Help for my dad (medical issues + hughly overweight)

[Vikingly]

Hey guys,

To give you a bit of background on my dad, he was a powerlifter when he was younger (18-27 I think) but ended up stopping due to health problems and family life. Problem is, with his health he has limited mobility but he kept eating like a powerlifter, thus putting him at 190kg (approx 420lbs).
Regarding his health issues he has diabetes, neuropathy, oesteo and rheumatoid arthitis, charcot disease and paget's disease. Fun list, I know.

Now, bit more recently. He had ended up in hospital 5 days ago due to an infection after sustaining a deep cut around his ankle. With his neuropathy he has no feeling below his knees, which caused him to accidentally catch his foot on something trying to move about. The infection came on a few days after, luckily the hospital have done a good job flushing it out with IV antibiotics, but he is likely to be in until the end of the week. The infected leg also swole up like a balloon, we measured it with his other calf to see the difference. The right leg (normal) had 20in calves, left leg was 23in.

Which brings us to what to do when he gets out. He knows he needs to lose weight but he is also very set in his ways. I want to try to get him doing light, chair based exercises to try to get a bit of strength and mobility. The most he can walk these days is roughly 50-75m, at a push. Its also worth noting his left foot has very little bone left in it, it was rebuilt a few years ago with metal pins and screws which plays a large part in that. Are there any good online resources anybody knows about for chair based exercises for people with limited mobility to get him started? A friend of mine knows a PT who specializes in that sort of thing, but it'll be a few weeks or months before we can get in touch with him.

Now, I can track his calories and manage his food for him, but I don't know how many (or few) calories a day he could comsume and lose weight. Obviously at 190kg he could eat more than someone at 100kg and lose weight but I want him to stick with this so if it is too strict, he'll doubtless lose motivation eventually. Despite having practically no strength left (lifting a laptop causes his muscles to shake) he still has a hell of a lot of muscle. His legs and thighs are still more defined that anybody at my gym, and a broader back than most too. This makes it hard for me to figure out his bodyfat percentage but it wouldn't suprise me if his lean body mass was 220-230lbs. Does 2500cal sound reasonable for him to cut on and stick with?

The other problem I have is I don't know what different foods do to the blood sugars, which is very important considering his diabetes. If I were to make a meal plan for him, it would be protein rich and fairly low carb. The way he eats normally he knows how to manage his insulin but I'm not sure if he would know how to adjust it for different foods and a decreasing bodyweight.

I'll try to keep this thread updated, though it might be a while before we get him home and stable. There's also a possibility he will have to stay at my aunts bungalow for a while, as he likely won't be able to handle the stairs at home for a while.

I'd greatly appreciate any advice you guys can give me, thanks for reading!

[Tmax55]

I think you need a medical professional's advice on this. Not some people on the Internet.

That being said swim.

[Vikingly]

I think you need a medical professional's advice on this. Not some people on the Internet.

Oh aye, I totally agree. We've got him a referral for a nutritionalist and a physio is helping him while in the hospital, this is mostly on the off chance that there are any folk here who have personal or professional experience with any of the above. The more info we can get, the better.

[SteveWright1]

Vikingly
I am not qualified to give any advice on this situation in all honesty

I can say, I hope it works out for both of you and that your father regains as much full health as he is able to do

qualified persons as you already know are the best 1st step
most of us will refrain from trying to advise on the specifics as none of us want to do any harm
which is exactly why you do not want to mess with his diet, until you are sure you will be doing the right thing = sound thinking on your part IMO

good luck with everything, and if you're in it with him for the long haul, then there is a very good chance you can help to influence your father into sticking with medical advise given and following through with any resulting diet and exercise plan

[jasolhe]

there's a good netflix video on a guy who juice fasted for 90 days or something like that, watch that, if i were him i'd try it under close supervision by doc's

[oliveratbody2]

My dad was really overweight, out of shape, computer engineer at the age of 46/47 and over the last 3.5 years (now 50) has taken up biking/ running.

He started off running then moved to biking and also uses a stationary bike at home. He dropped from 300 lb to about 180lb and competes in an annual road biking event.

[hochspeyer]

Good advice given so far as to the reliability of advice on the interwebz. Having said that, though, isn't a chair just a small bench?

[beachguy498]

First and foremost, he should be carefully evaluated and cleared by a doctor before doing anything beyond walking and watching the diet. He seems to have a lot of issues to consider.

I do wish him all the best for a healthier 2014.

Rob

[RAYMAN91]

I agree prof. help is needed, but more importantly your dad (as with anyone) has to be on board to change his ways. Something mentally has to click for him to want to improve his life for your and his benefit I hope that happens.
I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Best Wishes!

[Cape1]

I'm sorry to hear about your Dads challenges. I would definitely echo the need to seek professional advice around this. He just has way too many things wrong to try to tackle this as a non Medical Pro. that said, once you get things set up, you could be instrumental in keeping him on track and helping him with the workouts. I would just make sure you get the Doc's involved up front.

[Jordanski]

All the best to you and your Fam. And yes, seeking Medical is his best option.

[virtualbrian]

Sounds like you really love your dad a lot. I don't have any advice but he's lucky to have you. Keep going and good luck.

[mcbourque]

Yikes it looks like your dad has a lot of issues to tackle at many levels: physical but also medical and psychological.

Like every one said the best is to get a team of health professional to help him with a solid plan.

Maybe your role is to find and coordinate that team then help your dad stay on track with his plan by being there during his workout and help him stay on his eating plan.

