Are you worried about a loved one's obesity?

Canada
January 18, 2007 12:00pm CST
This was always a touchy subject with my ex and I. Over the years we were together he gained what I percieve as 150 to 200 pounds. He was a bit hefty when I met him but after a few years he was breaking furniture. Of course the aesthetic matter was a concern with me, my primary concern was for his healthy. Every time I looked at him he would be cramming handfuls of junkfood into his mouth at a time. For example when was eating chips he would not just eat them one or two at a time but 10 or 20 a time, as many as he could cram in there. Crumbs would be flying everywhere. If I said anything he would bite my head off. I can't imagine he was very happy and no matter how I appoached the subject he would just yell at me then give me the silent treatment for a couple of days. I myself would diet even though I needed it a lot less than him thinking that my diet and exercise would encourage him and set a good example. It seemed he ate more at these times. I would say things like, I find it really hard to stick to a program and want to join a group but I am shy to by myself, would you come with? He would say that he had better things to do than join a fat people pity party, so uncool. In the end I left him, not just because of the weight issue but his similar stubborn attitude about other things in life but the whole time I felt so helpless like there is something I could have done to help him. Some different approach I could have taken. In the end I started to blame myself, that somehow I was causing all his misery. He seemed to hate me all the time and I could not figure out why. In the end I realized he was just an extremely unhappy person and no-one had a chance around him unless they catered to his every whim and gave up and him and let him live until he just keeled over from a heart attack or some other weight related disorder. To me that is not caring about someone. Anybody ever been in a similar situation?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@wmg2006 (5381)
• United States
18 Jan 07
I have never been concerned about this until recently. My son married a lovely girl who is very short so any weight is quite noticable on her. She was a little plump when they got married, but now she is obese and I am very concerned. I do not know what to do or what to say to her. She is always talking about her weight and how she wishes she could lose weight. I tell her the things I do and she always has a reason not to do them. I am very much taller than her so the extra pounds never really show on me. Plus I try to not allow more than 10 lbs. accumulate before I am back working it off. It is all about discipline and it is harder to lose 50 lbs. than 10 lbs. I always say. I do care a lot for this girl, but I don't think I can help her and I want so much to tell her she doesn't want to lose weight, she just wants everyone to think she wants to. I just keep my mouth shut and pray for her.
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
18 Jan 07
I am in a similar situation. I lost 20kg weight in 11 months. I am concered by my partner's obesity,not for aesthetic reasons as such but health wise. She complains of back pain amongst other things. The fact that I managed to go down on weight had the adversary effect. She almost took it as a personal offence and she ate more. I am encouraging her to go to a gym and eat healthy food. Hope she ll maintain her diet this time.