Help Me Fight The Fat Please

[torrenova]

I want to chuck off about 10-15kg. Currently I'm 95kg but have gone up recently from 85-90 and I haven't noticed any real change in my diet or lifestyle. I want some ideas as I don't have a normal timescale during the day.

I normally get up late and go to bed late. I love bread and always have. I eat rice also. I have some western meals but mostly asian, apart from sandwiches ! I know I snack too much. I probably drink too much as well. I know I don't get enough exercise.

I suppose my schedule is something like this:

12pm - wake up

3pm to 6pm - eat

6pm to 12am - snack if I want to

12am to 3am - eat something

3-6am - sleep

I want something which I can stick to and not something I can aspire to but not achieve. I don't want to cut out booze (Heineken usually) as part of my work involves socialising. I'm not sure I could throw bread and rice to the side as I wouldn't know how to balance things otherwise.

What about seafood ? Can I eat that ?

Basically, I will do some exercise but I find the motivation hard to achieve. My wife is just about to give birth so my time is limited. I have transport so getting what I need is not a struggle. I live in Pattaya.

Please, give me a magic fix but better give me something I can do.

How do you stop feeling hungry if you eat less ?

Help.

[chaiyen]

Cut out bread completely. Shrimp and squid are ok, but high in colesterol. Try going vegetarian for a week or two, see if you notice a difference. You must excercise...go for a swim, walk, simple stretching. Excercise releases endorphines that create energy. The first initial movement is tough, but after a few times I promise that you will notice a difference, even if you drop 5 kilos you will instantly feel better. You mentioned that you wake up around noon.... it is already quite hot by then and it is difficult to get motivated. Try to wake up at 6 am and go for a jog. You must get your blood pumping.. Good luck!!!

[torrenova]

Can't jog, busted knees after 10+ years of high level swimming and sports training in my youth (now 38). I've never been an early sleeper so getting up early is not easy. Still up the same amount of hours though.

Thanks for your support and advice.

[Mighty Mouse]

It's a pity that you have a dickie knee but that shouldn't stop you from power walking and/or swimming. It may however, stop you from bicycle riding.

I agree with Chaiyen, you need to get up earlier to exercise. If your current lifestyle is built around the hours that you have mentioned, and if you have recently noticed a weight increase, then you may need to adopt a whole new approach to your lifestyle.

The in-between meal snacks have to go....and don't increase your three meal intake to compensate for no snacks. Keep bread intake to an absolute minimum. If you're eating sandwiches, choose healthy, wholesome spreads. Limit the amount of butter to a mere thin scrape.

I don't like the sound of your current routine of eating at 3am and maybe hopping into bed immediately after eating. Food intake needs to be properly digested before sleeping (or exercising).

Cut out all fatty fried foods. Yes, they taste great but they are bad for your waist line. Eat more fresh vegetables, salads, fruits etc. Limit your beer intake

Try and space your three daily meals equally.

You must exercise on a regular basis. A few sit ups is not what I mean. Power walk for at least 45 minutes three, four or five times per week. You need to be sweating when you finish. Increase the power walk time as it becomes easier for you or put more effort into the power movements.

Suggestion: Up at 6am. Drink some freshly squeezed orange juice, eat half a banana. Power walk non-stop for 45 minutes around neighbourhood. Keep up fluid intake (carry bottle of water if necessary)

Home- sit ups, side bends, leg raises, push ups etc- shower and breakfast. No jam on toast, eat the other half of banana, porridge with sultanas. No more than one cup of coffee.

12am. Salad lunch, fruit, small drink.

6pm. Normal evening meal. A couple of beers if you want.

10pm. Bed.

On occasion, (or better still - regularly) somewhere in between those hours, swim lengths of lap pool or Pattaya Beach. (away from the jet skis) Walk as much as possible, leave the car at home.

How do you stop feeling hungry if you eat less? Your body will become accustomed to the regular healthy and smaller meal intake. In time those hunger pangs will disappear. In the beginning when you give up the snacks, you will become hungry. Drink a few glasses of water when this happens.

To lose your excess weight it will take a lot of discipline and dedication on your part but if you are serious in your endeavours to lose your fat, you need to be serious about how to achieve the good results.

