Earth Clinic Mobile: Home Remedies for People and Pets

Home > Ailments > Obesity > Obesity Q&A > Advice sought for obese cousin

Advice sought for obese cousin

Posted By Dianec (Los Angeles, Ca, United States) on 01/08/2012

I have a cousin that is Obese. No matter what the family says or does we can't get her to diet or lose weight. She has mental or emotional problems and eats for comfort. She will get a Big Mac attack at 1:00 am in the morning and drive to a Mickey D's and indulge. Fries, coke and all!

My cousin has severe leg cramps due to being obese and most of the time she sits around and doesn't move, she just watches TV. Her condition and weight are so bad that she no longer walks like a normal person, she actually waddles when she walks back and forth. She has a problem with water that affects her legs. Water will actually leak from her legs at times.

She is about 450 pounds!

Doesn't anyone know how to help her with these problems? I think she has tried to get the lap band surgery but has been turned down? We relatives are at our wits end but have no control over what she does with her life. We are scared about losing her. She does have a doctor and a personal shrink but still nothing helps?

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Replied by Stephanie (Algonac, Mi) on 01/09/2012

I'm very sorry to hear about your cousin..... While diet and activity level absolutely essentail to weight loss, there may be a few things you can suggest to get her to drop possibly a few pounds (probably nothing dramatic) without altering her diet or exercise level. Digestive enzymes (I take papaya enzymes), probiotics, biotin, and cinnamon have helped me greatly in losing weight.

However, I cannot stress enough the importance of the major life style change she will need to make in order to lose any substantial amount of weight. What you may want to do is try to get her to take these supplements and maybe if they help her lose a couple of pounds she will be encouraged and start making other positive changes to take better care of herself. If I were her I would also have an food allergy test done. I found out I had celiac's disease (gluten intolerance) and I can totally remember the carb cravings I would get before I was diagnosed and changed my eating habits.

I also have PCOS (polycysitic ovarian syndrome) which due to her weight I would say it may not hurt to have her tested for (or at least do some research in to it). I have lost over 100 lbs since I realized that I needed to be my own advocate and take my health more in to my own hands. I take a long list of supplements and while I am not in perfect health quite yet, I feel I am on my way there. I am not a doctor or even in the medical profession (although I feel like I should be after all the research I have done, lol), but if your cousin just needs someone to talk to or if you have any questions about anything I've brought up... please feel free to email me at spizor80(at)yahoo.com.

Best of luck and God Bless,

Stephanie

Replied by Wongoblly (San Diego, Ca, Us) on 01/09/2012

Hi Dianec, I can't say I personally know how being about 80 pounds overweght myself but I would suggest she first tries what use to be called a fat farm. I mean a real serious one. They also have hospitals that specailize in morbidly obese patients. This would be a commitement for a period of time. I mean not just for a weekend but from 30 days to 6 months or longer. I think this is better than surgery but just my opinion. I see you don't want to lose her and I think this could be helful to get her started and begin to get the weight off. They really don't starve you they get you moving about and eating right. They have them for the wealthy and for the rest of us depending on your budget.

If I had the money I would go. There are a wide range but my favorite are the ones that get you up early and you go for a hike and they have activities all day. You also have constant access to food but only healthy choices no junk food there. They also check for junk food when you enter to make sure you're not bringing it in with you. things like sodapop, candy bars, cookies, etc.

They do not starve you or if they do I would not choose that one. Suggest also one that teaches how to plan, shop & prepare healthy meals. A healthy Lifestyle could be learned while she's there too. One good thing is she will not be alone. You could even ask her doctor for a facility that would work for her. I just googled it and found a bunch of them. She'll need her health monitored so it should be a doctor supervised facility. Also a facility that gradually gets her up and about, so she can see her progress day by day.

I hope this is helpful to you and your sister.

Replied by Wongoblly (San Diego, Ca, Us) on 01/09/2012

Dianec - correction your cousin not your sister. very sorry for mistake.

