Getting Ready To Begin

[justmary57]

Hello. I was in the middle of typing a new post right now and it just disappeared.

I have my book and will be through reading it in a day or two. I'll be ready to start and I don't really have any questions right now about me.

But I do have a question about my son who I pray I can get to start Atkins with me once again. I finally got him to commit to starting with me about a month ago but we didn't start off too well. He's 24 years old.

He finally agreed to let me weigh him and he weighs close to 650 pounds. I couldn't seem to have enough eggs and bacon and other meats on hand to satisfy him. He wanted to eat up to a dozen eggs and lots and lots of bacon. Not to mention that he doesn't like veggies and he wants to eat toast with breakfast.

Has anyone ever been on this board that weighed that much? I'm scared to give him that much food but he does weigh so much and has much more of an appetite than perhaps the average Atkins dieter. I tried to find something...anything in the book by Dr. Atkins about a situation like this but couldn't find anything.

Please, I need some help. I don't want to lose him. He's starting to breathe way harder than usual just sitting still. Just moving from one room to the next or taking a shower seems to about kill him. Oh, and to make matters worse he is super afraid of doctors and I can't get him to go see one.

[pagliaccia]

Re: Getting Ready To Begin

Hi Justmary. I need to tell you, I really feel for your situation. I apologize, but I had to discuss your son's situation with my husband. We both are wondering if you could get a doctor or a therapist/psychiatrist to go meet with your son at your home. It sounds like he doesn't just have an issue with food... it sounds like there might be a thyroid or psychological issue you two will have to confront together. Please, please keep us posted.

Now, for what to do in the meantime... I'd recommend you find a few of the particularly inspiring threads in the Before and After Pics forum. Show him these threads in the hopes of getting him excited about losing some weight. Ask him what he'd like to do when he gets to a smaller size. Try to keep things positive and geared toward the future, not the past. Let him know that we all are cheering you both on, and we're all in the same boat of trying to get healthy. Best of luck to you!

[Slapshot]

Re: Getting Ready To Begin

Mary - first of all, congrats to you for starting here. It takes courage to do what you're doing and is a testament for your love for your son. He's lucky to have you as a Mom...

One other thing you might want to show your son are all the threads about how once people are in ketosis (after 2-4 days of induction), they are no longer really hungry. I remember that when I was 240 lbs, I was afraid of being hungry, so I was always afraid to start a "diet" because why would someone choose to do something that would be uncomfortable? Once I got my brain around Atkins and how, after a few measly days, my hunger might dissipate or disappear, I was no longer afraid of being hungry. At your son's weight, I'm sure he's terrified of feeling hungry. Convince him about the science of lipolysis/ketosis, and show him the experiences/threads of people here who are simply not hungry on this WOE. While before-and-after pictures will certainly help him be motivated, if he knows that he won't be terribly hungry after a few days, it might help him start.

Best of luck to you...

[Slapshot]

Re: Getting Ready To Begin

Here are some of the threads I was thinking of:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/main-atkins-diet-forum/76103-not-hungry-all.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-extended-induction/69880-not-hungry.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/main-atkins-diet-forum/64667-not-hungry.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/main-atkins-diet-forum/63344-not-hungry-may-problem.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/main-atkins-diet-forum/58675-not-hungry-all.html

[justmary57]

Re: Getting Ready To Begin

Thank you so much for your replies.

I've tried twice to get him to get counseling. Had to blackmail him. (No using the truck anymore until you go) Both times he went but would always say that the doctor would never say anything to help him. After a few weeks of this and his constant complaining I gave up and let him quit going because his mind was stubbornly determined to not give it a chance to work. He definitely has problems. He has what I would say is a severe case of social anxiety disorder. He also has fears of so many things, including doctors. I've spent years trying to get him to go to the doctor without much success and now that he is 24 I can't make him do what he doesn't want to do, short of throwing him out the door, and I can't do that. I know when I do try to talk to him about his future, what he wants, he just breaks down crying and says he has no future. He just lives for tomorrow. I meant to say that he said he is just living for today. Living for tomorrow would indicate a desire for a future.

Anyway, I will do my best to get him to do Atkins with me again by showing him all the links you all have showed me. It should encourage him some to see that the hunger pains will ease up. It just really frightened me that second day we were on Atkins when I fed him that seven eggs (all I had at the time) and the 4 sausage links (again, all I had at the time) and he just broke down crying about how hungry he still was and how unsatisfied he felt.

But thank you all and I will keep you informed of our trials and our successes along the journey. Hopefully I can hope to get him started in the next day or two.

[Elizellen]

Re: Getting Ready To Begin

Sending a big cyberhug to you and your son Mary!

It would be great if he wanted to join in the forum too nothing like getting the info firsthand

[Elizellen]

Re: Getting Ready To Begin

I just noticed the

he wants to eat toast with breakfast

bit of your post - well you can toast revolution rolls not exactly the same as toasted bread but a similar sort of food item.

[justmary57]

Re: Getting Ready To Begin

I just noticed the bit of your post - well you can toast revolution rolls not exactly the same as toasted bread but a similar sort of food item.

Oh wow! I think this will be a winner. I just looked it up and it looks delicious, especially on the cheeseburger. I can't wait to show him and I'm sure it will satisfy that craving for bread. Thank you!

And again, thanks to all of you for the outpouring of support and advice. Now to get him to eat veggies. I can't wait to get started. Will go to store tomorrow and buy up what I need.

Oh, I will attempt to get him posting here. But I wouldn't look for him anytime soon. He has too many issues. But in the meantime I will give updates about how he's doing, if I can get him started again with me. I'm assuming I can.

[JulieB]

Re: Getting Ready To Begin

He doesn't have to post...even if he browsed...

Don't worry about how much he eats the first few days, once ketosis kicks in, his appetite should diminish. He should eat if he is hungry (physically hungry).

I plugged his stats (had to guess height) into this:
Calorie Calculator | Weight Loss Calculator and to just maintain his weight (according to this site) he'd have to eat over 5800 calories/day. So that's about 4 times what I eat - I have 2 eggs & 2 slices bacon for breakfast - times 4 = 8 eggs & 8 slices bacon (sausage, whatever), so maybe his breakfast wasn't so bad after all. Cut that down once he's in ketosis & his appetite is suppressed and he should lose.