I need help with a girl that weighs around 400 lbs

Hi.  I'm doing a pool at work (biggest Loser). It turned into this HUGGGGE deal! I told everyone to put in 10 dollars I would post things about dieting and calorie counting around the building to help them along.  I weighed everyone on my scale and said the weight will not be revealed to anyone by myself.  I will only do percentage loss so it's fair.  Well, our 4 person pool turned into 15 and $10.00 a piece and our company is matching what we put in to support our weight loss. So- that's over $250 at stake for the winner and runner up!

However, one girl I weighed didn't register on my digital scale! She guessed she weighed over 400 lbs.  She's trying to diet like the rest of the crew taking in only what they eat.  However, they average 250lbs.  I told her I wanted to gather some reading materials for her so she's not starving herself and things to help her lose this weight.   She's only 20 years old and she's already having huge back pain and it's hard for walk a lot.

Anything would benefit this girl! Please help me help her!

Thank you!

Kelly

I'd have her get herself weighed on a scale that will weigh her, a doctor's visit might be in order.  Then she can use the tools here to get a plan together for the amount of calories to be eaten, etc.  I'd say that in general a doctor's visit is a good idea just to be safe for her.  I know that my new "eating plan" started with a visit to my doctor where I weighed in at a new high.  : (

I still see nothing wrong with her cutting that many calories.  I will once again play devil's advocate and say that for some people it works.

I started at 284 and cut down to 2000 pretty quickly, then around 1600 after that.  Very strict diet + exercise.  It worked for me.  If she loses weight, then it works for her.  She just has to do some trial and error.

Plus, she's gonna have to eat like that at some point, so why not get started on it now?

I threw together a post a while back with all the little things I learned when I first started. You are more than welcome to check it out.
http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/8532 .html

If this is any help:

When I started my diet on September 3rd of this year, I had been to my doctor for bloodwork a couple of weeks prior and had been weighed in at 408, so used that as my starting weight since I did not have a scale at that time (I do now).  Just so you have some sort of ballpark figure to work with (since you're guesstimating her to be about the same as I was):

My stats:  age 41, sedentary, 5'4", female
goal weight 135
goal date 9/30/09

BMR (at start weight):  2537.9
BMI:  70.09  (morbid obesity)
calories burned: 3000/day (at rest, per the CC tools)
calories needed to reach goal by date:  2126
Maintenance amount (at that weight):  approx 5700

With zig-zagging her calories, she could have 2100-2500 cals/day and still lose weight.  That's a good amount of calories!  I currently have around 1700 cals/day and for the most part I do o.k. (I was diagnosed with BED in 1994 so I do contend with that from time to time, so....)

I also increased my exercise shortly after I started my diet, however I add that activity to my log, instead of increasing my lifestyle from sedentary to something else.  I also log in anything I might do around the house, including housework!  She might want to start off slowly because, at that weight, doing any kind of exercise that requires jumping or stress on the legs or knees could cause serious damage.  At the gym, I do the stationary bike, resistance machines, and recently added the treadmill and elliptical trainer.  I also drink 8-10 8-oz glasses of water (that works out to 64-80 oz) a day.  The other thing, just making some changes in regards to food choices will do wonders.  For example, choosing leaner meats, switching to low-fat versions of items (mayo, cheese, milk) will make a difference.  If she drinks a lot of soda, see if she can switch to diet.  (I did, then eventually just went to 90% water - going from a 2-liter or regular Pepsi a day to 2 glasses of Diet Coke with Lime a day, to 2 glasses a week to *maybe* a few glasses a month).  Watching the sodium intake will help.  Choosing healthier snacks instead of chips and dip and such, or not putting butter on popcorn (I use a little seasoned salt on mine, or Tony's) -- all these little changes will make the transition from a lot of food to a bit less, a lot easier.  Making these kinds of modifications might actually be good first because they will 'naturally' reduce her caloric intake without really seeming it!

Currently I have lost a little over 20 lbs by following this method AND increasing my activity AND decreasing my caloric intake. 

For someone at that high a weight, her best bet (if she can't get to her doctor's office) is a bariatric scale, which can go up to (and exceed) 600 lbs.  I got mine here, and paid just under $50.

I wish her the best - it's a tough road but I'm sure she's gonna love the results.  As someone who started roughly same size she is, I know what she's going through and the obstacles she'll face.  Give a holler if I can be of any further help!  (I have a CC journal and my email addy is on my profile.)

====
EDIT:  Corrected goal date to 9/30/09, not 9/30/06 as originally posted.

In all fairness try to weight her with a scale that will work. She really needs to feel included. Because she is large she may lose faster than others. Great idea with the work-team involvment. It keeps everyone accountable! Let us know how things are going!

Thank you all! WillowRaven especially! I'm going to give her that info for her and try and help her along.  I will keep in touch and if I have any questions, I will ask here! Thanks all =)

Much thanks and Love,
Kelly

What a great thing you and the company are doing.  It is nice to hear about employers who give a darn about their employees. 

Good luck to all the participants and hope they follow through even after the contest ends. 

I have my fingers crossed and saying a prayer for the young girl who you are trying to help.

Please let us know how it goes. 

Is a percentage even fair, though?  Cuz let's say she's 400 pounds, and lost 20.  That would be a 5% loss.

Someone who was 200 would have to lose only 10 pounds in the same amount of time to match her.

I don't know...but I wish you (and the girl) luck with the competition!

Percentage lost is about as fair as one can get with something like this, as people who have more to lose generally can lose more more quickly. In any case, I think in something like this, everyone who competes and succeeds in losing weight is a winner!

Kelly, this is great! Is there any way for interested parties to be part of cheering sections for your 20-year-old coworkers and others?

That's totally fair; it is WAAAY easier for someone 400lbs to lose 20lbs than someone who is only 200lbs, and likewise it is way easier for someone 200lbs to lose 10lbs, while someone my size takes FOREVER to lose those last 10...In my case, forever means six months and only 4 pounds progress....*sigh*...

Yeah...I guess it's as fair as you can really get.  And I do think that's really great for the company to promote such a contest.  Maybe America is changing its overweight ways...(finally).

I'm hoping I'm starting something great with our company! I hope this lasts and a lot of people feel better about themselves as well.  I hope we are changing our ways! It was on The Early Show today that NYC banned the fatty oil fast food can cook their food in!!!!

FULL STORY HERE:

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/12/05/ny.trans .fat.ap/index.html

Hi, I am 407 lbs and started taking alli after speaking with my doctor, I was 431. I am in the same position as far as not being able to use the normal scales when everybody else could. I weigh once a week and I normally will go by the hospital and they are very nice to allow me to weigh myself and then i report my honest weight, she can also purchase her own scale that goes up to 450lbs, she can google who sells them. Alli calorie count for me was 1800 calories and 60 grams of fat per day, along with taking a muliti vitamin, but she should speak with a nutrionist so she can get whats right for her. The message boards and friends are a huge plus to stay on track.....you are a good friend to do this for her.

First ask her how she feels about getting information from you and see how she would feel to see a doctor before she starts any type of regiment. Just to make sure she doesn`t hurt herself.

Someone that size (or even 250lbs) should talk to their doctor before starting a diet.  Do make that a pre-requisite for all the participants in your biggest loser pool.  Not simply for their benefit but also to cover yourself and the company in case something goes wrong.

I'm sure the doctor won't discourage her but they should run some tests on her physical health to be on the safe side.  They may be able to refer her to a dietician for some practical guidance on food choices, portion-control etc.   If she (or any of the others) drastically cut her food intake or suddenly took up vigorous exercise she could harm herself otherwise.