LOL..my mother is a wonderful, wonderful woman..she's about to turn 40 on November 26th (she had me young), and she is kind of freaking out about that...but that's another story.

At the beginning of this year, she made a resolution to lose weight. She doesn't have much to lose, just about 30 lbs. Well, I thought it was great..we could do it together. Well..she hasn't gotten it together--at all. My dear mommy is convinced that she has a physical addiction to chocolate and will die without a daily candy bar. LOL. She claims to get shakey and feel sick to her stomach without one.
Anyways, she realized yesterday how close it is to the end of the year, and she looks at me in a panic and says "Cassie, I have to lose 30 lbs by the end of December!"...and of course, I tell her that 30 lbs is too much for her to lose by then, but I do offer to help her lose with me....we can exercise together and stuff. She gets this look on her face like I've lost my mind...she tells me, that she doesn't want to exercise and she doesn't want to stop eating like she is...what else can she do? LOL. Like I have another method..ha! If I did, I wouldn't be working my butt off like I am! She, however, is convinced that there is another way. She tells me that she wants Hoodia for her birthday.
And then....
She says that she'd also like some chocolate and caramel pecan clusters for her b-day as well.

God bless her..but I have a lot of work to do. LOL.

hahah i love it! hey if you come up with an answer for her, you'll make yourself a BILLION dollars! you can eat what you want, no exercise and lose 30 lbs. by christmas - yup, you'll be richer than bill gates

p.s. tell her there was NOT a bigger chocoholic than me, I thought I'd fall apart without it and here it is 5 months later and meh, i could care less about chocolate!

hee hee, we are all at different points in this journey.

Congrats on your success so far! Keep up the good work!

And I'd like a hot fudge sundae, but I'm not having one and I will live thru it.

Trazey,

You are a stronger woman than me. I will die loving chocolate. I don't have it very often but that doesn't mean I don't love it

Aw hon, I'm afraid it's your Mom who's got the work to do, not you. I know you want what's best for her and it can be SO frustrating to sit by and hear this kind of stuff. But unfortunately we can't make our loved ones do this - they've got to do it on their own.

You're setting a great example for her and maybe one day (sooner rather then later), she'll realize that your way is indeed the way she needs to go.

Good luck to you both and Happy Birthday to your Mom.

I think Mom got a good look at you and your weight loss and is being reminded of how far you've come and what her, addiction is preventing her from achieving in her own quest!

Maybe I've got my psychologist hat on too tight this afternoon, but that's what I get reading between the lines of your post.

Bravo, You!

Janet

Oh Cassie, I know exactly what you mean. You just have to love them, but they're so convinced that you're losing weight via alien probe or unearthly way. One cannot expect different results from taking the same actions every single time. Best of luck to her! And I agree that one day she'll wake up and see that in order to have change we have to change ourselves.

LOL, Ok first I've got to get over the fact that I'm older than your mom. Hmmm, ok point pondered. Anyway, your mom is going to have to be ready before she can tackle this weight loss. If she's still looking for the magic pill she may not be ready. You're setting such a good example for her though that maybe she'll come to her senses .

Wow I remember being in the exact same boat as your mom. I hated how big i was and hated being overweight....but I just wasn't willing to give up my lifestyle of junk food and lounging on the couch. I went on like that for a long time, thoroughly enjoying my lifestyle but not enjoying my body, weight or self esteem. I can't pinpoint the exact "I've had it!" moment, somewhere along the line though I just made the decision that my lifestyle wasn't worth it. Hopefully your mom will reach that point soon, i think most people do eventually!

My husband was sort of the same way. He wasn't willing to give up his eating habits, but (at least) thought he was willing to exercise. The problem was that he expected to lose weight with exercise alone. In theory, this might have worked, at least for a while. However at 408 lbs, in constant pain and on disability for degenerative joint disease, I don't know what the heck he thought he could do to burn enough calories to lose weight.

He joined TOPS with me "to support me," but he's lost over 30 lbs since September. He's really come a long way. When he ordered broccoli and beef one night for take-out chinese instead of his favorite fried rice and orange beef (which is deep fried) I realized he was really finally "getting it." In fact, he's doing so well, he's inspiring me to get my act in gear. I've been very lazy for the past several months.

TOPS is a great organization. Joining is very affordable, and the incentives are small and even sometimes silly, but it's surprising how much they help. The annual fee is $24 ($36 for a couple) to join, and everything else varies from chapter to chapter because each group makes and votes on their own rules. In our chapter, dues are $3 a month per person, but there are several ways to get free dues. If you're the club's biggest loser for the quarter, lose 4 weeks a row in any month, or for every 10 lbs lost you get a choice between free dues or a free charm or pin (they also sell charm bracelets for a few dollars to put the charms on, but I used a charm bracelet I already had).
If you gain weight, you pay a dime for every lb gained (we do double fines after holidays, or after the group has a net gain). The biggest loser for the week takes home the "kitty" for the week. And if you're biggest loser for two weeks in a row, there's a $5 door prize you take home.

Every club operates a little differently, but it's amazing how much those little trinkets and competitive or cooperative goals keep you motivated. Every week people bring in recipes, articles, tips... In some ways our group has the spirit of a bridal shower mixed with a coffee clatch (without the sweet snacks).

I don't know if it's something your mom would be interested in, but it might work for her. I think sometimes (such as for my husband), getting involved in a group can help a person "come around." If she isn't at least a little open minded, she might not be ready to make changes, but if there's even a little crack in her "armor" it might help.

WOW!!!!!!!11 I wish it was that simple..... LOL

Cassie,
Keep up the good work!
I agree, maybe your mom isn't quite ready yet...but after watching your progress, she may soon be !
Hope she has a happy birthday!

Colleen,
Thanks for the info on TOPS! It sounds like fun!

Oh, bless your mom's heart. It really would be nice if we could lose weight with a magic pill!!

As for the chocolate, though, I have to tell you -- I couldn't live a life without chocolate. But I don't have to, thank goodness. Tell your mom she absolutely CAN have a candy bar every day - but she needs to make it a small one that will fit into her dairly caloric intake. Problem solved. She still gets chocolate, and she can still lose weight.

Thanks for the replies, ladies! My mom is a wonderful person, and yeah, I think she'll do it when she is ready...and of course I'll be here to help her out in any way that I can.