Living in Thailand is making me fat

[willyumiii]

It could just be your age.

A lot of guys start gaining weight around 40.

Maybe a change in diet?

Are you eating a lot more carbs like rice and noodles?

[strawpanda]

My Thai wife's Thai cooking was putting weight on me, so last September, at age 60, I decided to take action: smaller portions, only one main meal each day not two, and I took up running. In April I'm doing the London Marathon, albeit slowly. I have now lost over a stone so I'm about 74 kg and 5'11". I hope to lose another kg or two in the next 6 weeks.

I keep spelling it out to my wife that I want to be slim, it is so easy to turn into a couch potato.

When I was last in Bangkok I walked a lot, it can be done but wear comfy shoes, e.g. good lightweight running shoes.

[Briggsy]

1. Cook for yourself. You would be amazed at the calorific content of "traditional" Thai food with its tablespoons of added refined sugar in everything.

2. Stop drinking beer.

3. Try doing cardio every day. Lots of easy to do videos on youtube. Don't need to go to the gym.

[frimu]

Start to count the calories you take in. Don't forget to count the beer-calories too. There are some online sites helping with that. Google it.

With your slowed down metabolism you should probably just eat 2200 calories a day.

And go to a fitness instructor. Many people do the exercises wrongly, which results in not burning many calories at all.

You will be surprised, when you do it. Usually the outcome is, that people eat a few hundred too many per day.

It's hard to eat less. I know, I'm overweight and very unsuccessful at the moment.

[elgenon]

I am older than you and lose weight when I got to Thailand from the States.

Idea: Walk an hour of more every day!

[notmyself]

Before coming to Thailand to live, I was under the impression that Thai food was healthy in general. But I dont think I have ever eaten as much fried food as I do here.

For sure.

I steam or roast (over a rack) as much as I can and almost always eat before I go out.

[Andre0720]

The only way for you to lose weight is to lose 10 years...

[djhotsox]

Sexercise......and there is no better place for that than Thailand

[little mary sunshine]

First of all I don't believe you are doing as much exercise as you claim. you can only get

fat if your intake of calories exceeds what you burn up. DON'T EAT SO MUCH, logoff of

TV, get off the couch and do the exercise you claim you are doing........

[mrowe1973]

I avoid white rice and noodles. You should eat brown rice only!

[Joe Mamma]

Have your Thyroid checked, if it is low, you will gain weight and your body temp drops a degree or so too.

[attrayant]

I personally don't really go with the rice argument, in fact when I lived in China for many years, it was a given, that as the Chinese got richer, ate less rice and switched to more meat they became fatter.

Saying "it was a given" is somewhat imprecise language. In 16th century China, it was a given that the Earth was flat. Of course it's possible for everybody to accept something as 'given", but still be dead wrong.

I've seen many Asians eating meat, and there's often huge chinks of fat attached to it. I'd say that's more the reason for their weight problems. Fat has more than twice the energy density of carbs, so if you eat fatty meat (to include cartilage and skin, also popular in Asian dishes) and sit on your butt most of the day, of course you will balloon-up. 100 grams of rice has the same energy density as 45 grams of fat, so doubling your meat intake and cutting your rice in half isn't doing much for you, calorie wise, especially if you're eating that fatty meat that seems to be so popular in many Asian dishes.

The reason I mentioned rice is because it's often the largest food item by weight on the plate.

[thailampang2012]

I am 70..and very upset because my belly is growing and I cannot keep my 40s shape....but..I do not give up and still not eating and drinking the bad stuff. Pasta, bread, potatoes, bananas, french fries, pizza, rice, cheese, butter, milk, cream, sugar, beer, soda, pork, bacon, cakes, maio, hamburgers, KFC, cheap oils, and any processed meat like salamis or ham, and...coffee....Yes..coffee..Any caffeinated drink will get you fat. if you need it, take it, but no so much. Looks like is a too long list, and not easy to avoid, but just look for replacements. Oils? King Brand Rice Oil to fry, Olive Oil for salads. Veggies, all kind, fruits, all kinds, eggs, grilled or boiled fish and chicken without skin, lean beef, toasted whole grain bread if need it. Drinks? Thai cheap green and red tea cold and hot ...Good and expensive red wine every day if you can. Take Natural vitamins, B, E, C, Calcium, Minerals, and Fish oil, at breakfast, with eggs and toast. Herbals food supplements?, all you can get..Thailand is great about finding the right ones for everything.