Get stuck into it now. Don't wait until tomorrow. Good luck and enjoy the benefits.

[bruceboy]

Can't jog, busted knees after 10+ years of high level swimming and sports training in my youth

Same problem. Still don't know what to do. The experts say water aerobics.

[Krupnik]

No matter how much you adapt or reduce your diet you won't lose weight unless you exercise.

Even walking works because you can walk for ages as it is not tiring. I've heard that swimming is the best though. Remember exercise supresses your appetite too.

Try swapping the beer for a spirit such as vodka which has much less calories with a mixer like soda water or diet coke.

Good luck

[TheWalkingMan]

Get a pedometer and walk 10,000 steps 3~4 times each day and cut back on the higher calorie foods. This might be the easiest way to start, especially with dodgy knees.

One thing I recommend about exercising is that you do not want to work so hard that it becomes a real chore. The reason why is that you want your exercise regime to be enjoyable and relaxing. Maybe it sounds like a contradiction, but you don't want to work so hard as to dread going to the gym or where ever you workout.

I went on a bit of a diet last year and I kept it simple. Cut out the cakes and chocolates and jog for about 40 minutes 3 times a week. Very simple and not too stressful.

Good luck!

TheWalkingMan

[bangkokrick]

Eat little and often as this will speed up your metabolic rate and burn fat. You can swim with a dodgy knee so take this upon a regular basis. You dont often see a fat Thai as they eat as suggeted above.

Good luck.

Cheers Rick

[chokdeekrap]

Eat little and often as this will speed up your metabolic rate and burn fat.

spot on! you should be taking in ~2000 QUALITY calories, spread over 6 meals/snacks per day. that is like 250-400 calories per meal/snack. a great reason for this is so that at no point in the day will you feel famished & be tempted to gorge on whatever is handy (which is usually junk/fast food).

another beneficial reason for eating 6 times per day is that you will keep your metabolism busy all day long processing food which is a good thing. your metabolism burns off calories while it works.

Cut out bread completely.

cutting out carbs (which i assume is the reason for cutting out breads?) is wrong. carbs have gotten a bad rap lately but your body needs & wants carbs. just make sure the carbs you do eat count! eat whole wheat anything you can find when it comes to carbs (breads, pastas, rice, wraps, etc). refined carbs (white bread, white rice, etc) are the carbs you want to avoid. they have all their nutritional value refined out of them & are pretty much worthless to your body nutritional-wise.

i have no problem exercising in the afternoon in bangkok in my GF's apt which has no air conditioning but a fan. actually i enjoy sweating more as it helps to rid the body of toxins. it is actually great to let yourself sweat for an hour or two after a good workout, if you can stand it

but if mid-day heat does not inspire you to do a workout, head down to a gym that has air conditioning. you might be even more motivated working out in the gym because you pay for it. but do whatever it is you need to do to get regular exercise.

also don't be scared to throw in some weight training. you don't need to be throwing around enough weights to become the incredible hulk but enough to start building up your muscle mass. when you break down your muscles from weight training it can take your body upto 48 hours to repair those muscles which actually burns up quite a bit of calories doing so. so if you actually do weight training 3 days a week you could keep your body busy repairing your muscles all week long burning calories the entire time. building muscle mass burns calories!

i don't disagree with any kind of cardio type exercise (i do cardio 2-3 times per week as time allows & for never any longer than 20 minutes per session... but i try to never miss a weight training session) but you only burn calories for the duration of the cardio workout. your body will also begin to burn off muscle mass doing any cardio exercise for longer than ~20 minutes.

if you are serious about losing some kilos then i would suggest you definately consider radically changing your day-today eating habits. i would also suggest you get started on a weights-workout program enough so that you work all of your major muscle groups once per week & feel them burn at least a little. walking is great & even some light cardio (no more than 30 mins max! per session) on days you don't workout with weights will help in losing some extra pounds & make you feel a lot better about yourself.

