youth. I think I look pretty good compared to a couple years ago. I don’t do as much cardio now and I don’t worry about diet that much. I push the protein but will eat carbs when I want them.
So, short story long, get your friend up and move him. Do some light weights and gradually increase but don’t make it a priority. Use dumbbells or an exercise machine. I used a Total Gym system. Have him cut out a few things every week or so from his diet. Push the protein, limit chips and stuff, and cut the fast food and pizza. I went almost a year without pizza.
Your concern for your friend, or maybe this is about you, is admirable. Keep at him.
I’m very sorry but merely making him lift weights without any regard to nutrition and/or getitng his body fat down with serious caloric restriction will only raise his chances of getting a heart attack in the gym.
i’m being blunt but thats exactly whats going to happen. if he continues devouring big macs and donuts and lifts heavy his heart will probably explode when he hits the leg press one fine day.
Drop the idea of making him lift weights and let him spend whatever time he has left with dignity. There’s not much more you can do with him. I’m sorry.
[quote]I’m sure many here will disapprove but I decided to pursue gastric bypass surgery. However, I did have to lose quite a bit of weight before the surgery. I started with diet and cut out a few things at a time. No sugared drinks. No snack foods. It’s amazing how small changes can start to cut the pounds.
I also started riding a stationary bike and lifting very light weights. That’s my advice…your friend has to move. Although adding muscle may increase his metabolism, it isn’t necessary at this point. He has to create a calorie deficit. By the time of my surgery, about 8 months, I had lost 130 lbs.
[/quote]
And this is why I don’t believe there is ever a reason to have gastric bypass surgery. Not trying to be disrespectful to you, but after losing 130lbs, why even get the surgery? Wasn’t 130lbs less fat proof that you didn’t need the surgery to lose weight?
All gastric bypass surgery is, is surgery-induced starvation. You could accomplish the same thing just by eating next to nothing every day. Hell, 16 year old girls do the gastric bypass diet all the time.
/End rant.
I agree though with letting him spend whatever time left with dignity. It’s obvious he’d be going into it half-hearted at best, and will not change his lifestyle for the better. Just let him be.
i dont know if its been said already.
But first and foremoet you gotta make it fun for him.
even just going out and playing catch is good compared to trying to convince him to come to the gym with you if he doesnt want to.
start him off just doing fun lifts
Bench
close grip
shoulder press
Pulldown
curl
As he gets stronger in bench, and at 450 he certainly will get stronger in bench. He will start to like it.
The reason we love lifting is because we see gains, we have a reason to keep lifting because we sill stop seeing gains and lose what we have worked for. If he never gets to the point that he is in danger of losing something he worked hard to get he will never feel like its a big deal to just give up on lifting.
Train him like a powerlifter on bench and praise him when he makes gains, soon he will be good at benching and enjoy doing it.
I would say the main thing is only give him one new thing to focus on at a time, and not overload him with masses of new lifestyle changes.
ie month one just turn up to the gym 3 times week no matter what, if. he wants to carry on eating junk that’s ok.
month two start tweaking the diet/ cutting down on booze.
month three introduce more advanced training principles and some supps etc
Personally I would start him off going for hour long walks 3+ days a week and one weight session a week.
After a few months try and get his fitness to a level where he can slowly jog for 20 mins.
I;m curious. I would assume he would improve rapidly at the deadlift rather than the bench simply because carrying around that much weight would have built up massive short term strength in his lower back and glutes.
[quote]Mega Newb wrote:
at 450 he certainly will get stronger in bench. He will start to like it.
[/quote]
has your buddy had a chance to watch big medicine on the discovery channel-maybe you should trying scaring the hell out of him,whatever it takes.
one of the physcologists on the program stated that fat people are great at talking but not walking. as cosgrove states-rule 1 you can’t out train a shitty diet.
rule two repeat number one. forget weight training- for now loads of cardio(slow steady) alongwith all of the healthy foods. it worked for me, good luck with your freind
I agree with bananas and mega newb regarding the “fun” aspect. I have the same problem as a temporary military recruiter. No one wants to do a stupid formation run every week. You cannot make him an elite athlete anytime in the near future, just get him moving more. Even shooting hoops (not actually playing basketball), playing catch with a football or baseball, tug of war, yard/house work (hey, some people like that), and cooking his own meals will require time and motion. If he sees gains in the gym and stays motivated, he will continue to go. But actually going to the gym and having a program for someone not totally committed may be a step in the wrong direction. Keep us posted.