Fat Thais

[thaiman]

Is it me or are Thais getting fatter? Lately, I've noticed so many overweight Thai people. Do they have too much money now, so they feel the need to stuff their faces?

[Garry9999]

7/11

[Boater]

i used to see alot of really fat younger thais, never realy saw a fat older thai

[JimmyTheMook]

They are amongst the fattest Asians these days.

[abdulrahman]

KFC,Pizza company,Hotdogs(thai-style),could continue!

[mahtin]

The researchers conclude that duration of living with a romantic partner is associated with obesity and obesity-related behaviours, and that the transition from single/dating to cohabitation or marriage was generally associated with an increased risk of obesity.

http://www.asianleader.co.uk/nhshealth/Mar...at39.5515026.jp

[elektrified]

It's primarily due to the Western influence of places like KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Co. 7-11 and other junk food establishments. When I first started coming here in 1990 I can't recall ever seeing an overweight Thai person. Of course there are people with thyroid problems, etc. that can't help it. Fat people can be nice/good people too. Don't be overly judgmental.

[Thongkorn]

Thais think that fat baby's are healthy, also you can get fat on some rice, i think sugar diabetes is a big problem because the average Thai has 20 tea spoons a day which could also have some thing to do with obesity. as you know Thai food has a lot of sugar and salt in the ingredients

[pattaya_girl]

When I visit my Partners Home in the Country (which is not too often as I cannot get use to the way they live) everyone is just swinging around on hammocks, sleeping, and then waking up to eat, wash up, then rest again.

They ate meals about 6 times in one day, and the food was left in a cupboard to munch at whenever you wanted. The only thing they talked about was Food. Mealtimes are the highlight of there day, a big thing. Like a celebration and all the neighbors popped around to have a taste of the bowl of Tom Yam, (with one spoon)

They were all quite Fat yes. Nice harmless people, but not really my way of living.

[sokal]

Is it me or are Thais getting fatter? Lately, I've noticed so many overweight Thai people. Do they have too much money now, so they feel the need to stuff their faces?

Is this just yet another post by the expat complaining club ?

[pattaya_girl]

Is it me or are Thais getting fatter? Lately, I've noticed so many overweight Thai people. Do they have too much money now, so they feel the need to stuff their faces?

Is this just yet another post by the expat complaining club ?

We are not complaining, we are having a disgussion on Thai Visa Forum, is'nt that what the Forum is for?

[Chaimai]

It's primarily due to the Western influence of places like KFC, McDonalds, Pizza Co. 7-11 and other junk food establishments.

They haven't got a KFC or Maccy D in my wife's village - but they have got their fair share of over-weight people.

Conclusion:- Fast food AND sticky rice can make you fat.

[G54]

I often feel sorry for the motorbikes that carry these fatties around and some of them are huge (no, not the m/c's LOL).

And, yes, there do seem to be more and more of them with rolls of fat down to the knees and with legs like elephants - for whatever reason, medical or diet.

[stickyrice]

I have seen many Thai people living abroad (in the USA). Some of the first generation remain slim but the next generation seems to have at least as much (to me it seems more) obesity than other asians.

It reminds me of this previous articles:

New survey finds the average Thai taller, fatter, more tubular

BANGKOK, Feb 25 (TNA) - Thailand's first standard body size chart has been unveiled to the public on Wednesday, as Thai people developed bigger sizes and shapes than in past generation.

The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, announced its team of 11 researchers has successfully developed the Thai standard size chart, under a two-year programme called 'SizeThailand'.

Dr. Chularat Tanprasert, who initiates the SizeThailand programme, said researchers have collated data on the average size of 13,442 Thai men and women of different age group across the country by using advanced 3D Body Scanning technology.

The research found that Thai men have grown more than 7 centimetres in height and gained about 12 kilometre in weight, while Thai women have grown 5 centimetres taller and about five and a half kilogrammes heavier, compared to 25 years ago. The female waistline has also increased by 3.7 inches, the bottom expanded by 2 inches and chest increased by 2.2 inches,' said Dr. Chularat.

The fact that Thai men and women have developed significantly bigger chests, waists and bottoms, means the shape of the average Thai has also changed. In particular, Dr. Chularat noted, the women have become more tubular and have less of the traditional hourglass shape.

Meanwhile, Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Kalaya Sophonpanich said the findings will help Thai fashion, furniture and automobile industries design products to better suit the typical Thai physical standard and adopt more effective stockpile management strategies.

Dr. Kalaya added that the SizeThailand programme also gives advantages to medical experts to apply data analysing specific health risks associated with the patient's physique.

The minister noted Thailand is the fifth nation, after the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Japan, to have used Three Dimensional (3D) Body Scanning technology to collate data on their population to develop typical standard body size chart for the benefits of local industries.

