What Will Happen To Your Health If You Just Eat Out?

[farang000999]

Hi, thank you, everyone for your kind information and advice. I feel I gain more knowledge thanks to your experience. Perhaps I should stick to food courts and only try street food sometimes. I

t is amazing that at food courts, even in expensive shopping centers, the price is very reasonable. I feel sad and ashamed for those shopping centers in my London: you have to pay a considerable amount for mediocre food. Perhaps if you go to Selfridges and Harrods, the food can be excellent, but then it is very expensive, while you can have the same thing at cheaper price in Bangkok.

I am very intrigued by one comment which implies that we cannot gain weight while eating in Thailand, and Asia generally.

Does it mean that Thai cuisine cannot make you gain weight? Why is it like that?

Thank you.

I would say that many teachers/budgeters are probably not gaining weight because they are watching their budget. If you are approaching each meal in the sense of a 30 minute, 50 baht coupon food court lunch experience where you go to one stall, eat with a bottle of water and go on your way, no you will not likely gain weight. teachers/budgeters also like to avoid public transportation so plenty of walking and calorie burning. This was the case for me when as well when I first came to Thailand as a backpacker and was keen to explore the country on foot and dibble dabble here and there at food courts and street carts. But if you are a bit more comfortable financially, trust me, it is very easy to indulge. Food Courts? Are you joking? I need a sit down restaurant, 4 or 5 dishes to pick on. Bring an entire bowl of rice! I am not an office employee who has 3 minutes to swallow without chewing and get back to work! What one finds is that there is not a whole lot to do in Thailand and eating actually becomes a hobby Once you get used to the air conditioner 24 hours a day (again teachers and budgeters won't) you wont walk to walk anywhere. Before I left Thailand I could not even stand to take the BTS as standing there in the heat waiting for the train and walking stairs was terrible. I went from the condo to my car to the AC of a shopping mall or restaurant. The maid/assistants would bring take out when we wanted it. Suffix to say I am now paying the price and will have to seriously start dieting and exercising as i feel like i am unhealthy.

[theblether]

Hi, thank you, everyone for your kind information and advice. I feel I gain more knowledge thanks to your experience. Perhaps I should stick to food courts and only try street food sometimes. I

t is amazing that at food courts, even in expensive shopping centers, the price is very reasonable. I feel sad and ashamed for those shopping centers in my London: you have to pay a considerable amount for mediocre food. Perhaps if you go to Selfridges and Harrods, the food can be excellent, but then it is very expensive, while you can have the same thing at cheaper price in Bangkok.

I am very intrigued by one comment which implies that we cannot gain weight while eating in Thailand, and Asia generally.

Does it mean that Thai cuisine cannot make you gain weight? Why is it like that?

Thank you.

I would say that many teachers/budgeters are probably not gaining weight because they are watching their budget. If you are approaching each meal in the sense of a 30 minute, 50 baht coupon food court lunch experience where you go to one stall, eat with a bottle of water and go on your way, no you will not likely gain weight. teachers/budgeters also like to avoid public transportation so plenty of walking and calorie burning. This was the case for me when as well when I first came to Thailand as a backpacker and was keen to explore the country on foot and dibble dabble here and there at food courts and street carts. But if you are a bit more comfortable financially, trust me, it is very easy to indulge. Food Courts? Are you joking? I need a sit down restaurant, 4 or 5 dishes to pick on. Bring an entire bowl of rice! I am not an office employee who has 3 minutes to swallow without chewing and get back to work! What one finds is that there is not a whole lot to do in Thailand and eating actually becomes a hobby Once you get used to the air conditioner 24 hours a day (again teachers and budgeters won't) you wont walk to walk anywhere. Before I left Thailand I could not even stand to take the BTS as standing there in the heat waiting for the train and walking stairs was terrible. I went from the condo to my car to the AC of a shopping mall or restaurant. The maid/assistants would bring take out when we wanted it. Suffix to say I am now paying the price and will have to seriously start dieting and exercising as i feel like i am unhealthy.

