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#314216 - 04/14/08 04:35 PM
How Can I Help My Friend?
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nesh2007
Registered: 07/16/07
Posts: 146
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I have a friend of mine who has a serious weight problem. He is 19 years old and about 5'9". He appears to be close to or above 200 pounds.
He told me that he drinks water, which is good. He also exercises regularly at the college's Wellness Center. However, his food choices are unhealthy. For example, he will buy two pieces of pizza, a soda, and some form of fried chicken (popcorn chicken, nuggets, strips). He won't go near the apples, oranges, bananas, pineapple bits, granola bars, or anything healthy.
Even worse, when we go out to eat, he will order boneless buffalo wings. This is unhealthy for him because it is FRIED! I will admit, while they are delicious, they are loaded with fat and cholesterol.
Another problem with him is that he only eats TWO meals a day as opposed to the recommended THREE. Skipping meals is unhealthy and can actually make someone GAIN weight because hunger kicks in.
I used to warn him when he was thinking of getting something fried, and he would just get mad at me, and ignore my advice.
We are very close friends, and have been for almost eight years. I know he wants to lose weight, but I see on a regular basis that he does not have healthy eating habits.
I want him to understand what he is doing wrong, but I don't want to lose him as a friend. I also don't want him to die from it. He already has high blood pressure. I don't want his unhealthy eating habits to kill him. We care for each other, and I don't know what I would do without him. He is my best friend.
How could I help him understand the error of his ways without annoying him?
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#314220 - 04/14/08 05:26 PM
Re: How Can I Help My Friend?
[Re: nesh2007]
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albeitmyself
longstanding member
Registered: 05/24/03
Posts: 1233
Loc: British Columbia, Canada
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Okay, I feel your pain because I'm going through a similar situation with someone very close to me.
These are some suggestions: When you guys go out to eat together, make sure you suggest going to a healthier place to eat (I guess this depends on the size of your college) - mine has a sushi bar and there's always subway. You can just suggest these, and he might go along with it. Even if he's reluctant, you can say "Man, we always eat where you want to, can't we at least alternate?"
I'm assuming you're already modeling what healthy eating and healthy exercising is. If your friend is already working out (with weights most likely) you should try and get him involved in more cardio-oriented activities - these are great because you can both make great friends if you join an intramural team or even just go for a hike or bike ride together.
Sometimes, you have to wait for the person to hit his own "rock bottom", and your friend probably won't hit his for awhile. It's great he has such a supportive best friend in you.
_________________________
Language and thought are simultaneous, each gives rise to the other.
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#314251 - 04/14/08 10:47 PM
Re: How Can I Help My Friend?
[Re: nesh2007]
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kmrobins
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Registered: 11/29/05
Posts: 670
Loc: ^ My true hero.
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Having a partner is the best motivation (apart from results) you can have. Tell him you're starting up this great fitness plan, but you need a partner to stick to it. Do a bit of research, write up a short plan, and really hype it up. Talk about how hot you're both gonna be next summer, going to the beach, heading out, meeting girls, etc.
Get him excited about it, get him to say yes, but make sure he understands that partners are there to push each other when the other one is down, because you're going to have to push a lot from the sounds of it.
Stick it out for a month, never missing a meal, or gym session, and eating healthy. After a month it'll become routine, and that combined with the weight loss will hopefully be enough to stop you pushing so hard.
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