Help out this woman not to give into liposuction

[blood_drinker]

Hey, Im not the woman, and Im not the one doing the liposuction. Thatd be my mom. She´s really getting on my nerve - shes talking to many doctors about it , and since she lives in Brazil, the docs dont really care if shes obese or not, theyre in it for the $. Shes about 7lbs overweight (not water weight) and has fat in the back and she complains she cant wear tight shirts as they expose the fat. I told her she should get herself to the gym and start training with a regimen Id design for her - but shes like I dont have time, and as soon as I stop, all the muscle will turn into fat ! And plus, she says that that is her trouble spot and not even by dieting will she get rid of that bit - its genetic. I told her it might be the last place to go, but it will go never theless. Not convinced...
She is REALLY considering liposuction and even has an itnerview today with a doc. Woman to woman, what would you tell her to convince her not to perform liposuction?

 

[keiko]

IS she only 7 pounds overweight? Or more?

The bad news about lipo is that when (and not if) you gain the fat back, it goes to hormonally charged areas--so if you had a fat tummy, get it sucked out, surprise! it'll show up on your upper arms or thighs!

If she was already doing your program and just wanted to reshape a problem area, I'd say go for it! But as the first step in her quest for a healthy body--icky.

Your best argument is that it'll come back someplace strange. I think there are a number of "Plastic Surgery Gone Wrong" sites on the 'net--do a search and see if you can find one with really gory pictures.

You're a good son.

 

[gvulf]

In all fairness..

There are plusses and minuses here. 7 pounds overweight? I don't think that you can use the two in the same sentence. But too, lets say that it is a genetic thing and your mother holds that little extra fluff in a specific spot. Then it is true that the body will go after more attractive fats (like in the face and boobs) long before it will go after the preserved fats. Lipo is cosmetic. Would you feel the same way if she were reconstructing her nose?
I've done lipo on my genetic pitfalls and it has not come back, but it's been a long battle with me and I don't have a problem with exercise (<- weekend warrior). But that certainly doesn't mean that your mother has to become a weekend warrior.

Okay so blast me. I just don't think that what is being described is so radical. It sounds like your mother is doing her homework and should already know that there are possibilities that it may not turn out as well as she would like.....which only means that she could end up with some dimpling.

...and we are assuming that she is going to a reputable surgeon....

 

[Sassy69]

Lipo is a way to do "body coutouring" (we're talking about 7 lbs here -- so I"m not referring to large scale tummy tucks or anything here) - which will remove fat cells from areas where they "like" to congregate - e.g. for women, hips, thighs, lower abdomen. So going forward, fat won't be as attracted to that area as before. However if eating / training habits don't change and there is an average rate of fat deposit, the fat still has to go somewhere. It'll show up in other places where it didn't used to congregate so much. Result: to avoid this, the diet / exercise regimen needs to change anyway.

Other things to consider are the fact that this surgery causes trauma to the body, so there will be black & blue marks and also bloating for a couple months. So its not really convenient in the short term either.

I don't know - for 7 lbs, I think the diet/exercise thing is the best bet. If she doesn't have time for it, even making a few changes should show some results. Like the 6 small meals / day or cutting carbs after 3 PM or walking an extra mile per day. If that doesn't work after like 4 weeks, then consider the lipo. But at least have her prove to herself that it could be done w/ small changes instead of invasive surgery.

 

[blood_drinker]

Keiko - thanks for the comliment
What is really saddenning though, is that she is one of those women that know how many calories a leaf of lettuce has, and gets freaked out of her mind when she sees her son (me) eating 4000cals a day. You see, she is in starvation mode. She thinks she needs 1000cals a day to lose weight. No wonder she doesnt lose any.
For breakfast, she eats a granola cereal bowl with skim milk. She eats some rice w/beans (as does every brazilian) with something like a steak for lunch. Dinner, maybe some fruit and or a soup. In between, some cofee, maybe one square of nestle chocolate.

She eats like this everyday. she is sedentary except on the weekends (walks around a park). I know this is how normal people eat, but it seems her situation makes her unhappy .