Very good, very self deprecating and probably the most accurate description I have ever read of how we all end up on the slippery slope

[travelmann]

Home cooking beats everything...

You eat your own house?

[zzaa09]

You will gain 20 kilo like me.

And me.

I have belly blubber to give away to any type of home, good, or bad.

A little consistent physical activity might cure that....

[JSixpack]

Just eating out leads to obesity, impotence, diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, and an early grave, as seen from the condition of many a farang.

Other than that, it's fine.

[brit1984]

I've lived in Bangkok for 4 years and I've never eaten in .... my cooker has never been used.

We just moved to Bangkok and I told the landlord to remove the oven and the (newly) fitted kitchen before we move in

In my opinion, kitchens are a (dangerous) waste of space - I recommend you dump that cooker and get an extra SQM of space

[ObsessiveAddict]

I miss understood your post. I'll be leaving now.

[smokie36]

You lot need some bran flakes every day...and a banana. Ok thats breakfast.

For lunch a salad with chilli added...a little bit of pork for the semi fatties....

Then any one Thai dish for supper.

Supplement this with half an hour of vigorous exercise every day and you'll be fine.

Unless you drink like a fish afterwards like me. Then you have no hope.

[lovelomsak]

I had one odd thing happen to me from eating out in Thailand. My back started to breakout into small red itchy bumps that everyday more appeared. They stayed close to each other but kept spreading. I went to a doctor and got medicine that cured it. But the funny part was, is what caused it. It was all the msg they put in the food. A Japanese friend told me when he was young he had the same problem and his whole back would be covered in these red itchy bumps. Now I tell them no msg.

[David48]

I had one odd thing happen to me from eating out in Thailand. My back started to breakout into small red itchy bumps that everyday more appeared. They stayed close to each other but kept spreading. I went to a doctor and got medicine that cured it. But the funny part was, is what caused it. It was all the msg they put in the food. A Japanese friend told me when he was young he had the same problem and his whole back would be covered in these red itchy bumps. Now I tell them no msg.

The MSG affects me in a different way ... no red itchy lumps ... but the wackiest dreams (un)imaginable.

No need for LSD ... give me a dose of MSG.

Mind you, a decent sugar hit before bed has a similar, but not as strong effect.

Anyone else suffer the same?

[brit1984]

How can I say "No MSG please mate" in Thai? My wife won't tell me because she is scared I will cause embarrassment....

[David48]

The couple of street food places I go to have enough English to understand my half Thai, half English.

I'll have to defer to some of the Thai speakers here for a proper answer.

[wana]

Hi, thank you, everyone for your kind information and advice. I feel I gain more knowledge thanks to your experience. Perhaps I should stick to food courts and only try street food sometimes. I

t is amazing that at food courts, even in expensive shopping centers, the price is very reasonable. I feel sad and ashamed for those shopping centers in my London: you have to pay a considerable amount for mediocre food. Perhaps if you go to Selfridges and Harrods, the food can be excellent, but then it is very expensive, while you can have the same thing at cheaper price in Bangkok.

I am very intrigued by one comment which implies that we cannot gain weight while eating in Thailand, and Asia generally.

Does it mean that Thai cuisine cannot make you gain weight? Why is it like that?

Thank you.

