dclaryjr

Thanks for the pics--that steak looks pretty good!

The map below is from the website for the resort where I have built my future retirement home. I was just curious about the notation on there for an "outlet mall." Anyone familiar with it?

The transition to a new country is as easy as you make it. You must prepare for it physically and mentally. It really is a "big deal".

Great post! The divesting of my "stuff" is a concern. I also hope the timing is right as far as the real estate market is concerned so I can sell my house in a reasonable amount of time. It should be an interesting time.

So did the recipient of your girlfriend divestment end up happy with the deal?

I think that's an interesting question. I'm still about six years out from retiring in Thailand but I would get on the plane tomorrow if one circumstance was changed. My wife and I are pseudo-parents to our grandkids, especially one that we've practically raised since she was four months old. Things may change in six years but right now I have bad feelings about leaving her behind when I think about it. But maybe after dealing with her for six years as a teenager, we will be ready to go!

Man..... eggshen, lighten up. your list is too stagerring... not many can successfully follow that on a daily basis especially in Thailand.

I'm curious...what part of his post would you consider to be difficult to follow in Thailand? I like some of what he's suggesting (like the cruciferous vegetables) but I also eat beef and pork. I know I ate some good, fresh pork in my wife's village (I know it was fresh because I heard the poor porker protesting the end of it's life). My house is just a short hop from the ChokChai (spl??) Steak House so I know I can get beef. So outside of the wheat grass, what is undoable?

Thanks!

name='Firefan' date='2008-07-07 05:32:44' post='2073724']

Dclaryjr (dam_n - what a name - had to recheck 3 times and probably STILL mispelled it ) has a good point.

LOL! One time I decided to use my middle name spelled backwards for a username in a golf forum. Try typing "lawrence" backwards with straining your brain!

From an evolution point of view it makes little sense that the foundation of our diet should be grains/bread as shown as the foundation of the food pyramids we see.

Bingo! My whole philosphy on eating and exercise is based on this concept. Mark Sisson (www.marksdailyapple.com) calls it following the Primal Blueprint.

Anyway; it has been said here already: for fatloss diet+exercise WILL work(no matter where the fat it). I like interval training myself - better results and faster, combined with weight training.

Likewise although I throw in long, easy to moderate activity in as well. If you put this in the paleo framework, our ancient ancestors spent long hours trekking across the plains, but with some intense effort to catch game or to perhaps avoid being caught by predators themselves. The majority of us don't have time to go for 3-4 hour hikes every day so I try to do hour long walks at a decent clip. On weekends I do my best to replicate my hunter-gatherer ancestors by walking for several hours over green fields while hunting and gathering the golf balls I hit into the rough!

the U.S. has promoted a diet base on grains and declared fat to be bad for you. During that timeframe, the incidence of obesity and Type II diabetes has reached near epidemic proportions.

The obese and diabetic pay not the least attention to any government advice. Or to anyone else's for that matter: they eat whatever they like. Often.

Yes they do. Maybe not directly but the government's support of the grain industry definitely filters down via advertising and the selection of products on grocer's shelves. Also, school menus are based on government guidelines. My point is to not blindly accept the conventional wisdom of the last two decades concerning low fat diets, cholesterol, dietary fat, and most of what passes as mainstream nutritional advice. I highly recommend reading Gary Taubes's book Good Calories, Bad Calories or Google him and find one of his video presentations. Even if you don't agree with his conclusions, he makes a great case that much of what we do believe is based on bad science.

Use canola oil when you cook at home. Dark color vegetables are better except carrots which turn to sugar which then becomes fat.

First of all, there are a lot of better choices than canola oil to cook with. Palm and coconut oil are two good choices. Here's a good post outlining the benefits and downfalls of many oils:

Oils

Look around Scott's site and you'll find a wealth of information on healthy eating.

There is no reason to avoid carrots. ALL carbohydrates are broken down into sugar during digestion. If you eat a lot of carbs, then insulin will cause the excess to be stored as fat.

The best advice I can give you on diet is to look beyond TV for diet advice! A lot of what I see being posted here repeats old conventional wisdom which is being challenged today. It will take a long time to overcome the phobia that has been created around dietary fat but you can find lots of credible sources out there battling the bad science behind it.

Here's one thing to chew on: for the last couple of decades, the government sponsored "food pyramid" in the U.S. has promoted a diet base on grains and declared fat to be bad for you. During that timeframe, the incidence of obesity and Type II diabetes has reached near epidemic proportions.

Eat 5 times a day instead of the usual 3 but smaller meals each. make sure you eat when you first get up in the morning to jump start your metabolism. Your largest meal should be breakfast not dinner. Drink enough water where your urine is clear after the first time in the morning.

You are not very fat so simple things like these will take care of what you see as a problem.

