Mother neglected 14 y.o. son?

[Slytovhand]

And did anyone take into account the extra amount of calories it takes to move that amount of mass? And to heal the physical damage the exercise will do to his body? Hey, walking to Macca's or subway might be enough to get it off (depending on how close he is to them).

And, as per the standard problem with any weight loss program, the body starts to compensate for the change to it's 'normal' patterns and routines... so, if he starts an exercise program now, or starts to eat less now, the body will start either begging for more food, or retaining what he's currently got.

So, it's going to take a while... let's hope he's got that long!

[Lace Neil Singer]

When I read this story, I wondered for one if the mother's a feeder; as in, she thinks that the way to love her child is to feed him vast amounts of food. There are couples out there who are in an unhealthy relationship where one is the feeder and the other the feedee; not going that far, but perhaps she thinks that the way for her to express her love is to give him food? It doesn't excuse her actions but goes a little way to explain them.

[lovlybones]

coming from a family where everyone else is obese but me I do see the ease in getting that overweight. its extremely easy to be lazy, and to do nothing about it.

then when you get that lazy you get depressed and losing weight when you weigh that much takes a lot of motivation, but I don't see how the mother can be charged unless if she genuinely didn't try to get him help.

I know all well there are programs for children like this and for parents who don't have enough money to pay for expenses for the health of their child, but since it is free, or at a reduced price you really do have to look for it.

I wish them both all the best in the future!

[AFPheonix]

Well yeah, it can be pretty easy to get to 200 or 300 pounds. But 550? That takes some effort if you're not like 7' tall. There are people who actively try to get to that weight or who try to get SO's to get that heavy, and from quickly skimming their forums, they pull out all the stops to get there.

[AdminAssistant]

Here's my question: Would the state take the same measures for an underweight teen with an eating disorder? Not likely. While I agree that the kid needs to lose weight and that the mother obviously needs some help, I really don't like how overweight people are becoming so villified lately.

[BroomJockey]

Here's my question: Would the state take the same measures for an underweight teen with an eating disorder?

Raps said there's no sign of a claim of a medical reason for the weight gain. I have to assume that includes eating disorders. Your question is not applicable.

[Nyoibo]

Here's my question: Would the state take the same measures for an underweight teen with an eating disorder? Not likely. While I agree that the kid needs to lose weight and that the mother obviously needs some help, I really don't like how overweight people are becoming so villified lately.

There's also the fact that it's basically impossible to make someone eat, unless you resort to a feeding tube and IV nutrients, however to make someone stop eating, take away the damn food.

You don't get to 550 over night, that's years of eating there to do that, now how does a child manage to get all that food unless it's supplied by the parents?

[Lace Neil Singer]

I once read a story about a woman who was incredibly obese when she died; so much, that a coffin had to be made specially for her and put in the grave by a crane. O.o She remained that big partly cuz her mother was giving her food and partly cuz she was ringing up takeaway places at all hours.

While I sympathise with the mother; losing a child in such a way must be horrific, she still should have stopped giving her daughter food and should have taken her damn phone away. Perfect example of an enabler.

[Rapscallion]

Overly thin children due to disorders - well, if you didn't feed a child and it ended up malnourished, you'd be hounded by the law and rightfully so. If the child had a disorder and you didn't do anything to treat that, you'd be in a fairly bad position. I can actually see parallels.

Rapscallion

[tropicsgoddess]

Unless something is done right away, that kid might not live long to see his 18th or 20th birthday, let alone 16th birthday. He is beyond morbidly obese and that puts him at a very high risk for cardiovascular disease, joint problems, breathing problems, type 2 diabetes and such.