Topic : 08/09 Overweight and Forgotten

My family made a decision, that seems to be working for my Mother.

You see, at 400 lbs she is morbidly obese, her joints are suffering, her blood pressure was going through the roof, she was a heart attack or stroke looking for somewhere to happen.  Okay weight loss, like quitting smoking, drugs or drinking, NOT EASY, but nothing worthwhile in life is.  Think about this the next time you drink down a gallon of pop, what will your children do if you have a heart attack or stroke, and become diabled and dependant ? Is it fair to them to have to care for the parent, can they lift you to roll you over or bathe you ?  How painful will it be for them to see you laying there unable to care for them or yourself ? What about the husband/wife who has to work all day and then come home to be a full time caregiver ? You know if you stopped buying the JUNK, then you'll find that eating well is just as cheap.

Okay, the decision, I know someof you will scream about the cruelty of it, we have made a CHOICE NOT to buy junk food for her.  She can call and ask me to bring it over with me, but my sister and I say NO, my Father no longer brings home fast food for her anymore, and takes the credit card to work with him so she can't order out, we ARE NOT starving her, we make sure the pantry and fridge are stocked up for her, and we kids make an effort to go see her and take her out shopping, or just for a walk so she isn't alone all the time, and getting her active ( the mall if you enjoy it is great, combining something fun like shopping with exercise ), our Father walks every evening with her, and cooks for her.

Easy, HELL NO, she ranted, raved went on like a crazy lady for a couple of weeks, its NOT for the faint of heart, but we stuck to it we REFUSED to enable her anymore, her blood pressure is down, still high, but moving in the right direction, her joints aren't swelling as much, and she finds herself able to get around MUCH EASIER, her blood sugar has stabilized to the point that her Doctor is jumping for joy, she has lost 20 lbs, and it continues to go down.

This is a FAMILY issue, of course YOU have to be WILLING to step up and say NO MORE, and offer the SUPPORT they need by eating better yourself, if it's not in the house you won't eat it.  Starvation dosen't work, abuse is WRONG and only exaserbates the underlying issues, if you are concerned, take them to the mall and walk around, or to the park, sometimes even just listening to them, keeping them company helps, but to abandon them, NO it makes things worse.

Just my two cents.

 I also know  first hand how much of a beautiful person Lorna is.  Lorna is my Aunt.  Being only 4 years older than me; she has been more of a sister-figure as opposed to an Aunt.  This being said, I would like to say that those of you who are judging her need to 'Walk A Mile In Her Shoes'.  She has always been the type of person to think of others before herself.  She is the first person in the family to take up a donation for anyone in need ; she ALWAYS treats my boys like her own, and she has NEVER turned down anyone or anything in need.  Is it too much for her to ask this in return ??  I certainly hope not !! Those of you who are unaware ( or ignorant - whichever the case may be ) should do a little research on obesity and self-esteem so that the next time someone makes a cry for help - you will be able to share an EDUCATED OPINION !!

Lynda

This is one of the nicer replies I have read.  Thank you for not judging these ladies.  I have never been overweight, never lived with an abusive spouse, or suffered from debilitating low self-esteem; AND I NEVER WISH TO. I can't even imagine the feelings of helplessness the average person feels living like this - but I do understand (somewhat) what Lorna feels - she is my Aunt .  This subject infuriates me to the point that I have posted three replies already ( and the show hasn't even aired yet).  In order for a person to feel they are worthy of good things - they need to be told.  If you do not tell someone they are great, how do they now it ?  These ladies need to be told that they ARE worthy of good things - and that they DO deserve to be happy.  It's the people who abuse and ridicule that are the ones with the real problem.  These people are miserable with their own lives, and therefore feel the need to make everyone else around them miserable.

You are abviously a perfect size 3 person who has no clue about reality.  Yes bananas are 50 cents a pound.  And last time I checked twinkies ARE  more expensive than lettuce but what is the shelf life on the stuff?!!  For a person on a fixed income to grocery shop, they go once a month or once every couple of weeks.  To spend $200.00 on the 1st of the month on healthy foods and good choices is great, but by the 7th of that month everything fresh is rotten.  Grow up and quit judging people on your perfect standards!