I would say that many teachers/budgeters are probably not gaining weight because they are watching their budget. If you are approaching each meal in the sense of a 30 minute, 50 baht coupon food court lunch experience where you go to one stall, eat with a bottle of water and go on your way, no you will not likely gain weight. teachers/budgeters also like to avoid public transportation so plenty of walking and calorie burning. This was the case for me when as well when I first came to Thailand as a backpacker and was keen to explore the country on foot and dibble dabble here and there at food courts and street carts. But if you are a bit more comfortable financially, trust me, it is very easy to indulge. Food Courts? Are you joking? I need a sit down restaurant, 4 or 5 dishes to pick on. Bring an entire bowl of rice! I am not an office employee who has 3 minutes to swallow without chewing and get back to work! What one finds is that there is not a whole lot to do in Thailand and eating actually becomes a hobby Once you get used to the air conditioner 24 hours a day (again teachers and budgeters won't) you wont walk to walk anywhere. Before I left Thailand I could not even stand to take the BTS as standing there in the heat waiting for the train and walking stairs was terrible. I went from the condo to my car to the AC of a shopping mall or restaurant. The maid/assistants would bring take out when we wanted it. Suffix to say I am now paying the price and will have to seriously start dieting and exercising as i feel like i am unhealthy.

ive gotten lazier and lazier too ,my job pays well and doesnt consume much time

i used to eat a piece of grilled pork as i was walking ,that has changed to a 3-4 course meal with friends eaten leisurely

i used to walk for 3-4 hours a day and use various forms to public transport and that burned off the calories so i could drink

a load of beers and eat whatever i wanted every night

now i have some motorcycles ,i have adopted the thai laziess

im still not dramatically overweight ,but not carved outta wood either

my apartment is on the 19th floor and i used to jog up there with 12 litres of water as a warm up before exercise in the gym

now ,i think id have a heart attack if i even walked up there

thais used to think i was insane anyway ,they thought i walked to the mrt cause i didnt want to pay a mo-cyc taxi to bring me

they also couldnt understand why i would carry down 20 litre bucket of soapy water to wash my car or motorcycle when there is a car wash not far away

im trying to get back to a super active lifestyle but its so hard in a country of laziness "convenience"

even carrying boxes of beer accross the car park ,the guy asked me if id like to use his pickup for the journey (300m )

it just seems like ,the longer you stay in bkk ,the more convenient it gets ......

[robblok]

People just get lazier, i cook my food myself making sure i get the right foods.

I don't want to end up like a lot of the farangs (and Thai) with a huge belly and 3 chins. I just think its plain ugly.

If you wan't to look good and your not gifted with great genetics you will have to work on it. Eating (and drinking) less and doing some exercise.

Whenever i only ate out i gained weight, im now fighting to get it off again.

[h90]

My advice would be oddly to stick to good food court food.I often prefer the selection in the street, but the quality is lower and the hygene might be an issue for you (although for 3rd world street food is very very clean).

Yes, too much pork, too much fried, too much salt (msg) - but it is totally yummy and if you eat rice everyday meal you will feel great and lose weight.

I think you are the first one who lost weight by eating pork, fat and white rice....

[wana]

My advice would be oddly to stick to good food court food.I often prefer the selection in the street, but the quality is lower and the hygene might be an issue for you (although for 3rd world street food is very very clean).

Yes, too much pork, too much fried, too much salt (msg) - but it is totally yummy and if you eat rice everyday meal you will feel great and lose weight.

I think you are the first one who lost weight by eating pork, fat and white rice....

you can lose weight eating anything IF you are burning enough calories through physical exercise

the problem with junk food is that its dense in calories but contains barely any nutrients,vitamins ,fibre etc like beer for example

you can have loads of junk food and still be very obese and starved of real nutrition

because my diet is unhealthy ,i usualy have a multivitamin tablet and a hydration drink for breakfast ,after that it goes pear-shaped though

and i get a kfc

[robblok]

My advice would be oddly to stick to good food court food.I often prefer the selection in the street, but the quality is lower and the hygene might be an issue for you (although for 3rd world street food is very very clean).

Yes, too much pork, too much fried, too much salt (msg) - but it is totally yummy and if you eat rice everyday meal you will feel great and lose weight.

I think you are the first one who lost weight by eating pork, fat and white rice....

you can lose weight eating anything IF you are burning enough calories through physical exercise

the problem with junk food is that its dense in calories but contains barely any nutrients,vitamins ,fibre etc like beer for example

you can have loads of junk food and still be very obese and starved of real nutrition

because my diet is unhealthy ,i usualy have a multivitamin tablet and a hydration drink for breakfast ,after that it goes pear-shaped though

and i get a kfc

You are right about that you can loose weight on anything. It only depends on how much you eat. You can get from healthy food too.