Eat small portions and slow....very slow..many times a day....and nothing after 8PM..Drink minimum 2 liters of water a day....

Exercises.....Just walk, walk and walk, at least 2 Km total every day, early on the morning, and late on the evening, slowly and on a pleasant environment. If you can..stop 15 minutes to seat and meditate. You can do it alone. Better exercise than that one?...sex... but... you cannot do it alone, and sometimes, not every day.

Well..nobody can be perfect...specially at 70...But...you are 40.....don't you?

Edited February 28, 2014 by thailampang2012

[jackflash]

> . I would guess the main factor is eating too much, without proper exercise

The ONLY factor is eating too much.

Exercise is good, because fitness is good, but exercise mainly builds muscle so there is little weight loss.

It takes a hell of a lot of exercise to burn significant calories.

Our bodies are incredibly efficient at using as little energy as possible and converting any surplus into fat.

To lose weight, particularly around the gut, you actually have to be starving. There are no short cuts.

The trick is to get used to feeling hungry. One modest meal a day, no snacks, and no food before bed.

You will feel better, sleep better and live longer.

Edited February 28, 2014 by jackflash

[mimi9000]

First thing I noticed when I moved to Thailand 2 years ago... well, the second thing... Unexpectedly many fat people.

It's 2 reasons: 1. Fried food. Almost everyone try eat is fried. 2. The type of oil used, and how old and rancid it often is for the food that is being fried, since as we know, there is no uniformity or rules in Thailand about when or why to refresh the oil.

Fresh oil itself is not a problem, but old oil is a problem. In your home country, did u ever taste or smell olive oil and think there might be something wrong with it? That's because it was packaged and sealed after the oil sat around for a long time and eventually started oxidizing. Not only that, but since olive oil is a huge money-making biz around the world, many olive oils have been tainted by the addition of of other low quality oils... blah blah. Many of the brand names u trust are not trustworthy. Documentation available upon request, of studies. There are only a handful of olive oil producers who package the oil quickly, and it is very obvious when taste testing. I would be glad to tell u details. Email me if u want: surfinwarm at hotmail. I am a medical doctor and pharmacist. Went to college so long that I was handed 2 doctorates. Well, 12 years of college is probably enuf.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[attrayant]

All the great civilizations were starch based; the Incas, quinoa, the Africans sweet potatoes, the Asians rice. People were trimmed and healthy.

I'm wondering how you know this to be true. Do you have photographs from the 15th century? Also it's not quite fair to compare present-day 40, 50 and 60 year-olds with growing waistlines to ancient cultures where people rarely lived past the age of 35.

But regardless, they were very physically active. For that reason alone, I'd accept that they were in better physical shape than we are today. Had they eaten like that and spent most of the day sitting at a desk pushing papers around, they would have been fat too. However hard we think our lives may be, it's a life of luxury compared to the Incans. And that shows up in our increasing lifespans & waistlines.

Edited February 28, 2014 by attrayant

[wicketkeeper]

Here's the answer. Google to get the pdf.

Why we get fat and what to do about it.

by Gary Taubes

Life changing.

[ginglee]

My Thai wife's Thai cooking was putting weight on me, so last September, at age 60, I decided to take action: smaller portions, only one main meal each day not two, and I took up running. In April I'm doing the London Marathon, albeit slowly. I have now lost over a stone so I'm about 74 kg and 5'11". I hope to lose another kg or two in the next 6 weeks.

I keep spelling it out to my wife that I want to be slim, it is so easy to turn into a couch potato.

When I was last in Bangkok I walked a lot, it can be done but wear comfy shoes, e.g. good lightweight running shoes.

Yes ! It's all down to portion size...Eat what you want , just cut down. Hate it when guys say "no beer " "no carbs"

So many guys on here with 'doom & gloom' attitudes, that lifes a big problem and all down hill after 40....And you ? positive attitude, start running at 60, and doing the London marathon ! Fantastic...Good luck to you......Would be fantastic if you could report on doing the Marathon.

[Ruin]

I find the opposite, yeah, I partied a lot, exercised less, ate Mexican, pizza, KFC, fried lotsa stuff and got porky.

So easy to lose it in Thailand if you make the right choices.

