Could a naturopath help my DH?

Hi all

My poor DH. He's a big guy, tall with a rugby player type build but he is overweight and is getting quite depressed about it.

He probably needs to drop about 30-40kgs.

According to standard BMI charts this makes him morbidly obese but he isn't because of his build IYKWIM. He's got great stamina and is just carrying weight around his middle, he doesn't have manboobs or anything like that - but he can't get income protection insurance despite our rep going directly to the assessors with a photo of DH to show them he isn't an enormous butterball like his weight would suggest!

Anyway...he is having such trouble dropping the weight. He doesn't and never has eaten much junk, he doesn't eat huge portions, he doesn't drink lots of Coke or anything like that. His diet could be cleaned up a bit, couldn't we all really - but there is no obvious culprit like Maccas a few times a week or anything like that. He even took 6 weeks off work and exercised at the gym twice a day with a program set up by a trainer, walking to and from the gym, ate really well...and only lost 3kgs.

He's getting to the point where he swings between giving up and then trying a big heroic effort to kickstart things...and then doesn't get results.

I am starting to wonder whether there is something "wrong" that is preventing him from shedding the weight. With that amount of weight to lose I would have expected it would be pretty easy for him to at least drop the initial 5kgs or so and it just never happens for him.

Could a naturopath help? What might they do? I did a bit of googling and there was some talk about fasting and lemon diets which my DH woudn't do...not really practical.

Any other ideas? He was getting upset about it again last night and I'd really like to have some kind of plan of action by the time he gets home tonight...even if I have to book him in for an appointment with someone myself.

I saw a naturopath for general health issues which include weight loss. She took a holistic approach, looking at all my health issues and mental ones. Deficiencies were looked at, I was deficient in zinc and magnesium. I was also having trouble with IBS. She made up a tonic that dealt with some of it and some other supplements. We also spoke about how I should be eating and she gave me a plan to follow. We looked at how I had eaten in the past, how foods my me feel and past weight loss etc. For mental health she gave me some calming drops and she was just great to talk to in general, almost like a councillor.

Anyway I am feeling much better, I found the tonics really helped with hunger (I experience bad hunger) and my general overall health. Whilst I did not lose weight initially, I have lost since Christmas. One of my main problems is eating too much wheat products and heavy carb meals in general. So I have cut a lot of that out. I am eating so much more vegetables and if eating something like bread, I try to get a rye based one, rather than wheat.

I would recommend that he goes. It will take a number of sessions and tonics, so just be prepared for the cost. Really though it is no different to buying vitamins from the chemist, he will be just getting some that are more tailored to his needs.

**Sorry might be disjointed, have been hassled 20+ times just trying to type this**

yes naturopath can help your dh , i was over 154kgs a few years ago , seen a few doctors and naturopaths , yes they help . now i down to 118 and slowly losing weight. often men can lose weight quickly , but what i hated was the word diet , so i can the process a life change for the better . i ate a lot of stir frys , cut the meat real small looks like there a lot in there . fruit banannas are a good help energy wise . ate a lot of chicken and fish its better for health , gut a lot of red meat out of diet . soft drinks and take food out , you will be surprize how much wieght you lose when u stop eating this . good luck with dh and let us know how is going . if he needs a firend to talk to , iam here if hes needs to , best wishes