[Ritti]

Hey mate, I would love to have your day ha ha

You need to have a greater output than input (food to exercise ratio)

Regardng the knee injury- I train clients in the pool and boxing when they have "a busted knee" Just keep is slow to start with and build it up. The pool and boxing add varity and low impact (water running, stride out, squats, swim) you live at Pattaya so walk along the beach every morining

Feel free to PM for and questions as "you are only limited by your imagination" with exercise

[Jet Gorgon]

Busted knee, Terre? I agree with the swimming but not power walking. I know most guys don't like yoga, but it is a good body stretcher. Kinda like warmup stretching.

I eat small meals several times a day; maybe it's my metabolism, but I don't gain weight (49kg, 154cm). Maybe pack lots of raw veg and fruit in your diet. I cut up bite size carrots, cuke, blanched veg like brocc and cauliflower and keep in containers in the fridge so when I'm hungry I have an instant snack at hand. Sure, make a crudite dip for them. Like you, I love bread and potatoes/rice. Maybe try to fill up with veg/fruit first, wait ten minutes and if you're still hungry have some bread. Also, drink LOTS of water. I hate the taste so I squeeze some manao juice into mine and keep it at hand.

Good luck and let us know how you get on. Send those baby snaps when your child arrives, too!

[LindsayBKK]

You could try a vibrating belt that you can get from MBK or a few BTS stations have them. I heard they work. Like the one below.

My tip, drink lots and lots of water.

[davethailand]

I have the same problems as Torrenova but what stops alot of the things mentioned is that we both are involved in the nightlife business which nauses up the early to bed, early up stuff.

[bangkokrick]

I have the same problems as Torrenova but what stops alot of the things mentioned is that we both are involved in the nightlife business which nauses up the early to bed, early up stuff.

That is not an argument or a reason. You obviously dont want it badly enough. Find a work around.

[torrenova]

I have the same problems as Torrenova but what stops alot of the things mentioned is that we both are involved in the nightlife business which nauses up the early to bed, early up stuff.

Yes Dave and I couldn't imagine going to bed at 10pm even if I was working a normal job. Even in the village I might stay up until 12am some days and there is really nothing to do there.

Power walking really takes it out on my knees so that is out. Swimming is fine but whilst I have 2 pools downstairs, they are hardly condusive to traingin, more use for floating about. perhaps when I move house the community pool may be a better bet.

I though about going to a gym but where ? Near home or near work or somewhere else, there are always excuses. Tony's changes his prices and facilities more times than a working girl changes "boyfriends".

Keep the suggestions coming. Thanks.

[Mighty Mouse]

Power walking shouldn't cause too much of an impact on your knees, especially if you wear proper support joggers and perhaps elastic knee supports.

If you can walk without pain you should be able to power walk to a certain degree.

You can always lessen the impact by walking on sand (beach) or grass. It's not only the legs that get the work out, the upper body benefits too. (click on the above link and learn.)

Weight lifting/training is regarded more as a muscle builder rather than a weight reducer.

If your knees would allow you to ride the stationary exercise bike, you can ride normal pace for 12 seconds and flat out pace for 8 seconds. Do this over a 20 minute period and increase the overall time when it becomes easy.

A rowing machine will also involve your knees.

I think that a gym membership won't meet your objectives and will cost you.

If your knee is really that much of a problem, then lap swimming, together with vigorous floor exercises are all that are available to you....apart from sensible food and alcohol intake.

[canadiangirl]

Hi Torrenova!

I think for losing weight, everyone has different advice, but the most important thing is taking up some day-to-day habits that involve exercise and maybe reducing how many calories you take in and sticking to it. Being consistent is more important than the specifics.

I use to be overweight, and now I'm a normal weight. I started out by buying a bicycle and just riding it everywhere -- no specific plan to make time for exercise, no changes in diet, and I lost about 15 pounds doing this in 6 months. Not very fast weigh loss, but also very little extra effort.

When I was in Thailand, I signed up for a yoga studio, and did yoga about an hour a day, then I would go out dancing every other day, for at least 2-4 hours a night. With eating, I tried to eat more in a Thai way, with lots of small snacks every hour or two, and this worked really well for me. I lost about 25 pounds in 7 months, again without feeling deprived or feeling constrained by a hard exercise regimen. Mostly, I ate a lot of noodle soup on the soi (which is very filling but not fattening), som tam, other Thai salads, and sushi. I think people fail at losing weight when they feel too deprived, so they eat very little, then they feel like they are starving and eat a whole carton of ice cream. So I would sometimes have fried chicken with my som tam, chocolate cake, etc, but just not every day.

