my boyfriend the ticking bomb

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amymeenieminymo
amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
We just found out from a blood test that my boyfriend is basically a ticking bomb and in risk of a heart attack (at 30 years old!). I told him he has to start eating better and working out with me, so I am going to sign him up here (though I'll probably have to do all of his logging, but if it will get him healthy I'll be more than happy to do it).

He gets no physical activity outside of his job, which is landscaping. I am unsure of what activity level to set him at. Sure there are days when he rides a mower all day, but there are plenty of days where he is on his feet all day, lifting stuff, pushing, pulling, etc. and comes home from work whipped. Should I set him at lightly active or active?

Also, I think he is about 245 right now...he is a big guy anyway, tall and broad shouldered and whatnot, so his only real weight is in his belly (of course the worst place), so does anyone know what his goal weight should be? I have no idea for guys....he's about 5'11 by the way (he's in some of my profile pics if you want to take a look and guess his ideal weight :happy: ).

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer for his settings.

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  • ilmommkc
    ilmommkc Posts: 73
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    Remember to try not to push. He will push right back. He has to want to do this for himself or it'll all backfire.
    go to the BMI and enter his height and weight and see the range for him.

    good luck!
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    We just found out from a blood test that my boyfriend is basically a ticking bomb and in risk of a heart attack (at 30 years old!). I told him he has to start eating better and working out with me, so I am going to sign him up here (though I'll probably have to do all of his logging, but if it will get him healthy I'll be more than happy to do it).

    He gets no physical activity outside of his job, which is landscaping. I am unsure of what activity level to set him at. Sure there are days when he rides a mower all day, but there are plenty of days where he is on his feet all day, lifting stuff, pushing, pulling, etc. and comes home from work whipped. Should I set him at lightly active or active?

    Also, I think he is about 245 right now...he is a big guy anyway, tall and broad shouldered and whatnot, so his only real weight is in his belly (of course the worst place), so does anyone know what his goal weight should be? I have no idea for guys....he's about 5'11 by the way (he's in some of my profile pics if you want to take a look and guess his ideal weight :happy: ).

    Thanks in advance for any help you can offer for his settings.

    anywhere between 170 and maybe 200 should be reasonable. Just as important though, should be his cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides, blood sugar. Get all those under control, and drop at least 25 lbs, and he would be fine I think (unless he has some other condition you didn't make public, like plaque or something). This is a very similar situation to my brother except he's 6'3" and about 290, he needs to get down to at least 230 and get his blood numbers under control, it's 80% eating for him, but some kind of exercise is good too.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Remember to try not to push. He will push right back. He has to want to do this for himself or it'll all backfire.
    go to the BMI and enter his height and weight and see the range for him.

    good luck!

    Yeah I'm nervous about that....I guess I'll make food suggestions and invite him out to work out with me, but I know from myself that nothing could motivate me until I wanted to actually do it. I'm hoping these test results were a wake up call for him.
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
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    Get a pair of bodyfat calipers & measure him. Think in terms of healthy bodyfat percentage. Down to 20% at least.

    If it's Ok with the Doc, Cardio is great for your heart (hence the name). I always had moderately not-so-great blood pressure and have laid off the salt since I was a kid. After a few months of doing 1/2 hour on an elliptical (nearly) every morning my BP is 110/65 and my pulse in 60. It works,,, it's for real, better than meds.

    Hey, he probably watches the morning news or Jeopardy or something for 1/2 hour every day anyways - why not get hoofing during that time. It works for me.
  • Saken
    Saken Posts: 476
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    hi, dont trust doctors who try to guess that everything bad is going to happen to a person because it's off the BMI's , BMI's are highly inacurate, i am 5"11 myself (1.80m) almost 6" acording to the conversion charts, and i am about 295lbs, i am very very fat :p, when i was arround 245lbs i felt absoluctly fine and my top shape was when i was about 195lbs and i was litteraly starving and unhealthy.
    if you boyfriend is a huge guy usualy i would say that about 220lbs is about right
  • MacMadame
    MacMadame Posts: 1,893 Member
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    I would start his goal weight out at a normal BMI. Then, you can adjust it up or down once he gets closer and you can better estimate how much fat is left. My goal weight was 132 and when I got there, it was clear I needed to lose at least 10 more lb. and could stand to lose 20-25 lb. So I did. But a guy who is active may find that, as he gets closer, he's too muscular to have a normal BMI and so he'd adjust the goal upwards.

    For the activity levels, I'd put him at Active. That's because some days he's Lightly Active and some days he's Very Active so put him in between. :laugh:
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
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    I don't think she's talking about a BMI issue Saken,,, this guy has high BP and maybe elevated cholesterol, maybe more.

    You're right though - BMI sux. I'm in really good shape. 16% bodyfat, high aerobic capacity, great numbers & labs, an excellent specimen. According to BMI - If I lose another 14 pounds I will be merely overweight, and I am currently Obese. :laugh:
  • jessie1
    jessie1 Posts: 46
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    I know everyone is different but my husband is 5 '10 and he weighs around 180. Good luck!
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    I don't think she's talking about a BMI issue Saken,,, this guy has high BP and maybe elevated cholesterol, maybe more.

    You're right though - BMI sux. I'm in really good shape. 16% bodyfat, high aerobic capacity, great numbers & labs, an excellent specimen. According to BMI - If I lose another 14 pounds I will be merely overweight, and I am currently Obese. :laugh:

    Yeah I hate BMI too, I think it is useless. But his tests were for cholesterol and I forget what else, but even without tests I know he is in danger. He never exercises except for what he does at work, his breakfast is usually M & M's and a Monster, he skips lunch and will often grab taco bell on his way home which is about an hour or two before I make dinner, he eats dinner and then is usually hunting for a snack before bed too.

    The tough thing will be to get him to work out after work because he's always so tired (he thinks only physical jobs leave people exhausted, I should be raring to go after sitting at a desk all day :laugh: ). But he is more of a morning person, so maybe we can get up early and work out....that would help me because I can never get up on my own.
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
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    M-W-F, I do elliptical 6-6:30 and weights 6:30-7. Tuesday&Thursday elliptical 6:30-7, saturday I do 1/2 hour elliptical whenever I feel like it. :smile:

    I like doing it in the morning, starts the day off right.
  • astridfeline
    astridfeline Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Yeah I hate BMI too, I think it is useless. But his tests were for cholesterol and I forget what else, but even without tests I know he is in danger. He never exercises except for what he does at work, his breakfast is usually M & M's and a Monster, he skips lunch and will often grab taco bell on his way home which is about an hour or two before I make dinner, he eats dinner and then is usually hunting for a snack before bed too.

    The tough thing will be to get him to work out after work because he's always so tired (he thinks only physical jobs leave people exhausted, I should be raring to go after sitting at a desk all day :laugh: ). But he is more of a morning person, so maybe we can get up early and work out....that would help me because I can never get up on my own.

    Maybe he could focus on his eating habits first if he's too tired for a work-out after work. A healthy breakfast would do wonders.

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