Ane can you help us out?

My mother just had knee surgery and gained over 80 pounds while recuperating, she is an insulin dependant diabetic with a heart condition.

My youngest brother just had a physical where he was put on oral diabetic meds, blood pressure meds and told his liver enzymes were a mess. Doctor told him to lose at least 50 pounds as quickly as possible.

I'm just getting fat, most my time is spent at work or studying.

My sister is the sameway.

I'd like to set up some kind of challenge where I can get everyone to participate and make it a challenge. We are a very competative family. :D

I thought about having everyone participating put in $5 a week and the person who loses the most weight every month gets the kitty.

ONly problem my organizational skills. And my lack of umph.

What kind of excercise would be best for the whole family to participate in? Our problem is we get bored easily alone but together I think we'll have better results.

Take into consideration that Doug's knees are shot, mom just had knee surgery and David had both feet crushed in an elevator accident a couple of years ago (though thanks to modern medicine and some luck he was able to keep his feet and is able to walk though with pain).

Is that enough info lol

Ane can you help us out?

I think I can :)

My mother just had knee surgery and gained over 80 pounds while recuperating, she is an insulin dependant diabetic with a heart condition.

My first recommendation for you mother is to find out what activites she is NOT allowed to do until she is fully healed. Whether she had a total knee replacement or something like an ACL repair ... she will have restrictions. Have her either talk to her doctor or her physical therapist.

Also - since she has a heart condition, it would be a wise idea that she monitors her heart rate throughout activity. I also have a heart condition ... and I have a heart monitor that lets me know when I am in my save range and when I get out of that range. You might want to look into that as well.

My youngest brother just had a physical where he was put on oral diabetic meds, blood pressure meds and told his liver enzymes were a mess. Doctor told him to lose at least 50 pounds as quickly as possible.

Luckly, there is a high likelihood that if he does lose that weight that those conditions (diabetes & high BP) might "go away".

I'm just getting fat, most my time is spent at work or studying.
My sister is the sameway.

Inactivity does that kiddo :)

I'd like to set up some kind of challenge where I can get everyone to participate and make it a challenge. We are a very competative family. :D

I thought about having everyone participating put in $5 a week and the person who loses the most weight every month gets the kitty.

That sounds like a GREAT idea. You might also want to set up a food challenge ... Each week - you have to find a diabetic friendly recipie and prepare it for you family (make is low calorie also for quicker weight loss). Each of the family competitors will be judged on several categories like : taste, cost, prep time. The winner gets fre house work from the losers. Just an idea though ....

ONly problem my organizational skills. And my lack of umph.

Ohhhhh ... can't help you there though .... LOL :eyebrow:

What kind of excercise would be best for the whole family to participate in? Our problem is we get bored easily alone but together I think we'll have better results.

Take into consideration that Doug's knees are shot, mom just had knee surgery and David had both feet crushed in an elevator accident a couple of years ago (though thanks to modern medicine and some luck he was able to keep his feet and is able to walk though with pain).

Hmm ... this is kinda hard actually. I really don't know what the options are like where you are. All I can say is aquatics. You all can play all sorts of games in the water. You all can even race each other with deep water jogging. Water has too many advantages to list. Look up in your area for heated indoor pools ... Most YMCA's have them ... and they even offer some fun classes in the water.

Is that enough info lol

I think so ... but let me know if I need to come up with other options for you if aquatics are out of the question.

*hugs*

- Ane

Aquatics sound perfect I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. But, the water will not only get our heart rates up and burn calories it will also help take some of the stress impact off mom and Davids painful bones.

My biggest problem will finding the courage to put a swimsuit on...I've gone from a sz 16 to a 20 since school has started. I think you can see why I'm panicking lol

Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the recipe idea, your a genius!!

Aquatics sound perfect I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. But, the water will not only get our heart rates up and burn calories it will also help take some of the stress impact off mom and Davids painful bones.

And HOW!!! In a heated pool - you will burn more calories/fat than you could in the same amount of time out of the water. But remember - weight is what helps you maintain bone mass. You should also find activities that allow you to move outside the water with minimum pain increase.

My biggest problem will finding the courage to put a swimsuit on...I've gone from a sz 16 to a 20 since school has started. I think you can see why I'm panicking lol

No freaking out. ;) You can wear a sports bra and a pair of guys swim trunks with a t-shirt over you for more coverage. Most places won't mind if you want to wear MORE there LOL. *hugs* Look into 2 piece suits for down the road .... they cover ALOT - I have 2 of them.


Absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the recipe idea, your a genius!!

Thank you sooooo very much. You have to make lossing weight and getting healthy fun for it to work. Also - make a dessert challenge once a month worth 2 days of house work/baby sitting/so forth.

Glad I could help! :D

This sounds good! Keep it fun and keep consistant and you'll be on your way!
Cheers!