Replied by Louwrence (Rustenburgn, North West South Africa) on 01/09/2012

Hi, This is for everybody willing to read this. Just came across very important info regarding the healing of any disease cheaply with what is referred to as liposomal vit c. www.8aloha.com go to this website & it is explained how to make it at home. Also look up Lypo Spheric vit c.

Replied by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 01/09/2012

Unless your cousin wants to lose weight you are facing a losing battle. One of the reasons they keep eating is that MSG in all these foods is actually addictive. It also kills off brain cells (google excitotoxins)

If your cousin changes his/her mind then I suggest putting them on a green smoothie diet. That will get the need vitamins/minerals into their body and be a start.

A lot of the time the family is helping the person eat the bad food. Are they driving themself to the shops? How does the food get into the house? That needs to stop. Only fresh food should be purchased so that they don't have access to the food.

Replied by Diane (Los Angeles, Ca.) on 01/10/2012

My cousin still drives and drives to stores mainly at night or at 24 hour stores because she is up all night and sleeps most of the day, has breakfast in 5:00 pm! She uses the handicap carts to get around in stores.

If she has to do this on her own it's not happening? I feel that something terrible will have to happen for her to change. I only hope she survives this happening. I have talked to her about our fears in the past. And she continues in the same path. Thanks for all the help.

Replied by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 01/10/2012

Dianne, can your family get together and do an intervention like situation. Tell her in one big group why you are all very worried about her and tell her how much you love her and want to help her. Maybe get someone to come to the house who has overcome their own situation to talk to her.

As an aside when I was drinking wheatgrass juice my cravings went away.

Replied by Diane (Los Angeles, Calfornia) on 01/11/2012

Debbie, I have thought of this before--group intervention. But so far only my mother and I only have had the courage to discuss the obese issue with my cousin. Thanks for the advice!

I will bring this up with my relatives. I think they are afraid to hurt my cousins feelings but they don't realize she could die or they are in denial?

Her mother was also obese and still lived to be in her mid 70's.

My cousin years ago came home from partying at night (before she became obese) and found her mother on the floor. Her mother had fallen down and could not get up on her own. The mother refused to call for help due to the embarrassment and stayed on the floor for hours.

Eventually her husband and my cousin called an ambulance and my aunt was taken to a hospital where she passed about a week later.

My blood uncle (my cousin's father) is nearing 90 has never needed surgery nor had any negative health issues, and he still has all his teeth and is thin! And he eats everything including a shake just about every day without any negative issues to his health. My cousin takes after her mother sadly.

My blood relatives have never had heart disease either. We are native Americans of New Mexico U.S.A. I wonder if that fact is keeping my cousin alive with her weight problem?

Replied by Gavin (Manganui, Northland, New Zealand) on 01/11/2012

Aparently "high calcium low fat milk".. The calcium binds with the fat and it gets excreted in the normal manner. When this was discoverd to work, it gives a good opening for milkshakes which are usually fattening to act as a calcium carrier to stop the fat going onto the hips.

Replied by Iola (Baltimore, Maryland) on 02/15/2012

Can you tell me the dosages I should take of the supplements you outlined that will assist with weight loss: who much papaya; probiotics. Biotin and cinnamon?

Also can you tell me how long you recommend I should take these supplements?

Replied by Jason (Des Moines, Iowa) on 12/11/2012

As myself.... I am technically obese. I have pain in my right leg (sometimes in the left one also). This pain is recently been called cramping... I also learned that calcium 1200mg magensium 1200mg and Vitamin D 400 IU. Vitamin D helps aid the calcium and I was told you need 2000 IU. Lack of calcium causes cramping and I have some numbness at times... I take a good vitamin B complex but Vitamin B12 helps with texter thumb I had once. Dont ignore it.

Anyways.....The calcium has helped my pain and same with vitamin B complex. Please use this as an aid to help you rather than to enable a bad lifestyle.

Back to Obesity Q&A