This worked for me, because I'm a creature of habit, so it's easier for me to try to do some exercise every day than 3X/week. I also don't like feeling deprived, so I'm not into dieting. Sugar seems to make me hungry, so I tried to eat as little sugar as possible (not easy in Thailand, I know), no pop.

I had problems with my knees too, especially when I was heavier. The good news is losing weight really helped with my knee problems! Bicycling was good for me, as I was too fat too jog/run at first. I don't know if that would work in Pattaya, thought, it certainly wouldn't work in BKK. I don't know Pattaya, but maybe they have things like sea kayaking, low impact that doesn't put pressure on your knees? I guess just finding something physical that you can enjoy for its own sake, that you could look forward to doing so you'll stick with it?

Good luck!

[firehorse]

Some very good advise so far.

If you're worried about the expense of a gym, see if there's a S.A.T fitness centre near you.

That's The Sports Authority of Thailand ones. There not expensive, about 1000 baht per month. The one I train at in Bangkok is quite big and very clean. It's even got a sauna and you get free towels too.

There's various machines you can use to train your legs without stressing your knee. I've found that leg extentions are out though. whenever I do them I get probs with my right knee, which I damaged playing American Football 20 years ago. The jogging machines might be a good idea for power walking. They're slightly sprung, so that should take some impact off your Knees.

You don't have to get up at six a.m. Maybe try getting an hour or two earlier and see if you can find ways to manage the time you have better.

Good luck.

[meow_lek]

Hi everyone.

Some body sculpting could be a good way to kick start a new lifestyle if you can take a week off worknd it's not expensive in Bangkok.

meow

[JohnC]

I had the same problem then someone on TV recommended The South Beach Diet so I read up on it and thought it seemed ideal so I bought the book (bookazine in Carrfour Pattaya) 330 baht and read the first half which explains why we store fat etc. The crunch comes when you start the first phase which lasts two weeks and there are lots of good food in there you can eat. Banned are potatoes, rice, pasta and fruit (frucose sugar) all cakes ice cream etc. I started on Monday (16th) and weighed 105.5K as of today (19th) I weigh 103.4K so I guess something is working. After two weeks you move on to phase two which is not as strict.

As for exercise I am no a sports person but decided I needed to do something so starting yesterday I do 30 laps of our 18M pool, not a lot but as the book explains something is better than nothing. I am going to stick this out for my healths sake! I recommend you buy the book and try it.

[cooldrk]

I want to chuck off about 10-15kg. Currently I'm 95kg but have gone up recently from 85-90 and I haven't noticed any real change in my diet or lifestyle. I want some ideas as I don't have a normal timescale during the day.

I normally get up late and go to bed late. I love bread and always have. I eat rice also. I have some western meals but mostly asian, apart from sandwiches ! I know I snack too much. I probably drink too much as well. I know I don't get enough exercise.

I suppose my schedule is something like this:

12pm - wake up

3pm to 6pm - eat

6pm to 12am - snack if I want to

12am to 3am - eat something

3-6am - sleep

I want something which I can stick to and not something I can aspire to but not achieve. I don't want to cut out booze (Heineken usually) as part of my work involves socialising. I'm not sure I could throw bread and rice to the side as I wouldn't know how to balance things otherwise.

What about seafood ? Can I eat that ?

Basically, I will do some exercise but I find the motivation hard to achieve. My wife is just about to give birth so my time is limited. I have transport so getting what I need is not a struggle. I live in Pattaya.

Please, give me a magic fix but better give me something I can do.

How do you stop feeling hungry if you eat less ?

Help.

Hi every one, i'm a new member ard, and just saw this forum and feel interesting.

I would like to share some of idea that i feel ok, actually i'm now is 90kg and previous almost 106kg before(3yr ago). I do went to gym4 time a week... sweating all over...i do built up stamina, little bit of muscle, but the weight is not going down very much. There month ago i quite my gym while i'm at 96kg. And i meet up a friend who show me this web link:

[link removed]

and i was very interested to try. I try one of thier product, for five day. And i lost 6 kg, which those stupid gym will not make me such way within this short period. Actually the person in the link, i do know him in person before i try the product.

