Need help for my dad

[46and2]

Hello everyone. This is my first post in this forum. I need some suggestions for my dad. He's 58 years old, 5'9", and over 240 pounds (I'm not exactly sure by how much). The problem is that he has a bunch of medical problems such as neuropathy, spinal stenosis, arthritis in his hands and knees, 3 knee operations (1 on 1 knee, 2 on the other), a horse fell on one of those knees, etc. I'm sure his obesity makes these problems worse. The thing is he can't exercise at all. He limps and walks really slow no matter where he walks. After sitting down for long periods, his knees get really tight.

What on earth can I do to help him? I'm afraid that liposuction or stomach stapling is his only option. I know he wants to lose weight, but if it hurts that much just to walk, there's no way he can do any real exercise. Thanks for any suggestions.

[yioti]

there are plenty of excersices that your dad can do. as a matter of fact if you let him just sit on the couch and do nothing his joints and muscles will get worse. if you do not get his body moving,then his body will just dissentegrate. there are certain supplements you can give your father that will help him with his arthritis andll get him moving a little easier. like glucosamine and calcium but you should also have him on a daily multi-vitamin. The only problem is about his limping, finding out ways to spark his core because he can't do much heavy lifting. stomach stapling and dieting will make him look unsatisfactory, in his eyes because it does nothing for his body besides making him slim in an ugly manner, besides look @ rocky and just picture your dad that way. it can happen lol

[boyscouT]

It's time to fix his diet. He doesn't need exercise/ilfting to lose weight.

Overall Nutrition: Read all stickys in the Nutrition section.
Fat loss: Read all stickys in the Losing Fat section.

Here's how you figure out your required cals (2 step process):
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
Now that you have your BMR, use this next link to figure out your required cals.
http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-ca...dict-equation/
For cutting, I suggest -200 cals. For bulking, I suggest +200 cals.

Here's how you figure out macros:
At least 1.5g of protein per lb of bodyweight.
At least 20% of your calories should come from healthy fats.
Carbs are up to you, I recommend keeping starchy carbs @ breakfast, PreWorkout, and Post(-Post)Workout.
Smaller & more frequent meals are better for optimal absorption of nutrients.
I recommend P+C+F in every meal except preWO (P+C), immediate post workout (P+C), and bedtime (P+F).
Drink at least 1 gallon of pure water a day.

Please remember the above are just guidelines.... it is your responsibility to listen to your body and adjust as necessary.

[46and2]

I'm not 100% sure what his diet consists of. I do know that he and my mom eat out quite often. The thing is he doesn't eat all that much in terms of quantity. I guess he just eats the wrong things.

[boyscouT]

I'm not 100% sure what his diet consists of. I do know that he and my mom eat out quite often. The thing is he doesn't eat all that much in terms of quantity. I guess he just eats the wrong things.

Start having him eat the right things.

[46and2]

Start having him eat the right things.

Do you really think diet alone can make a big difference? I always thought that diet and exercise was necessary for results.

[skibbi9]

diet alone will work, just slower.

[46and2]

I think the first thing I am going to do is talk to my mom and try to convince her to cook more meals at home instead of getting fast food. I think starting at the diet will be a good thing. Thanks for the suggestions.

[boyscouT]

Do you really think diet alone can make a big difference? I always thought that diet and exercise was necessary for results.

Diet's always #1.... always.

[travis h]

There are a couple of things I'm concerned about from reading this thread so far. First of all, I don't know where the neuropathy is coming from. If I had to guess (and I do, since you didn't tell us) I'd say that there's a microvascular component to it, likely from diabetes...regardless of a previous diagnosis of diabetes. Neuropathy, unless there's a toxin involved, is very frequently ischemic in nature from microvascular disease, which puts your dad in a higher risk category for renal dysfunction and coronary/cerebral vascular disease. So the concept of dieting for him is vastly different than it is for us. The standard 1.5 grams/lb of protein that we may follow is way, way too much for your dad.

He may have multiple medical conditions that limit his activity, but you don't get fat without overeating, period. And nine times out of ten he will benefit most from limiting simple carbohydrates and saturated/trans fats (yes, I said saturated, we're not talking about an otherwise healthy 20 year old). This implies a switch to complex carbohydrates, lean protein sources, and more fish and healthy fats. The best thing you can to for your dad is educate him, but make sure you're getting your information from the right sources. An internet bodybuilding forum full of generally healthy young people is not the right source. If you don't feel that your dad's physician has the knowledge to handle his weight loss, find him a nutritionist. Even though nutritionists are bashed on these boards because they don't always know how to produce ripped athletes, they DO know how to help obese people with multiple medical problems create a safe weight-loss diet.

As for exercise, get your dad into the pool. Without knowing the current state of his knees after these surgeries, I wouldn't be able to tell you if he would benefit from activity or rest. The mixture of trauma and arthritis makes that decision a little tricky and it is NOT appropriate to assume that he would benefit from greatly increased activity from a functional standpoint (weightloss aside). It may end up being a balance between the activity he can tolerate in order to gain some cardiovascular benefit. However, your dad falls into that group of "please consult your physician before starting any exercise program." Have him see someone who can check out his heart and lungs and set proper limits beyond the generalizations you might see on this board. Either way, he sounds like a candidate for some swimming. Best of luck.