Re: overweight woman training

[Guest guest]

Anthraxic@... wrote:

> My sister is dangerously overweight (I would estimate 250-275+ lbs

> at about 5'8 " and 28 years old)....She doesn't want to join a gym

> (for obvious reasons), so I need a few ideas of what she can do

> at home.

I'm not sure what she'll take to or what she can handle, but I

generally recommend a cheap 40-lb adjustable dumbbell set (about

$30). If you also pick up four 1.25-lb plates ($2.50), you'll have a

dumbbell of any weight from 5 lbs to 40 lbs in 2.5-lb increments.

Once you have a dumbbell, you can overhead press, one-arm row, curl,

etc. (Oh, and you can do tricep kickback too...)

With a pair, you can add weight to dumbbell squats, split squats,

lunges, stiff-legged deadlifts, etc. -- but I don't think she'll need

any additional weight for those. In fact, she'll probably have quite

a bit of trouble with an unweighted half squat, and I wouldn't

recommend most calisthenics that work just fine for high-school kids

and army recruits.

Really, any extra activity (that doesn't hurt her) should help. She

won't need a one-hour workout. She won't need a half-hour workout.

She won't need to go to failure. She won't need to feel The Burn.

She won't need to punish herself at all. She'll just need to start

something and stick with it.

Matt Madsen

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeff,

I have a page on my site for overweight beginners at

http://www.stumptuous.com/fatchick.html . It has some basics about getting

started on a routine as well as a proposed plan. One or two of the

suggested exercises will need to be modified, e.g. lat pulldowns can be

changed to dumbbell rows, bench presses can be changed to pushups from the

knee, but everything can be done with minimal equipment. Get two adjustable

dumbbells and a few small plates and she's set. A bench is optional, since

she can easily modify the exercises using a sturdy piece of furniture, or

the floor, or a step, etc.

Cheers

Krista

Toronto, ON

-------------------------

http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

mistresskrista@...

overweight woman training

> Before I get into my question, let me say this is my first message to the

> list. I've been reading for a few weeks and I want to thank everyone for

all

> the info.

>

> Now, my predicament. My sister is dangerously overweight (I would

estimate

> 250-275+ lbs at about 5'8 " and 28 years old). She can't seem to stick

with

> any diet for too long; she'll lose a pound here or there, but it never

> amounts up to anything. The other day I proposed that she start lifting

> weights 3 times a week. I told her not to worry much about her diet, just

> try to avoid unnecessary carbs and eat more protein. My idea is that if

she

> sees herself getting stronger and losing some fat from the weight training

> she'll naturally start to care more about what she puts into her body.

>

> OK, that wasn't my predicament This is my predicament: She doesn't

want

> to join a gym (for obvious reasons), so I need a few ideas of what she can

do

> at home. She's coming home from GA for X-mas today, so I'll at least be

able

> to get an idea of what kind of exercises she can do (push ups, squats,

etc.)

> and give her some basic instruction. The thing is, I'm not much of a

> personal trainer, hell, I've only been lifting for about 1.5 years. So I

> would really appreciate any ideas you guys have for her. I'd love to see

her

> get into shape and be proud of her body.

>

> Thanks in advance,

>

> Jeff Filipovits

> town, PA USA

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> > Jeff Filipovits

> town, PA USA

Jeff,

Congradulations for wanting to intervine on your sister's behalf!

Frequently family and mates are the hardest to get to change their

lifestyle.

Your sister will need to alter how she views her body before she will

alter her lifestyle. In whatever activity she chooses she must enjoy

doing it. That might be anything from yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, to

swimming or walking, to resistance and weight training. What ever she

chooses, support her. For psychological reasons it would be best if

she can find a friend or a group to share the activity with. She

needs to begin appreciating how her body can benefit her.

Concerning her diet, I would suggest you look at Anne M. Fletcher's

books " Thin for Life " & " Eating Thin for Life " . The following are

5 Secrets of " masters " at losing weight, they took it off and keep it

off.

1 - Want to be Thin More Than You Want to Eat the " Wrong " Foods.

2 - Eat large.

eat foods that fill without contributing a lot of calories

3 - Fix your Full Button. limit portions, eat only at regular times

4 - If You Want It, Have It. No forbidden foods, but in moderation.

5 - Don't Let the Tough Times Get You Down.

The good days are the ones you do limit your intake,exercise,

and SMILE.

Clarence Bass is is life long body builder, now in his sixties, who

has made a reputation on his " ripped " appearance. He has always

achieved his results without drugs and has some interesting views on

diet, you may want to check out his web site at www.cbass.com/.

Good Luck,

Ken Largent

La Grande, Oregon

[Guest guest]

> Jeff Filipovits

> town, PA USA

Jeff,

A P.S. to my last post.

Consider giving your sister a video by Mel's wife, son,

entitled Seated Aerobics. You might obtain it through Mel or you can

e-mail seataerobic@.... I believe the cost is

approximately $30.

Ken Largent, CSCS

La Grande, Oregon

[Guest guest]

Jeff Filipovits wrote:

> Now, my predicament. My sister is dangerously overweight (I would

estimate

> 250-275+ lbs at about 5'8 " and 28 years old). She can't seem to stick

with

> any diet for too long; she'll lose a pound here or there, but it never

> amounts up to anything. The other day I proposed that she start lifting

> weights 3 times a week. I told her not to worry much about her diet, just

> try to avoid unnecessary carbs and eat more protein. My idea is that if

she

> sees herself getting stronger and losing some fat from the weight training

> she'll naturally start to care more about what she puts into her body.

