Need help: overweight brother

J

jackm1

New member
Hi guys. Im looking for some help regarding my brother. He is overweight, and sinse leaving school has got addicted to some game called world of warcraft, and dosent do much but sit on it all day (apart from going to college sometimes). because of this, and a general unhealthy lifestyle for the last few years, he is quite overweight. He wont tell anyone his weight but hes about my height (and im underweight) and outweighs me quite a lot. id guess hes about 200+lbs (6 ft).
Anyway, im at university, but when i come back for the summer, im going to be sorting my diet out, and hitting the gym hard. Now while i do this, i want to drag my brother along and stick him on the cardio, give him the motivation he lacks. He is 17, and is coming of age where he can drink, and is starting to go out to clubs etc.

anyway, it is still a few weeks away before i go home for the summer, and i want to act kinda like a personal trainer for the 4 or so months im home.

What im trying to do here is research the most efficaint and fastest ways to lose weight through diet and excersise. What is the best course of action here? The way im thinking of doing it is just to make my parents not give him as much food, and as much access to food, and put him on a cardio machine every day on a calorie burning mode, and make him do like a set number before we leave?

Few questions to wrap this up:
Does anybody have any advice for me regarding this situation. Things like programs, websites or anything to look at?
How much can he expect to lose in the time frame?
Is it as easy as burn the calories and you will lose weight??

Please guys, any and all info is greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
spend some time reading around the forum...

especially the thread about how the only person you can motivate is yourself... you cannot make someone do somethng they dont want to do..

set an example and that's about it

but start reading
 
Lead by example

Hi Jack,

First, your brother is very lucky to have someone so caring as you. Especially because most people won't recognize weight gain as something to be worried about and it's sometimes a cry for help.

Now, the best thing you can do to help your brother is probably the hardest thing for you. You have to lead by example. If someone is not ready to lose weight, they won't lose weight. This is especially true if something else is going on that is causing them to gain weight. If your brother, however, is the type that simply doesn't know how to lead a healthy lifestyle, then it's possible you can work with him to lose weight.

Do you have a regular workout routine? Do you know about healthy eating and cooking? If you don't, start learning... Join a gym, hire a trainer or find training advice online, and start changing your own habits. Once your brother sees you changing your lifestyle, he will be more apt to follow suit.

One resource I suggest you exploit is the website

Read everything on that website and get started on your own lifestyle makeover.

If you don't believe what I'm saying, put yourself in his shoes. Why is he so focused on gaming and not caring about his weight? Would you be motivated to change your own life if your brother wanted you to change? Talking and listening to your brother would be the best way to find out about what's going on in his life. Listen to your brother and reconnect with him.

Finally, don't beat yourself up over this. His lifestyle decisions are his choice, and ultimately you have no control over that. You do not have to feel responsible for his lifestyle or choices.

Best of luck,
Sydney
 
Well If I was your brother(well sister because I am female) I would be so angry if you came home and jumped in as my personal trainer...I wouldn't want my brother to say anything to me about my weight gain inless it was in a loving way. What I would do is, depending on how close you are with him than I would do things together that would get him active. Football,basketball perhaps? Biking. Short jogs together.Anything to get him away from his computer, but for fun reasons. I used to play online games a lot so I understand the getting caught up in it. He might have an addicting personality which means he could get addicted to exercise which there are far things worse to be addicted to. Also your going to have lead by example. Bringing healthy foods into the house of course. Inless he asks for your help to lose the weight or if until he says he wants to lose weight than I wouldn't try to push a new diet and exercise plan on a 17 yr boy.... Id focus on spending time together actively.
 
Hi guys, thanks for your replys.

To gardenkitty: I think my brother will find it hard to lead by example from me. I sometimes think me being around him during food time is a bad thing because I am underweight, and eat litrally 2-3 times the amount he does, and dont gain much at all. This is probably dis-heartening in some way. i dont know. I eat healthly anyway, and my bro usually eats the same stuff as me while at home, but in less quantity.

The whole gaming thing is just a phase i think. at his age i was the same, was never off my xbox. That will pass i think but i just cant help thinking that by the time he finally wants to do something about his weight, he will of wished he started a lot earlier. thats why i want to kickstart it for him. Im hoping that if he sees the results of his work (a few pounds lost, few inches off wasteline), he will see that hard work pays off, and will carry it on when i go back to university.
About the talk to him thing. He dosen't open up to anyon e about the subject. He will usually ignore people, and think people are poking fun or something.

To LeaJnice: Your suggestions are good, but they will not work i feel. I know that if i turned up and started saying come to the gym now etc, he will be pretty pissed off, but some time down the line he will be greatful. Im adopting the aproach of cruel to be kind. The problem with the doing sports together is, it has been tryed and failed. Me and my dad have tryed to get him into so many active things. It always fails with him going a few times and then giving up. As i said above, i think that if i kickstart the gym routine (maybe a bit against his will), he will see the effect it is having, and maybe keep it up on his own.

Thanks for all your comments guys, keep em comin :bigear::grouphug:
 
Hey Jack,

Thanks for the input. Have you tried weight training with him? I think a lot of men see the best results from weight training -- especially at that age.

Just keep inviting him every time you go to the gym. That's about as good as it will probably get! Or perhaps finding some activities to do together...

I'm a big fan of CrossFit too -->

Find out what he likes to do and make it an activity together...

Good luck!! :)
 
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