Does that Thai food you eat include a lot of rice? If so, I'd recommend cutting back on that a bit (or better yet, eliminating it all together.) I've lost over 40 pounds over the last 9 months by backing off the carbs, and concentrating on eating REAL FOOD. I don't use the term "low carb" because it has a lot of bad connotations but my daily intake is less than 80 grams while I'm losing fat. I eat A LOT of big, tasty salads with lots of veggies, some protein, and healthy oils.

I don't buy into the "gotta eat breakfast" dictum. There is a lot of evidence that intermittent fasting has lot's of benefits, and can help us turn to fat burning for energy. Google "intermittent fasting" and "paleo diet" and you'll find lot's of good information.

I have a feeling the only ones worth buying would be above $2000 U.S.

I believe the top of the line Concept2 rower can be shipped to Thailand for less than that.

It's unsafe everywhere. To get fit you'll be riding a 2-wheeler with 1-inch width tyres at high speed with very little protection. One accident at say 40 - 50 km/h will soon undo any benefits from the exercise. Sure, you can ride slowly to diminish the severity of a potential accident, but you won't get fit riding slowly.

The point I made is that it's not just unsafe in Pattaya, it's extremely unsafe.

I spent a decade riding 2-wheelers around cities to get fit. When I discovered Lifecycle (and some other trick machines) I got rid of my bike. I call this progress. Mickey Mouse is stuck in the past, yet to discover the benefits of high-tech exercise equipment.

I think Mr. Mouse made a couple of statements I disagree with about exercise equipment, but I totally agree with him that we have choices, and one doesn't need to exercise inside to achieve a high level of fitness. I got very fit riding and running outdoors-plus I ENJOYED the ride! I wouldn't trade a two-hour training ride through a forested area of Berlin to dripping sweat on an indoor bike for anything. Machines are not the only answer nor in all situations are they the best answer. Your personal situation based on your place of residence may change the equation.

One more thing--any statement that attempts to be dogmatic concerning exercise, fitness, weight loss etc. MUST be taken with a grain of salt. There are any number of "experts" who can cite studies showing different forms of exercise as being the best. They can't all be right. What it boils down to is finding out what works for YOU, and what YOU will do on a continuous basis.

I do plan to "retire" in Thailand. however, because the USA IRS keeps its fingers in one's financial affairs no matter where one lives, and because there are reasons to maintain a USA presence, my plan is to split my time between the two countries. 6 months in Thailand and 6 months in the USA. While in the USA rent cheap. I am a Florida resident and in the future would buy a cheap mobile home out of the way somewhere or share a rental with somebody. I imagine some years fly to Thailand and stay for 90 days (30 days on arrival and then two visa runs are still allowed under current rules) then go home. Maybe every other year stay for 180 days at a time?

Heck who knows. This is about 5 years away anyway so I am just throwing out ideas.

I think the benefits of this plan may be less dependent on the exchange rate and more on the price of jet fuel!

For the Vietnam War era guys, any exchange rate above 22 should be considered as gravy.

The exchange rate was 22 bt to the $ during the 60's and 70's

Regards,

ChiefBEM

Yep, it was 20-1 when I was stationed there in 75-76. Made conversion real easy: one baht = one nickel!

The OP was looking for recommendations on which make of a certain machine was best and available locally.

So far he doesn't seem to have had an answer.

I think we covered that pretty well much earlier in the thread before it got off on this indoor/outdoor debate.

I thought we were discussing the benefits of exercising in PATTAYA. My comments about the dangers of riding a bike relate specifically to Pattaya, and there are no safe places here to ride a bike let alone get a decent workout on one.

I didn't get that feeling at the time. It sounded like you were generally knocking outdoor cycling as being unsafe.

You stated this about bicycle riding: Outdoor cycling is too dangerous and difficult to control. You've got to allow for weather, wind, traffic and road surface conditions. Difficult and dangerous at night too...and there is always the chance of a mechanical fault or puncture.

That's a defeatist attitude.

I can't imagine anything more boring than being stuck in a gym riding a stationary bike, breathing the body odour stink of the next person and watching others flexing their muscles in front of a mirror.....not to mention also having to pay gym fees for that pleasure.

I agree with Humphrey Bear, a stationary bike in a gym doesn't travel up and down hills and therefore any benefits of stationary riding are minimal.

Weight lifters need gyms. Body builders need gyms. Those who just want fitness and strength through exercise don't need gyms nor do they need exercise machines.

