armedian

Hello,

I'm trying to get motivated to go running again. I was used to go running at the local park back home.

However in Jomtien or Pattaya I didn't see any area that would be appropriate for a nice jogging, I mean somewhere with fresh air, without cars and noise, just trees and grass...

Any recommendations?

I've seen people running here indoor with air con on, but the feeling of running outside and seeing the view passing is so much more revitalizing!

The bigger problem is the depression.

Taking the steps to overcome the obesity will definitely help, to the extent you are successful you'll boost your self-confidence to improve your life in other areas.

Regular exercise has been proven to help with depression, so even if you mostly use diet for the weight loss, do exercise you enjoy, ideally every day even if it's just 15/20 minutes, minimum every other day.

Change your routines, get control of your sleep patterns, get out and meet people in real life not just online.

But don't try to change too many habits at a time, focus on the most important one or two at first and let the others slide if necessary until the key ones have become automatic habits - usually 6-8 weeks.

Only a limited amount of willpower per day is available, takes time to build that up with positive reinforcement, patterns of success.

"Peer coaching", having a buddy with similar goals will help, make your current "baby step" goals public and check in with them at least once a day to report how you're doing.

Read postive self-help books, maybe even listen to tapes/MP3s, meditation helps too.

Best of luck!

I just want to wish you luck in trying to resolve your issues. I suspect the depression will be much more difficult to manage in the long term and will always be likely to make you eat more than you want as a sort of fix. Fix your depression by eating. That is certainly how it was with me and alcohol and other things. In purely practical terms you need to develop some strategies for managing your depression - I would recommend the 24 hour approach, meaning keep it in the day, forget about the next day and the day after that and the day after that or next month, next year or whatever. Try to live in the day and not try to solve your whole life problem in that day. Try to connect with other people. Take a walk in a park. Watch a movie. Try and do simple things that take you out of yourself and your mind. As I Said, good luck.

Thank you both very much for your very valuable posts! It makes me feel confident that I can do the necessary changes, little by little.

I have no way of knowing that nor could I say for sure I am correct it's just a thought. Often times depression is a lot more complicated than it seems. I would advise you go to a doctor not an internet forum if you really want to improve your health.

Yes I should seek help from a therapist, I'm sure it would be helpful... Any recommendations? I don't think there are many psychotherapists in Thailand that would apprehend the complexity of a western soul, hahaha!

I can feel with you, as I am obese too. I had 135 kilos, managed to loose 20 kilos in 4 months, and then jo joed back. now I am 150 kilos and in the recent weeks cut my eating habits into half and started to move ( walk, doing gymnastics) so literally keep the sweat running.

The first 15 or so kilos are always the water, and before your body starts to burn fat, you must reduce calories intake and signal your body to feast on the excess fats.

As some other poster said, discipline involved, your morale should be OK, don't desperate, as you know you can always do it again. Depending on your size, i think that 100 kilo is an acceptable weight, and it's possible to keep once that lifestyle has gotten you into high morale mode.

Just don't worry, be happy. It would be different if you were sick or had diabetes. You are stil far from that and you can change your lifestyle a bit because you already know exactly what to do.

I quit smoking 13 years ago, this catapulted me from 110 towards 135 within 3 months ! But I'd rather be obese than start smoking again.

Reading your post really helped me remind my own situation and strengthened my committment to keep up a low carbohydrate / minimal sugar - diet all the way until dear results show, and if it shall be X-mas . . no worries, mate, check my avatar, I was shaped by Miguel Angel, he had a sense for beauty !

Thanks for your message The weight I feel comfortable with for my size is about 70 Kg, so even if I weighted 100 Kg I'd be far from it!

your depression problems are probably due to something else and the weight issue a result of that not the cause of it.

I start to believe in this theory! The weight issue is the result of my depression, not the cause.

What's wrong with me?

Being fat is a serious no-no.

It's 80% diet and 20% exercise. Go low carb - not easy in LOS, I know - and hit the gym for cardio and resistance training.

I would say that it's even 95% food and 5% exercise (from my own personal experience of loosing 50 kg in a 6-months period).