SizeThai (acronym TH) consists of nine sizes for men: TH 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, and 46m while there are 10 sizes for women: TH 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40,c42, 44 and 46. The majority of Thai men size are TH 40, while women are TH 36. (TNA)

_____________________________________________________

Goodbye hourglass, hello tube

The Nation February 26, 2009

Goodbye hourglass, hello tube

Thai women's body shape has altered dramatically in the last 30 years, with waistlines ballooning, says research

Over the past 27 years, Thai women's body shape has changed dramatically. They are now taller, heavier and have bigger waistlines.

According to extensive research, the average height of women under 50 years old has shot up five centimetres while their weight has jumped 5.4 kilograms.

Their waistlines have on average ballooned 3.7 inches and hips and breast circumference have increased by 2 and 2.2 inches respectively.

The research used 3D-scanning technology to measure the size and shape of 13,442 Thais. It was found that the average weight for women is 57kgs, the average height 156.89cms, the average waistline 31.5 inches, average breast circumference 36 inches and average hips 38 inches.

"The fact that women's waistlines have grown almost twice as much as their chests and bottoms means that the shape of the average Thai women has changed," Dr Pansak Siriruchatapong said. Not only have women become bigger, they have also become more cylindrical and have less of the traditional hourglass shape."

Thai men below 50 years of age have an average weight of 68.94kgs, average height of 169.38cms, average chest circumference of 39.1 inches, average waistline of 33.5 inches and average hip circumference of 37.4 inches.

When compared with 1982 data, Thai men are now 7.2cms taller and 11.4kg heavier. Their chest circumference has also expanded by 5.4 inches, their waistline by 4 inches, and hips by 3.4 inches.

Based on the Body Mass Index (BMI), 36.21 per cent of Thai men fall within the "normal" category, 58.43 per cent are overweight, and 5.36 per cent are underweight. For Thai women, 42.26 per cent are "normal", 48.05 per cent are overweight, and 9.69 per cent are underweight.

[Groongthep]

KFC,Pizza company,Hotdogs(thai-style),could continue!

I agree that these things can and do make many people fat but there are plenty of overweight Thais who do not eat any of this stuff. Like any other society, when disposable income increases so does consumption. Thais are heavier today than they were a generation ago because they have more money to spend on food in general. Why would the fried chicken at KFC have any more calories than the fried chicken from street vendors? How many calories do you think are in curries made with coconut milk or anything stir-fried.

[Travel2003]

They are amongst the fattest Asians these days.

True.

They will soon pass the philippines.

My brother is a teacher here and he has also noticed it.

[IanForbes]

People with excess fat are everywhere, myself included. I'm about 10 pounds heavier than I was 30 years ago. Too much of the wrong food is one culprit, but lack of exercise is the main problem. You don't see many fat people doing manual labour. You don't see a lot of fat people riding bicycles and taking long hikes. Most Thais I see won't walk 100 meters if they can drive or ride a scooter. I've seen people waste 15 minutes driving around a parking lot trying to get 50 feet closer to the door of some shop. I like sweet things, bread and pasta. I'm also a good cook. Despite trying to be careful with my diet, it's too easy to eat more than I need. I gain about 10 pounds when I come back to Canada and lose it again when I stay in Thailand for 5 months.

[thaiman]

Is it me or are Thais getting fatter? Lately, I've noticed so many overweight Thai people. Do they have too much money now, so they feel the need to stuff their faces?

Is this just yet another post by the expat complaining club ?

No, it's not. It's not a complaint either. Add your thoughts on the topic, please.

[Carmine6]

Carbonated soft drinks and sugary drinks are also a big part of the problem. They're easy additional calories no matter what people are eating. I haven't been to a whole lot of rural areas in Thailand, but sugary drinks have been pretty common even there.

Here's some math on it: There are 3,500 calories in 1 pound of body fat. A can of Coke is around 140 calories. Drink 1 can of Coke a day instead of water and in 25 days, you have added enough calories to make a pound of fat. Almost 15 pounds in a year. No one gains 15 pounds in a year, but look how easy it is to add 1 or 2 pounds worth of calories in a year. Couple of energy drinks per month, couple of shared sodas per month, couple of sweetened coffees per month, couple of sweetened teas.

Nearest estimate of what Thais consume is a US Department of Agriculture report from 2005 that says:

"Thailand has the greatest potential for growth in Asia due to low per-capita soft-drink consumption. Only 100 bottles a year per person are consumed compared with 500 bottles in Australia and almost 200 bottles in the Philippines. "

I think a "bottle" means 8 ounce equivalent so closer to 90 calories. That would be about 2 1/2 pounds worth of extra calories per year to add on top of whatever extra fast food calories people are consuming or that much extra to burn off.