Bought a BBQ, stopped frying stuff whenever possible. Thai cakes and bread are a poor imitation of those in farangland, cut them. Thai fruit is amazing. Varied, seasonal, tasty, fresh. The fresh fish is really good, so many different salads too. Not the lettuce and tomato regime.

i find local beers (shouldn't be called beer) poor compared to Europe, but I do hit Belgian beer here if a bar sells it, went with bourbon or whiskey with water, tequila too but no water.

Easy to lose it if you have the right mindset, patience - if it took me four years to get fat, it will take me 4 years to get back to where I was.

Exercise? Wish I could do more, gotta work too much.

[Datebayo]

TRy the ''caveman diet'' look it up on google. Means> eat only lean meat, no pork. Alot of fruit and veggies, shakes. Seeds, Nuts. And don;t forget to bust a nut as well from time to time

Goodluck

[robblok]

My Thai wife's Thai cooking was putting weight on me, so last September, at age 60, I decided to take action: smaller portions, only one main meal each day not two, and I took up running. In April I'm doing the London Marathon, albeit slowly. I have now lost over a stone so I'm about 74 kg and 5'11". I hope to lose another kg or two in the next 6 weeks.

I keep spelling it out to my wife that I want to be slim, it is so easy to turn into a couch potato.

When I was last in Bangkok I walked a lot, it can be done but wear comfy shoes, e.g. good lightweight running shoes.

Yes ! It's all down to portion size...Eat what you want , just cut down. Hate it when guys say "no beer " "no carbs"

So many guys on here with 'doom & gloom' attitudes, that lifes a big problem and all down hill after 40....And you ? positive attitude, start running at 60, and doing the London marathon ! Fantastic...Good luck to you......Would be fantastic if you could report on doing the Marathon.

Its easier to be all doom and gloom and just do what you did before and gain more weight then actually eat less and exercise.

I lost 25 kg in 2011 and now all lean and such. Never again do I want to be fat. Sure it means that I cant always eat what I want but in general now that it has come off i can relax a bit because i still workout a lot. Still need to eat good 80% or more of the time.

[BlackArtemis]

I've gained 10kg, from almost having a 6pack to now. For me it's beer, and eating too much.

I get to gym and fluctuate 2-4kg, but I am up.

Moving back to the US where I will drop it off fast thanks to knowing exactly what I eat (calorie counting) and not having a huge group of friends who I meet up for "just 1 promotion" waaaay too often.

I did drop 18kg the first time I came here back in 2005, but that was because I was a massive 93kg (173cm) and ate shit at Uni, dropped to 65kg in 4 months.

[Kitsune]

I avoid white rice and noodles. You should eat brown rice only!

And brown rice noodles

[dotpoom]

_{I am losing weight when in Thailand...and I'm only 70 kgs.}

_{...how people gain weight is beyond me...do you drink alcohol?..eat a lot of junk food?}

The OP wasn't a very long one and it has already answered your questions.

[namdocmai]

Go live in a nice moobaan with walkingtracks and gym, tenniscourt, soccerfield, pool.

Walk around in the malls or parks, drink water before dinner and much water anyway.

Don't sit on the bud but take a walk or go biking. Buy a dog. Be active even when you sit, don't sleep after eating, eat breakfast very early, no snacks after dinner, maybe skip dinner and eat a big lunch instead, eat more soup.

Eat more salads, fish, vegy, wholeweat, fruit.

Don't drink alcohol, no cheese/butter/deep fried, icecoffee made by thai, cheap cakes/pie/cooky.

Get some hobby's where you don't sit on the bud. Stop watching tv.

I know it is easyier said then done but i try to walk as much as i can and be active all day. I stopped eating processed factory products, no palm oil and much vegy/fruit.

If you live in a small condo then there is not much choice then to go out of it. Thai food is not healthy at all, no vegy and much oil. Seafood is good though.

[Sheryl]

Moved to the "Too Fta' forum.

As we age, our caloric requirement does go down so it is necessary to adjust intake accordingly.

In Thailand, if you are relying on restaurant food or take-out, lots of problems -- way too much oil (and an unhealthy type of oil at that, re-used as well making it even more unhealthy) used in everything that is fried (which would include pad thai - the added sugar is the least of the problem there). Also the preponderance of white rice contributes to development of metabolic syndrome (weight gain esp. around the middle, an unhealthy lipid profile and diabetes/pre-diabetes.)