Good on you for trying to help and good luck to you both

[terif]

I would be happy to help with the diet. I am a diabetic who manages my blood sugar successfully without meds and help quite a few others as well. However, he has to want help to be successful. He's very lucky to have a child who loves him so much! You can email me if you like: terif04996@aol.com. Best of luck to you both.

Hey guys,

To give you a bit of background on my dad, he was a powerlifter when he was younger (18-27 I think) but ended up stopping due to health problems and family life. Problem is, with his health he has limited mobility but he kept eating like a powerlifter, thus putting him at 190kg (approx 420lbs).
Regarding his health issues he has diabetes, neuropathy, oesteo and rheumatoid arthitis, charcot disease and paget's disease. Fun list, I know.

Now, bit more recently. He had ended up in hospital 5 days ago due to an infection after sustaining a deep cut around his ankle. With his neuropathy he has no feeling below his knees, which caused him to accidentally catch his foot on something trying to move about. The infection came on a few days after, luckily the hospital have done a good job flushing it out with IV antibiotics, but he is likely to be in until the end of the week. The infected leg also swole up like a balloon, we measured it with his other calf to see the difference. The right leg (normal) had 20in calves, left leg was 23in.

Which brings us to what to do when he gets out. He knows he needs to lose weight but he is also very set in his ways. I want to try to get him doing light, chair based exercises to try to get a bit of strength and mobility. The most he can walk these days is roughly 50-75m, at a push. Its also worth noting his left foot has very little bone left in it, it was rebuilt a few years ago with metal pins and screws which plays a large part in that. Are there any good online resources anybody knows about for chair based exercises for people with limited mobility to get him started? A friend of mine knows a PT who specializes in that sort of thing, but it'll be a few weeks or months before we can get in touch with him.

Now, I can track his calories and manage his food for him, but I don't know how many (or few) calories a day he could comsume and lose weight. Obviously at 190kg he could eat more than someone at 100kg and lose weight but I want him to stick with this so if it is too strict, he'll doubtless lose motivation eventually. Despite having practically no strength left (lifting a laptop causes his muscles to shake) he still has a hell of a lot of muscle. His legs and thighs are still more defined that anybody at my gym, and a broader back than most too. This makes it hard for me to figure out his bodyfat percentage but it wouldn't suprise me if his lean body mass was 220-230lbs. Does 2500cal sound reasonable for him to cut on and stick with?

The other problem I have is I don't know what different foods do to the blood sugars, which is very important considering his diabetes. If I were to make a meal plan for him, it would be protein rich and fairly low carb. The way he eats normally he knows how to manage his insulin but I'm not sure if he would know how to adjust it for different foods and a decreasing bodyweight.

I'll try to keep this thread updated, though it might be a while before we get him home and stable. There's also a possibility he will have to stay at my aunts bungalow for a while, as he likely won't be able to handle the stairs at home for a while.

I'd greatly appreciate any advice you guys can give me, thanks for reading!

[orangegoblin]

Repped.

We get a lot of "I have a fat dad/mom/mum" threads here in O35. Most of them from miscers who, for five minutes, suddenly give a damn about their parents and want to impose some kind of bb.com plan on their folks from some misguided mix of superiority and condescension.

This one is different...the OP is genuinely concerned about the health of his dad and has done his homework. He is working with medical experts and is merely looking for more information. He's not judging his dad; he just wants to help.

OP, I have nothing to add to the advice that you have already been given. I wish your dad best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[Vikingly]

I would be happy to help with the diet. I am a diabetic who manages my blood sugar successfully without meds and help quite a few others as well. However, he has to want help to be successful. He's very lucky to have a child who loves him so much! You can email me if you like: terif04996@aol.com. Best of luck to you both.

I'll be in touch soon all being well, he's just out of hospital a couple of days ago but is to remain bedbound until the wound stops oozing when he puts pressure on it. Going to wait til he's back to normal(ish) before changing things about.

Thanks for the kind words too folks!

[Noetic]

I know lots of people who fixed their diabetes with Dr Bernsteins book (a doctor with diabetes). I know one guy who grew new capilaries and avoided a second bypass operation after discovering hos diabetes and changing his diet. I can't post links yet so Google "Dr Berstein" and "diabetes" and you'll get the link for his booka and free advice

I would also suggest pops do something about his death wish. No doubt he has suppressed rage and his body has turned on himself. Fix the underlying emptiness, emotional issues and the food, drink etc issues falls in line sooner or latter. Look up an article on WND called "Military praises 'fantastic' new stress therapy"

The exercise used can be found Googling "cure stress device". It can also be found at a site called Patriot Outreach

[iEatBeef]

there's a good netflix video on a guy who juice fasted for 90 days or something like that, watch that, if i were him i'd try it under close supervision by doc's

Title is "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead". The guy's name is Joe Cross. Wife and I tried the program in 2011 for a few days and then stopped. The headaches started getting wicked.

IMO, this juice fast is a very extreme way to regain health/lose fat/cleanse the body/whatever. There's other risks, too. For example, the juice recipe includes lots of raw kale. Kale contains chemicals called goitrogens, which can mess with iodine levels, which in turn can mess with thyroid function (thyroid gland needs iodine for proper functioning).

Personally, I'll take food over juice any day.

[AnthropoidApe]

Fasting is not the right way to go imho. He will lose weight with a pretty decent calorie intake anyway. You are going to need to start at some calorie level and work downward as he sheds the body weight. Significant exercise is clearly not realistic for some time yet but if as you say he can walk 75m then he should walk 75m... and then do it again later, lots of times.

FWIW I think he could probably start higher than 2500 cal/day and still lose weight, but I agree with others that professional advice and MONITORING of his progress is essential.

Good luck. It can be done and every lb he loses can make a difference to his prospects.