Regarding your case i very agree with some of the reply, such as ur eating, ur meal time and ur total routine seem not very health. Try to get early sleep and do some simple excercise to sweat, while excercise pls do consume alot of water to help our body to de-tox k....

Nice to know all of u...!!.. ^-^

[Ijustwannateach]

Please remember the subforum guidelines; no links (except news links) to be posted in threads, but rather on the links thread for consideration (if not spamming).

"Steven"

[sjlemon]

Hi,

Maybe you can try reading these powerful hints on how to reduce your weight...easy steps

weightlosstips

[batami]

big apologies first for a long post, hope it is worth it ..........

diets help, exercise works. listen to all the good advice re food etc, etc, cos that's what it is good advice. However, if you are like me, "big" diets which expect you to change by 180 degrees are a pain. Do the small and often, fruit and veg not bread, etc etc don't try to change your diet overnight - change it gradually and set about getting a relatively good diet (read all the earlier posts) BUT exercise is a must .. believe me .

Someone told me: a good diet with no exercise may keeps crap body from getting worse; good exercise with bad diet (junk food etc etc) brings chances of a cardiac failure closer; Good diet and good exercise - is the only combination.

I am an old bugger, in my 60s, I have smashed my legs up, busted ankles, had a brain tumor, hepatitis, and lung problems and numerous other ailments but once over the "Whatever it is this time" I keep going back to an exercise regime; these days I power walk and / or swim and / or cycle four / five times a week. In the past twenty years being fit has allowed me to scuba, ski, skydive, and do what the TV seems to call "Adventuring" - in some bloody remote region where there is a guarantee of dheli belly and roaches the size of donkeys. I have been lucky to have lived some interesting times - I am not saying that because I am some smart alec who wants to impress but I could not have done all of these things if my backside was a overweight bar stool dough ball . Fitness gives you a life that you want to lead and enjoy. And the fitter you are the better the sex!!

I have discovered (and read, and been told - so I guess it is right) that most of the problems with a lack of fitness start in the head -- if you want to be fit and loose weight and you want it badly enough - and I mean really badly enough - you will do it.... BUT START - start easy and build up - the body acclimatizes and strengthens to help the weak spots. Enough of all that - here's my own advice for you, for what it is worth. These three tips work for me -- if they work for you that's great ....

first - if you haven't got one - go buy a watch with a stop watch feature, then a piece of paper, pencil, and some sticky tape.

Stick a piece of paper where you can see it often - kitchen wall works for me - and whatever you do, whenever you do it - write it down. date, exercise, time and write alongside it your weight. From day one - even if it is a walk around the block in 15 mins and you weigh 100kg - write it down. next day do the same and see if you can knock a few seconds off - then again, and again - that paper becomes the Coach on the wall. I have used this technique on and off for years - particularly when I have had a lazy spell and put on few kg. I get a kick from getting back home after one hour walking and find I have knocked 30 second or so off yesterdays time. And if I take longer then I curse and double the effort tomorrow. I do the same if I am swimming - 20 lengths in 30 minutes - tomorrow it must be 29 mins. Best thing about this is that I SEE progress. And that is my motivator.

Second tip of the day - get naked, stand against the wall, set your camera on auto and take the photo of you in the buff with your gut hanging down. Print it and stick it somewhere not too obvious (inside closet door?) and remind yourself - this is NOT what you want to look like; take the same photo a couple of weeks later, and again two weeks later and see the difference -- self motivation.

Third tip of the day - Thai massage two or three times a week for two hours. Don't go to a slippery knee joint or a ponced up "urban spa" but find a bloody good local place where Thai's go (maybe you will be the only farang ) and get a good "work out and stretch". Go three times the first two weeks and then settle it down to a couple of times. Why? It improves circulation, improves flexibility, improves metabolism -- and it is a good complement to the exercise you are not doing. You might go and search out the local hospital, some of the Thai General Hospitals have big Thai massage departments which they use to help in the recovery process and would be happy to take you - normally better than most spa places at a much lower cost.

Good luck, and let us all know of your progress - we're rooting for you

Cheers