It is possible to eat very healthily in Thailand if you cook at home but extremely hard to do so if relying on markets and restaurants.

My advice:

cut out fried foods (including pad thai) or at least limit to just 1-2 servings a week

cut out or at least greatly restrict coconut milk based curries i.e. not more than 1-2 servings a week (very high in calories)

cut out processed carbs: brown rice instead of white, whole wheat breads only

more salads, both Thai and Western (but NOT with that awful white Thai "salad dressing" !!)

more fish than meat, sticking to types that are steamed or in a soup, not fried.

breakfast - poached eggs, oatmeal are good choices

More fruits and more veggies, the latter either raw, steamed or frtied in small amounts of healthy oils (for that, you'll have to cook it yourself)

[attrayant]

TRy the ''caveman diet'' look it up on google. Means> eat only lean meat, no pork. Alot of fruit and veggies, shakes. Seeds, Nuts.

And getting chased by the occasional velociraptor helps, too.

[Jingthing]

Most likely it isn't rocket science.

Likely suspects:

Yes, slowing metabolism.

Possibly, lower activity, though that wouldn't matter so much if not for the FOOD FACTORS.

Portions sizes not cut enough due to age.

HIDDEN sugars!!!!!

Hidden fats.

Hidden or known trans fats in baked goods (they kill).

Any kind of highly processed foods. (Sugars/fats/chemicals/poison) Common in Thai street foods like fish and meat balls.

Stir fried food in palm oil.

Obviously deep fried foods of any kind.

NOT ENOUGH vegetables.

TOO MUCH white rice (which makes SUGAR)

SOCIAL EATING ... eating when it's time, not based on being hungry, eating more in social groups

PLATE FINISHING SYNDROME ... finishing what's on the plate based on visual clues

The suggestion to get your thyroid level checked is VERY GOOD advice. Low thyroid hormone is more common than people think.

Forget about "going on a diet." Fad diets especially are a horrible idea. You don't need to cut out ALL carbs and you don't need to be a vegetarian. You can still enjoy MANY (if not all) of your favorite foods, in moderation.

Cooking more food yourself so you know exactly what's in it is a good suggestion. Then you can use olive oil, not palm oil, etc.

Look really really closely at what you are eating now and make appropriate changes (including portion size). That's not going on a diet. That's changing how you eat in a pleasant and sustainable way FOR LIFE.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Jingthing

[kimbathewhitelion]

The belly fat problem will not go away even if you ecercise daily . Because you're in your 40's and the body is changing . So you need to do really hard work outs if you want to look like you did 10 years ago. It doesnt matter if you live in Thailand or any western country , what you eat is only a small part of the solution .

.

Actually it does matter where you live esp., if you're in this 3rd world country or others which lack "access"...access to anything you might think of needing...& denied access to some of the damaging stuff due to strict enforced laws; to a large supply of fresh clean healthy food, many cheap exercise outlets in clean air environments & access to anything else of variety which can help in promoting health. If I never came to Thailand, I'd still be thin. In America, drink less plus there they don't put such damaging elements in the beers to increase the brewing process, they don't sell pre-packaged week old spoiled meat (Tesco) soaked in red die, they have every supplement, superfood, fibre, probiotic available. Lean meats of variety & cheap. This country I've gotten so many bacterial infections from the water (brushing my teeth), scuba diving (most filthy oceans here), but mostly from eating out. Thai food is by far NOT healthy. Very cheap no doubt but unless you buy the ingredients & cook it yourself, you're taking a risk. Also consider that in the food stalls or sidewalk restaurants, already stated this, they don't wash their plates or ultensils. They just wipe off the food, dip it in water & put it out to dry. Prior to opening, the food sits out collecting flies for an about a hour or more depending whether it's pre-cooked. There's no sanitary laws here, no rights in any manner whatsoever and if you were to keel over in the restaurant due to massive food poisoning, you'd still be required to pay your bill in full.

Not to just blame thai businesses, yet most Thais will take that buck over a life every time, foreign business owners are also guilty of serving spoiled food. Just add some more chilli, lots of MSG, lots of oyster sauce & fry it in palm oil.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Jingthing]

BTW, try to get enough sleep. AT LEAST six hours, probably more. There is a proven link between even minor sleep deprivation and weight gain.