[garyh]

Palm oil is everywhere now too which doesn't help.

[ballzafire]

In addition to the above references regarding the influences from Western foods, I think their on average slower metabolism also plays a part. Same is probably true of many islanders, as well. They still typically eat a lot of carbos but then don't go burn it like they use to due to modern conveniences and mechanization.

[hanno]

They still typically eat a lot of carbos but then don't go burn it like they use to due to modern conveniences and mechanization.

Which is true for all the "developed" world as well.

In Vietnam I used to have huge fights with my daughter's Vietnamese grandparents; every time my daughter visited them she came back with bags of Chocpies and all that cr*p. Reasoning along diabetes, obesity and bad teeth was a waste of time, the standard reply was "we had nothing during the American war and want our granddaughter to have a better life"

[robblok]

I have noticed it too many parents love fat babies, the fact is fat gained when you are young you never loose. (fat cells) You can of course burn it but the cells empty though will always be there so its easier to get fat again.

People who say its exercise we need are only partly right its mostly diet and exercise does help but not as much as you think. Its easier to eat 500kc less then to burn it with sports. I don't say don't do exercise i just say don't expect it to burn all your fat.

It has of course other benefits for your body but fat burning is not that extreme. I train around 6 times a week so i should know. Once i clean up my diet i can easily loose a few kg's.

Now i'm on diet for 6 weeks i intensified my exercises and cut down on bad foods + taken a few aids. For those of you who say pills wont work they are not correct. They wont work on their own but if you combine it with diet and training they will. It just depends what pills you take. Although i would advise beginners to do it without and only use the pills im talking about to loose the last few kgs when your already lean.

The remark about carbonated drinks is absolutely right they are hidden calories, also the palm oil that was mentioned is a big problem. But let us also not forget about the high amounts of sugar in Thai dishes.

After i started preparing my own food i started to loose weight. Before i trained and did my best but still ate too much thai food purchased in the village and i did not loose a kg.

If your really serious about loosing weight one should count calories and stick to a base diet so you know how much your intake is and can modify it if your going up.

[colinscarr]

Where we live, Nongprue Pattaya, the council have just opened a park with a 700 metre circular road, some exercise machines and swings, slides etc for the kids. Every afternoon, there are plenty of Thais, fat, thin, fit and unfit using the opportunity to get a bit fitter by walking, jogging, cycling around the area. A few falang - me included - also go there to try and shed some excess weight.

Yes, there's lots of fattening food available in Pattaya, but that doesn't stop at least some folks making the effort to fight the flab.

[tonititan]

I've noticed it too. Some of you probably won't agree, but I feel sorry the bigger Thais, especially children and teenage/young adult girls. They must get so much crap from their friends and families, and it just makes me sad to think about what they must go through every day. Especially the kids - they don't have the knowledge or the willpower necessary to avoid bad foods. They're kids. If their skinny friends are eating sugar sweets, they want to also...just like most of you did when you were kids.

[chiangmaibruce]

Unquestionably more obese thais around now then even 5 years ago and I think the problem is growing expotentially. Most of the contributing factors have been noted already - it's a combination of:

*very little exercise (excluding manual laborers) .. why walk 100m when you can take the motocycle? ... related to climate, education, modesty, and not wanting to get tanned

*hot humid climate (drains energy and encourages drinking & snacking)

*change in diet to western take aways, snacks and confectionary (I'd say this has as much - or more - to do with fawning over the western image, as it has to do with disposable income)

*less awareness of health issues (which is related to less controls or labelling of food ingredients)

Now combine this with an already over-stretched public hospital system and you have a much greater problem than simply the "yechhh!" factor

[Furbie]

This country is on a diabetes collision course now that they are living longer. Sugar, sugar, sugar and carbs (sugar) are the mainstay of their diet. The average Thai woman in my office has rice 2 to 3 times a day, is constantly snaking on sweets and washing it all down with at least one iced coffee a day, plus other sugary drinks.

I am surprised no one has mentioned the increasing beer drinking amongst Thais as another reason for the weight gain.

[rolypie]

6 bottles of Leo a day does it 2 at breakfast 2 at lunch and 2 at supper in between there usual bottle of thai whiskey lou kaow

[jellymeister]

One of the greatest Thai/Isaan words is

Pompooie

Said with the right amount of emphasis it can give a great onomatopoeiac thrust to the description of an obese person..it is usually said with a certain happiness and humour as well.....

The word fat in English is just too small to have the same impact...maybe we can import this word into English...

[clausewitz]

Prediction: thailand will overtake mexico as the world's fattest country within 10 years.