I need help to get a relative fit/healthy.

Shampoo · 12 May 2015 at 09:36

Hey,

I hadn't seen my cousin for a while because he's got various serious mental health disorders that render him unable to leave the house much. I went to see him the other day and he's put on a substantial amount of weight. he's 6ft 2" and comes in at 23 stone with a fairly protruding belly. We spoke about it and he's quite up for doing work to remedy the situation as best he can but with the caveat that he doesn't go out.

I guess this is largely going to be down to food intake for the most part but I've got an exercise bike that I'm going to take around for him at the end of the week. What can we do that will get him losing noticeable weight as soon as possible?

Suggestions that we can build around the bike and some advice from those that use a bike on what we cane expect it do for him would be very, very welcome.

scorza · 12 May 2015 at 09:43

DDP Yoga

Schlong&Stable · 12 May 2015 at 09:45

It shouldn't be that hard to shift the weight, provided he has some willpower. The diet is where I'd focus initially, getting rid of as much crap as possible and providing healthy alternatives. No crisps, biscuits or chocolate between meals or fizzy pop.

Going on bike rides at the weekend is good, of course. But he'd need to bike a hell of a lot to lose weight if he's still stuffing his face with junk food.

Aedus · 12 May 2015 at 09:52

Move more, eat less.

HEIS3NB3RG · 12 May 2015 at 10:03

Work out the amount of calories his body needs daily. There are several online calculators which can help with this.

Then reduce this amount by 200-300 calories, use an app such as My Fitness Pal to track daily calorie intake. Initially he should be able to lose weight relatively easy just by making slight changes in his diet, however he will eventually plateau and that is when exercise will need to be introduced.

Ofc exercising from day 1 will speed up the process as the greater the calorie defecit the quicker the weight will come off. However it is important to note, you cannot out train a bad diet. It is 80% key to weight loss.

Vonhelmet · 12 May 2015 at 10:08

Aedus said:
Move more, eat less.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the OP was hoping for some more specific advice than that.

Kreeeee · 12 May 2015 at 10:09

Eat less, avoid boredom eating.

Shampoo · 12 May 2015 at 10:26

HEIS3NB3RG said:
Work out the amount of calories his body needs daily. There are several online calculators which can help with this.

Then reduce this amount by 200-300 calories, use an app such as My Fitness Pal to track daily calorie intake. Initially he should be able to lose weight relatively easy just by making slight changes in his diet, however he will eventually plateau and that is when exercise will need to be introduced.

Ofc exercising from day 1 will speed up the process as the greater the calorie defecit the quicker the weight will come off. However it is important to note, you cannot out train a bad diet. It is 80% key to weight loss.

Yeah, we've already had a mini clear out of sorts in regards to the ridiculous amount of Coca Cola he had in the house. Replaced that with a few crates of Evian for the time being. He'll basically drink anything as long as it's cold so staying of the Coke shouldn't be too bad as long as he can get the sugar elsewhere. I don't think we're going to wean him off the food he likes straight away but in compromise we are going to be seriously reducing the portions taken in.

I was generally after a routine we could use with the bike. What sort of distances and how long he should be using it initially? I'd like to get that routine started as soon as possible, the weekend to be honest.

olivier renault · 12 May 2015 at 12:43

rowing machine > bike.

Ronald · 12 May 2015 at 13:30

olivier renault said:
rowing machine > bike.

True, assuming you have a vague comprehension of rowing technique... I have seen too many people in gyms that could get themselves into strain injuries (Wrists, lower back especially) given enough time on them... Which is a shame as rowing is actually one of the best low impact exercise you can do.

Ayahuasca · 12 May 2015 at 14:31

Make sure he doesn't go nuts with the exercise right from the off, god knows what shape his heart is in at that weight and how long he's been inactive.

Shampoo · 12 May 2015 at 18:02

I'm thinking that about 15 minutes of moderate cycling per day for the first week or so and then bumping him up in 5 minute increments until we get to about 45 minutes?

EDIT: Thread seems to have dies extremely rapidly.

Never mind, we'll sort something out.

Mods, please delete/lock.

Ronald · 13 May 2015 at 14:01

At 23 stone GP/NHS appear to have a programme to help out, so a visit there for advise may be good. A quick Google will give you a fair bit of information.

Otherwise I'd look at a Gym/trainer/dietist who has experience in this to set up a programme.

The positive side of a big body is it burns a lot even when doing very little... so sorting diet out first should see improvements. Tracking calorie consumption using an app or website sounds like a good way to self-manage.. but you still need to guard for sufficient nutrients.

Exercise is a good addition obviously as it gets you fitter as well as increasing calorie use.

tom_nieto · 14 May 2015 at 11:06

Diet, diet, diet. Exercise will only do so much

Crowort · 14 May 2015 at 11:24

I just want to add that while it is down to the amount of calories of course, the types of medication he is taking often have weight gain as a side effect (I assume slowing the burning of calories?) So it is likely going to be harder for him than for people not on the types of medication he most likely is.