Increasing strength should definitely improve her self-confidence, but you

must also realize that a weight-training program is only one of several

components to a successful weight reduction program of this type. In and of

itself, it will not be a solution to your sister's problem because of the

complex psycho-physiological nature of obesity. You already mentioned that

she has tried the self-directed approach in the past with ultimate failure

each time. If she were to quit after making even modest gains in her

strength, she may rebound to less self confidence than she began with.

Maybe this has even been her pattern so far.

> OK, that wasn't my predicament This is my predicament: She doesn't

want

> to join a gym (for obvious reasons), so I need a few ideas of what she can

do

> at home. She's coming home from GA for X-mas today, so I'll at least be

able

> to get an idea of what kind of exercises she can do (push ups, squats,

etc.)

> and give her some basic instruction. The thing is, I'm not much of a

> personal trainer, hell, I've only been lifting for about 1.5 years. So I

> would really appreciate any ideas you guys have for her. I'd love to see

her

> get into shape and be proud of her body.

This situation is no different than when anyone else posts to the group

asking about pain in his/her shoulder and what s/he should do to alleviate

it. Almost unanimously, the responses are to go and seek advice from an

appropriately trained health care practitioner. So, my advice to you is

this: get her involved with a GP who will be proactive in working WITH her

and who will refer her to specialists in nutrition, psychology/psychiatry,

and exercise - and will coordinate care between these professionals to make

sure she is getting the care she needs.

All too often, people make the mistake that losing over 100 pounds is just

like losing 10 pounds, only it takes longer. Obesity is a medical

condition, and needs to be treated as one.

The best approach you could take would be to learn as much as you can about

obesity so that you might better understand where she's coming from. Offer

gentle encouragement and sound support, whether it's showing her some

exercises so that she's taking an active role in her program, going for

walks with her, or just being a caring family member.

Hope this has helped you in some way.

Best of luck,

R. Gray, M.Sc., C.S.C.S., C.K.

firstline@...

Toronto, Canada.

[Guest guest]

Jeff and all,

As a former overweight woman... I'd be glad to help your sister if she

wants help. A sane approach to nutrition, exercise, and finding what's fun

is the key. Also, it's easier to help someone if you know what they are

going through. I know what she's been going through.

Madeline Chen

Colorado Springs, CO

At 10:13 PM 12/20/2000 -0500, you wrote:

>Jeff Filipovits wrote:

> > Now, my predicament. My sister is dangerously overweight (I would

>estimate

> > 250-275+ lbs at about 5'8 " and 28 years old). She can't seem to stick

>with

> > any diet for too long; she'll lose a pound here or there, but it never

> > amounts up to anything. The other day I proposed that she start lifting

> > weights 3 times a week. I told her not to worry much about her diet, just

> > try to avoid unnecessary carbs and eat more protein. My idea is that if

>she

> > sees herself getting stronger and losing some fat from the weight training

> > she'll naturally start to care more about what she puts into her body.

>

>Increasing strength should definitely improve her self-confidence, but you

>must also realize that a weight-training program is only one of several

>components to a successful weight reduction program of this type. In and of

>itself, it will not be a solution to your sister's problem because of the

>complex psycho-physiological nature of obesity. You already mentioned that

>she has tried the self-directed approach in the past with ultimate failure

>each time. If she were to quit after making even modest gains in her

>strength, she may rebound to less self confidence than she began with.

>Maybe this has even been her pattern so far.

>

> > OK, that wasn't my predicament This is my predicament: She doesn't

>want

> > to join a gym (for obvious reasons), so I need a few ideas of what she can

>do

> > at home. She's coming home from GA for X-mas today, so I'll at least be

>able

> > to get an idea of what kind of exercises she can do (push ups, squats,

>etc.)

> > and give her some basic instruction. The thing is, I'm not much of a

> > personal trainer, hell, I've only been lifting for about 1.5 years. So I

> > would really appreciate any ideas you guys have for her. I'd love to see

>her

> > get into shape and be proud of her body.

>

>This situation is no different than when anyone else posts to the group

>asking about pain in his/her shoulder and what s/he should do to alleviate

>it. Almost unanimously, the responses are to go and seek advice from an

>appropriately trained health care practitioner. So, my advice to you is

>this: get her involved with a GP who will be proactive in working WITH her

>and who will refer her to specialists in nutrition, psychology/psychiatry,

>and exercise - and will coordinate care between these professionals to make

>sure she is getting the care she needs.

>

>All too often, people make the mistake that losing over 100 pounds is just

>like losing 10 pounds, only it takes longer. Obesity is a medical

>condition, and needs to be treated as one.

>

>The best approach you could take would be to learn as much as you can about

>obesity so that you might better understand where she's coming from. Offer

>gentle encouragement and sound support, whether it's showing her some

>exercises so that she's taking an active role in her program, going for

>walks with her, or just being a caring family member.

>

>Hope this has helped you in some way.

>

>

>Best of luck,

>

> R. Gray, M.Sc., C.S.C.S., C.K.

>firstline@...

>Toronto, Canada.

>

>

>

>