The safety/enjoyment of cycling can be very dependent on where you live. I used to ride upwards of 200 miles a week when racing, and the experience varied. I started riding while living in Las Vegas. That was mixed. I enjoyed the long rides out north of the city, but I had problems with drivers in town. I once suffered in ignomy of have a Slurpee thrown at me while wearing a 7-11 jersey! But from there I spent three years in Berlin and it was fantastic. It's a completely different culture, and auto drivers were trained to yeild to cyclists many situations that are not part of the law elsewhere. Plus they had great off-road trails for mountian biking. I returned to the U.S. to San Angelo, Texas. Again, it was a great place to ride. The highways around town had wide shoulders (to allow for farm implements) and people actually waved at you when passing rather than try to mow you down. But then I moved to Corpus Christi and subsequently decided that it was indeed dangerous after picking myself out of a ditch for the second time. So it can really vary. It's a great activity if you're in the right location.

I disagree with the comment above about stationary cycling. You can simulate all kinds of riding conditions on a good indoor trainer including hills. I do believe, however, that long rides on a stationary bike are torturous. I've commented in the past that they were invented by Torquemada for use in the Spanish Inquisition. I only get on them now to do short inteval sessions once in a while.

MM is correct in his conclusion IMO. To achieve overall fitness, no machines are needed. You can design a great program using body weight exercises and outdoor activities!

I've been a swimming official for almost five years and have also helped coach a youth swim team. I also see some very old lap swimmers who pile up the meters. But my own attempt at trying to swim for fitness bears out Tropo's post. Even though I already had a good fitness base from running and cycling, I couldn't believe how wasted I was after swimming 50 meters the first time out. I worked on technique, did drills from a video, and tried to incorporate it, but I eventually decided I could use the time doing something more productive. Again, it's a great exercise for a lifetime if you can reach the skill level needed to do it aerobically.

I have extensive experience on both machines, and there's no doubt that it is far easier to maintain a high heart rate on an elliptical than a rower for longer periods of time. The elliptical is exceptional in this regard. Due to the pumping action of upper and lower body its burns more calories for what seems like less effort.

Then we'll just have to agree to disagree on this because my experience is the opposite. I find the elliptical tedious and boring but I really get into rowing. That being said, I no longer do hour-long intense cardio (>70% max HR). Instead I concentrate on shorter, more intense workouts, combined with longer, easier activity. The article below influenced that decision. As a matter of fact, it was this article that really got me started on the path towards achieving better health.

Case Against Cardio

A zero carb diet is unreasonable and totally unscientific....and unhealthy for anyone who wishes to gain a decent level of health and fitness.

We're in total agreement on this one. I'm a big proponent of lower carbs but even Atkins says to eat 20 grams during its induction phase. There are some interesting theories that fat accumulation is not as simple as calories in--calories out, but to tell someone who is trying to lose weight that they can eat unlimited amounts of meat, cheese, etc. is absurd.

So that, after a few months, you are entitled to the secret pleassure of knowing that underneath your fat, imperceptible to anyone but yourself, does lie a bit of muscle.

Yep, the "show" part of the benefit won't be there if the fat isn't shed. But there's no need to wait until it's gone to start doing some muscle development. The overall responses above are pretty obvious--diet is the key.

Try doing the plank 3 times 1 minute everyday.

It looks easy and the the first 1 minute might be but it gets harder and it's a great way to tone up and improve your posture.

And combine that with a side plank (on each side).

Quit now while you still have a chance!!

Anyone still doing low carb? What are your results?

I am and I'm doing great. I eat about 60-80 grams of carbs a day so I'm not restricting them drastically. I'm still losing fat (lost 45 pounds--want to lose more 15 more), and feeling great. I eat plenty of leafy vegetables along with meat, eggs, and fish. I will increase the carbs some once I reach my target weight, mostly in the form of sweet potatoes and squash.

I've documented my progress here.

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Although what you say about rowing is true, it's a very difficult exercise for people to keep up for 15 minutes or longer. An elliptical machine is much easier to use for a longer period of time. Rowing can also be problematic for people with back trouble/injuries.

A Concept 2 rower would have to be imported from the US. Home use Elliptical machines are readily available in Pattaya.

I'm not trying to be argumentative but again I have to disagree. There's no reason someone who can to a long elliptical session should have any problem doing a similar rowing session as long as they keep the stroke rate and effort reasonable. And if weight loss is the goal, then doing some form of intervals on the rowing machine is a great way to get in a good but short workout. I agree with your statement about back problems--especially if they use poor form while rowing.

There was another thread where someone ordered a C2 and had it shipped. It went smoothly and IIRC the price was reasonable.

Eating fat doesn't make you fat.

Thanks for cheering me up

He's right. The body doesn't absorb fat unless insulin is present and if you eat carbo's low on the glycaemic scale, you can eat proteins which contain fat and not gain an ounce. I lost 50 pounds this way several years ago and have never come close to gaining it back.

Yep, I've lost 45 pounds and my diet runs about 60% fat. Most of it comes from healthy oils (like olive and coconut), but also from meat, eggs, and nuts.