I take multivitamins too.. just wonder how effective they are.

[lovelomsak]

How can I say "No MSG please mate" in Thai? My wife won't tell me because she is scared I will cause embarrassment....

I amnot exactly sure on how it is said. But I say (excuse my thai phonetic translation please) Mai tong kan msg krap. Or Mai tong Kan ajinimoto krap.Or Karuna mai msg krap.Who knows if they understand or care I think many times they just do it the way they always do it.

[wana]

How can I say "No MSG please mate" in Thai? My wife won't tell me because she is scared I will cause embarrassment....

I amnot exactly sure on how it is said. But I say (excuse my thai phonetic translation please) Mai tong kan msg krap. Or Mai tong Kan ajinimoto krap.Or Karuna mai msg krap.Who knows if they understand or care I think many times they just do it the way they always do it.

Mai Sai MSG Krap ! - Dont Put Msg

Mai Aow Msg Krap ! - I dont want Msg

Mai Chob Msg Krap ! -I dont like Msg

[wana]

My advice would be oddly to stick to good food court food.I often prefer the selection in the street, but the quality is lower and the hygene might be an issue for you (although for 3rd world street food is very very clean).

Yes, too much pork, too much fried, too much salt (msg) - but it is totally yummy and if you eat rice everyday meal you will feel great and lose weight.

I think you are the first one who lost weight by eating pork, fat and white rice....

you can lose weight eating anything IF you are burning enough calories through physical exercise

the problem with junk food is that its dense in calories but contains barely any nutrients,vitamins ,fibre etc like beer for example

you can have loads of junk food and still be very obese and starved of real nutrition

because my diet is unhealthy ,i usualy have a multivitamin tablet and a hydration drink for breakfast ,after that it goes pear-shaped though

and i get a kfc

You are right about that you can loose weight on anything. It only depends on how much you eat. You can get from healthy food too.

I take multivitamins too.. just wonder how effective they are.

i drink a lot so that depletes your vitamins and hydration

thats why i take one every morning ,when i was training for boxing fights i took two multivitamin tablets per day but i was exercising hard for hours

and you need good nutrition to keep repairing your muscles and keep your mind sharp

hopefully the vitamins in shops are not fake though ,TIT but that would be enough to start another thread

[Trembly]

How can I say "No MSG please mate" in Thai? My wife won't tell me because she is scared I will cause embarrassment....

That's just odd. It's hardly uncommon for Thais to say "Mai sai pong-choo-rot na krab" which means "no MSG please mate".

Thais don't call it EM-ES-JEE, they call it flavour enhancing powder; ผงชูรส / pong-choo-rot.

Mai sai = don't put in

Na krab = please mate*

Mai sai pong-choo-rot na = Don't put any MSG in it mate

Mai sai pong-choo-rot krab = Please don't put any MSG in it

*Na only interprets into "mate" in this sort of context. Na doesn't actually translate directly into "mate".

Edited March 28, 2012 by Trembly

[brit1984]

How can I say "No MSG please mate" in Thai? My wife won't tell me because she is scared I will cause embarrassment....

That's just odd. It's hardly uncommon for Thais say "Mai sai pong-choo-rot na krab" which means "no MSG please mate".

Thais don't call it EM-ES-JEE, they call it flavour enhancing powder; ผงชูรส / pong-choo-rot.

Mai sai = don't put in

Na krab = please mate*

Mai sai pong-choo-rot na = Don't put any MSG in it mate

Mai sai pong-choo-rot krab = Please don't put any MSG in it

*Na only interprets into "mate" in this sort of context. Na doesn't actually translate directly into "mate".

That is really helpful, thanks...

[Trembly]

Mai pen rai krab.