What do you think I could do to PROGRESSIVELY get her into a training program? *Note, she is not desperate to lose it or to do the lipo, but she really wants it off, and sshe think lipo is the only way to go. Supps are way too expensive her in brazil, and eas has monopolized the area. Optimum nutrition mrps are around, which are cheaper. What sort of training split should she start?
Id say a three day to keep it short.
[chest tris /legs / back bis traps rear and side delts]
Walking isnt cardio , is it? She walks fast paced for an hour. She also dances some typical brazilian stuff at an academy. What do women like and tolerate, in general, as beginers before they burn out? I have to be very careful not to make her give up or think its too demanding.
Thanks gals

 

[Star]

Fast walking is good cardio. She's on the right track with that. Try getting her to do so with weights in her hands and swinging her arms back and fourth. That will work on those arms and back. I can attest to the fact that the weight will just come back in a strange place. It will not go away without changing your excercise regime. She needs to change her diet. Chocolate has to go. do a search on diet for her.

Star

 

[new@gettinbig]

She really needs to get in the gym, it is good for her, it will help her build lean body mass, in turn boosting her metabolism and this will help her to loose bodyfat! The older she gets, she will lose more and more muscle mass, it is important that she get into a routine and change her habits to prevent things like osteoporosis and that unwanted fat....It will also help to increase her energy levels and the way she feels about herself in general. Her diet is WAY OFF! she is not eating enough food!!! Changes in the way she eats will make a big difference as well. She needs to eat foods like chicken, fish, tuna, lean red meat, tureky breasts etc. Along with good complex carbs like oatmeal, yams, rice, veggies, etc...eating some fruit is ok, dont go way overboard, she should try eating a 1/2 a grapefruit, or a few strawberries in the morning. Also she needs to be drinking more water and less coffee. Its a lifestyle change, not a diet, or a change she does for a few months. Lifting is a great way to resculpt your body, and you cant do it by cardio alone. She needs to weight train. Walking is good exercise, but she needs to do more activity then a few walks on the weekend. She has to decide how she wants to look, yes it is going to take time, but in the long run she will look and feel better than ever before. I would not get lipo...she does not need that for what little fat she has. Save your money and get a gym membership instead. You have to put forth effort to get results......they dont just mysteriously appear. She can do her workout splits however she wants, just change them around every 4-6 weeks and show her the basics. Keep it simple....Nothing fancy just good basic weight training. She will love the sense of feeling strong and she will feel confident about herself. Get her on the boards....we will get her sweatin in the gym!

 

[keiko]

Blood--she's a prime candidate for Isocaloric! (Rice and beans form a complete protein, too.) Is she comfy on the computer--you can get her into FitDay or another on-line food diary and she can see how little she eats.

Considering how great everyone looks in Brazil and how cheap plastic surgery is there, you do have kind of a hard road ahead of you.

I think you'll have a hard time getting her into a gym in either of your homes (I've been to gyms in Paris--what a joke!) Can you get her to dance more?

 

[FitFossil]

I just want to second New@GB's post. Weight training is the best anti-aging weapon there is. If she keeps on her current routine of eating very little and doing only cardio-type exercise, she will continue to lose muscle.

Even if she stays thin, her body will get softer and lose shape. As she loses muscle, she will require even FEWER calories, and then will have an even easier time of gaining fat because her metabolism is so much slower because of the muscle loss. This process naturally happens with aging, but how much is up to the individual.

The only way to combat this is weight training and eating quality food in sufficient quantity to build/maintain muscle. I have nothing against plastic surgery itself, but I think in this case, it will only provide very short term results.

 

[Sassy69]

BD -

I like keiko's idea of the isocaloric because its pretty straight forward and doesn't look like "hi protein" or "low carb" or any of that. I would say a couple of things just about the misconception of "calories" - attempting to keep it simple, but to highlight the misconceptions -

- You need protein to run on. (Lots of women stay far away from protein)
- Carbs turn to fat.
- Water helps to keep things "processing", flushes out junk
- Like a car - put in better quality food and it will run better. Don't give it enough, it won't run.

She needs to not be afraid of food. Challenge her to change a few of the basic things - like add more protein, lower the carb intake, eat 3 meals plus 2 "snacks", cut back on 1 cup of coffee per day, replace w/ 1 liter of water - try it for a week and see how she feels. Try it for a month and see if she sees results. Any more energy? Any other changes?

Sounds like the harder part is just changing the beliefs about eating.