Trying to reduce weight!

We freeze berries and bananas and make our own sherbet ice cream. We got a machine in our house that mushes the frozen fruits into ice cream texture. It’s pretty awesome. I like that natural taste.

My PC is broken. I only read this.

Waking early to exercise has been getting easier and easier. Everything else: harder (or, uh, more difficult, as you say).

If someone is severely morbidly obese loses the severely morbidly part and has a lot of loose skin as a result, would NHI cover the removal in total, or in part? About how much would that run?

Asking for a friend.

Wouldn’t that be considered cosmetic? You gotta pay for cosmetic.

Would it not also be a “quality of life” issue? My friends weight is 23 stone. That is gonna leave a lot of loose skin that will be difficult to maintain and ripe for infections and fungi, which could be as detrimental to their health and wellbeing as the excess weight. I guess its their fault for being fatty in the first place, but if it is not cost effective to trim the skin, may as well just stay fat. No amount of lifting weights is going to change the loose skin bit.

I have seen the drastic appearances of loose skin from drastic weight loss. It looks scary.

A quick online search would appear to indicate that this is an elective surgery not covered by NHI, unfortunately. And the cost of this type of procedure appears to be around NT$100,000.

Like @Dr_Milker said. I don’t think they cover it because it’s most likely considered cosmetic. They probably would treat it if got infected. But it would be more like a butcher cutting it from a general surgeon. Their jobs aren’t to make things look pretty, but to effectively and efficiently treat the problems. Looks are not high on the priority.

Your friend would be better off with a cometic surgeon privately anyways if it’s for looks. They work with you to get you the desire result in looks.

But why does he need to drastically lose weight?

I guess for health and personal well-being. And probably easier for him to find clothes that fit, rather than playing hit/miss with Amazon.

With the price of cosmetic surgery, at least from a state-side view point, probably need to start a kickstarter or whatever. That, or just remain fat and let the family take care of the inevitable end.

I remember a news story a few years back where crematoriums in TW were going to charge extra for obese people. I guess there was a problem with the excess fat fueling the flames. Oh, my.

That’s great. But from my experience there are ways to really minimize the loose skin to almost non at all. He can pace himself on the amount of weight lost. Also make up for the loss of fat with muscle can also help a great deal. Don’t just lose body fat, your friend should look at muscle hypertrophy(growth). Lift like a body builder. He can find guys that are capable with working with clients like himself with training, meals plans, etc. a lot cheaper than cosmetic surgery. And there’s a difference between just losing weight rapidly and being healthy

I have been told that the doctors told him he has reached a point in his weight and health that it is 100% critical that he shed as much weight as he can, as fast he can. They have limited his calories to less than 1000/day and check up weekly. I did not think doctors did this, but there are many things I do not think about. And he has been ordered to walk for at least an hour everyday. Yes, the are TW doctors.

Well I’m not a doctor. But maybe get a 2nd opinion. I don’t think someone like that should eat less then 1000 calories a day. It might make his situation worse and really slow down his metabolism causing it to be harder and longer. Plus it’s extremely hard for a large person to get enough nutrition at less then 1000cal a day let alone a fit person. He literally can just cut his calories by 500 everyday each week or bi weekly from his normal intake. And should see a nice amount of weight loss if he’s also exercising. He should calculate how many calories he eats on average a day. There easy apps for that. And if he’s exercising, for a large guy walking that much. That’s more calories than a normal person. It sounds like a pretty bad plan.

I think 800 calories per day is how much you need to avoid metabolic slowdown.

I had a friend who went on a low calorie diet prescribed by the doctor. That number was given by the doctor. It might have been computed for her instead of a standard number. Can’t remember.

Then maybe he should consider bariatric surgery as an option. The doctors at the weight loss program at the hospital gave us a lecture about it, risks and complications and stuff.

Less than a 1000 calories I never heard before, especially in the weight loss program.

I know getting rid of weight is hard, but I tell myself that it took years to get this fat, it may take a long time to see results, but the damage to one’s health must be stopped sometime. If you start eating healthy, that’s good. It will make you feel better and stop most of the problems. If you exercise, you will have a better mood. If you lift weights, your metabolism will increase its pace and start burning more. Tell your friend to add stuff one at a time, that worked for me. If you make sudden changes, that does not work. Find a way that works for one’s life. if you think still like rabbit diet, all salads and stuff, that won’t work either. Just don’t stop trying.

Do you know if he also got advice from a dietitian as well working with the doctor. (not just a nutritionist) Doctors do understand nutrition, they aren’t the worst people to ask advice about it. But often they understand the more important stuff like food to keep you alive. But often not the best in giving a proper diet plan a exercise routine. I personally think it’s not good for someone who clearly probably eats a huge amount of calories a day to suddenly drop to less then 1000.

Yeah, sounds weird. The missus makes me watch these programs about super fat people having to lose weight and doctors put them on super restrictive diets that include hyper caloric restrictions. I guess that magician lost a ton of weight with his medically supervised 800 calorie/day regime and made out OK. I guess what works, works.

I feel bad. The poor sod can’t even wear shoes because standing makes his ankles swell up so bad. A combo from being fat and the heart working as hard as it can to keep up.

Ah well. I used the Google and saw told him that he would have to keep it off for at least 6 months or more before a surgeon would consider skin removal. Also, the cost is in the US$10,000 and up area. So, I will start a kickstarter for him. Or he can do it himself.

Thanks

One thing we learned at the hospital is that everything works…momentarily. Keeping the weight off through a healthy lifestyle…now that is the hard part.

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Yep. I told him whatever he is doing is not a diet. It is a lifestyle change. It is an eating change. No more 12 Big Macs (or whatever he did to get in this state) at one go. No more cake, donuts, candy, sugary drinks, all that…gone. For now and in serious moderation later. He’s in it for the long haul.

Interstingly, most people think fat people eat like that. Mostly not. It is a slow metabolism, metabolic syndrome most of the time. Many thin people eat 12 burgers…until they can’t. same with overweight folk. Moreover, it is also the quality, not the quantity. Processed food marketed as healthy. Take a look at any label and you will find corn syrup and sugar galore. And our sedentary lifestyles.

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I watched this program, and read elsewhere, where exercise is effectively meaningless in terms of weightloss. This program showed the host, under lab supervision, walking 5 or 6mph for 90min and only burned the equivalent of half a Snickers bar (about 150cal).

The same program had the host go full out on a stationary for 20 secs, recover, then repeat 2 more times. Apparently the health benefit of doing that 3 times a week has the same benefit as jogging 5k everyday.

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