I was used to avoid eating rice/noodles here, whenever I was eating out then I would order specifically without rice (mehao kao), and usually 4 or 5 portions, mostly meat.

@ OP

Change your life, bro. Ain't nothing more to it than that.

Forget about diets and whinging fat slobs who talk about metabolism.

Thanks! While it's motivating, I must disagree. Before loosing the 50 Kg I had a very active life with lots of daily exercise, however I was still eating bad food. When I read my first book about low-GI food I started eating differently (not less) and it all happened miraculously in a few months period. I didn't exercise more, I didn't eat less. I just stopped eating high-GI carbohydrates and replaced it with meat, vegetable, fruits and low-GI carbohydrates (lens, beans, nuts, almonds, etc.).

You have to ask yourself which guy you're happier with,.....the skinny guy or the fat guy ?.I'm a little overweight and used to look at other men who were slim and slender and it used to piss me off.I'd get jealous and go on mad diets just to be like them.In the end,because of my silly thinking (not just about weight) I ended up suicidal.

If you're constantly comparing yourself to other men,then you'll never be satisfied.It'll only make you even more depressed.Go with what you know best,and what you're most comfortable with.I gave up trying to be like other people and just live my life as me.I've accepted who I am and moved on.Much happier these days because of it.

That other guy I'm looking at is myself a few months ago, when I was a skinny handsome man. I look at the pictures of myself and remember how good I was feeling. I've been obese for the past 10 years, but that few months window when I experienced what is was like to be skinny made me discover what I was missing, I lived a dream for a few months, and now I'm back to that nightmare again

consider a change in lifestyle instead of a diet mindset

Yes definitely. However from my experience that isn't enough. I have been traveling, discovering new things etc. but food is still the primary issue wherever I am, in whatever mood I am.

Thanks all for the replies!

There are many ways to treat depression, the best being drug - free IMO, using CBT.

Thanks, what drugs? Regarding CBT, I'm used to practice EFT which I believe is similar?

Just be happy with who you are. Life is short and too short to worry.

Good luck mate.

Thanks mate, you too!

Where I live (in the sticks) There is a Thai about the same age and weight you are. He always has a smile on his face and happy. He makes my day whenever I see him. No one seems to look down on him. I certainly don't.

That's a nice story. I believe Thai mentality isn't the same as the western one regarding obesity? The problem is not how others are looking at me, but how I see myself, and how I feel in my body. I could be fat and happy, but I'm not

You wrote how you have lost weight before. So you back to that routine and walk minimum 1 hour a day. Write down all you eat on a day with the number of calories next to it. I lost 17 kgs on that way in 4 months. Drunk some beers regularly as well and ate snacks and sweets limited. Do not weigh yourself everyday/week. On that way slowly but sure you loose weight. DISCIPLINE !!!!!!!!!!!!

Technically I know how to do it (I've read many books regarding nutrition/digestion), so that's not the problem. It's just that I can't seem to stick to it long enough, I can loose many Kg in a month, but then regain it all within 2 or 3 days. Very depressing.

Being fat is so difficult for me to bear, it's a constant bad feeling and a permanent fight with myself whether I should accept myself as is or try everything I can to regain a kind of life and decency...

I'm 25 years old, I weighted about 120 Kg (265 lb) and lost more than 50 Kg one year ago. It was the result of a life changing courage, countless efforts and strong discipline. I was able to maintain this weight for more than 6 months but then slowly I regained all the weight and I'm back at my original weight.

For the few months that I was skinny, I felt like another person, I had the confidence to speak in public, I was feeling good in my body, light, a true well being.

To loose all this weight I used a few techniques like EFT and Low-GI nutrition, in addition to life events and changes.

I often try to regain control and to eat correctly again, but it is very difficult as results aren't coming as fast as the first time, I get discouraged after a few weeks, and then regain it all in a few days only. It is a disturbing true.

Am I alone in this situation?

I can't even find any shirt for my size: BigC, Lotus, street markets, etc. all sell "XXL" at most which is equivalent to an "M" in the U.S. ... where do you buy your 5XL-thai-sized shirts?