bf and his diabetes (diet, work)

[zilam98]

my bf is morbidly obese and diabetic. his doctor has put him on no grain diet, so it's been really tough on us, especially lately when he's been having respiratory issues. i've encouraged him so many times to lose weight, exercise/walk some more especially since he's not working, but his joint pains just keep him from being motivated to do so. im just afraid we're on a vicious cycle here and i dont know what to do. what makes it more difficult is that he has no insurance since he has not worked in years, practically penniless, so i have to finance all his very expensive medications.

suggestions please? i'm so desperate to help him

[karen_s]

It is WONDERFUL that you are supportive! However, there is nothing you can do if he is not self-motivated. Hopefully your great attitude will help him in that regard. Grain free sounds like an excellent start too, because you can't out-exercise a bad diet.

He needs to move, or the joints will just get worse and the weight, even if it stays the same, will tax his joints further. I recommend he start with a lower impact exercise he enjoys, yes even lower impact than walking. The first thing I ever got my morbidly obese husband to do was bicycle with me. Riding a bike is about as low impact as you can get, and is really fun too.

If you have access to a gym, something else that is easier on the joints for me and great exercise is using a Concept 2 rower - full body workout without the "pounding" of the treadmill or walking/running outside. I also find the elliptical machine to be easier on the joints than the treadmill.

Check out my buddy Ernest and how cycling is working wonders for him:
Instead Of Surgery, Man Pedals Off The Pounds : NPR

[zilam98]

i also encouraged him to bike around and even bought a more comfortable seat for the bike, but he complains that his knees hurt. he's also older at 57. i also recommended gentle swimming, but his painful shoulders take a beating. austin had some nice indoor heated pools in gyms, but we moved to a smaller town without such

[stepka]

I have a friend who got her hubby moving by having him start with walking to the end of the driveway and then a little more each day. I'll be honest though--it's a daily battle for her as she works harder on him than he does on himself. You may want to try juicing raw veggies for him and watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead with him. I saw it on Netflix and maybe you can find it in other places on the net also. It's very inspiring.

[LittleDolphin]

From what you said, your bf sounds self-defeating and filled with excuses. You cannot instill desire for health into him. Only he can. Sounds as though he needs counseling to get off his self-defeating merry-go-round.

What exactly are you getting from this relationship? Is he meeting you half-way?