Losing too much weight

[Overandout]

Firstly a few disclaimers:

This is not a thread for the "I'm too fat forum".

I have done some searches, but all results on weight are from the "I'm too fat forum".

I am not gloating or trying to upset people who are trying to lose weight, I am genuinely concerned about my own health.

So, I moved to Thailand two years ago. I have never been a fat lad, and have a fast metabolism (I can eat until I feel stuffed, but still be hungry 3 hours later).

When I arrived here I weighed about 61 kg. After a year I had lost 3 Kg. Yesterday I weighed myself and I am down to 55 Kg.

Thats over 5 kg (nearly 10%) in 24 months. If I carry on at this rate I will vanish!

I eat a balanced diet, meat, carbs, veg, fruit etc. and I try to eat decent quantities (although at lunch time in the Thai establishments near work that is tricky).

I am beginning to notice that I have lower physical stamina and I am worried that I am becoming more at risk to illnes due to my low weight.

What can / should I do?

[Soutpeel]

What can / should I do?

Eat more ?

My invoice is in the mail

[NickJ]

Same thing with a frie d of mine.....then he started to. get weak. Went to the hospital and they did a work up on him. three days of tests. Nothing.

Then a month later he gave birth to a 6 m tapeworm.

[h90]

55 kg: The question is how tall you are and if you are male or female.

(a big difference if you are 1.75 male (way too thin) or a 1.60 woman (not really thin))

Try to write down for a week what you in total. Some thin people believe they eat a lot, but in fact they don't eat much while some fat people think they almost eat nothing (who was it who claimed to doesn't loose weight at 700 kcal per day?) but in fact they eat a lot more than they believe themself.

[Overandout]

Same thing with a frie d of mine.....then he started to. get weak. Went to the hospital and they did a work up on him. three days of tests. Nothing.

Then a month later he gave birth to a 6 m tapeworm.

Nice!... no other symptoms?

55 kg: The question is how tall you are and if you are male or female.

(a big difference if you are 1.75 male (way too thin) or a 1.60 woman (not really thin))

Try to write down for a week what you in total. Some thin people believe they eat a lot, but in fact they don't eat much while some fat people think they almost eat nothing (who was it who claimed to doesn't loose weight at 700 kcal per day?) but in fact they eat a lot more than they believe themself.

Unfortunately you are almost bang on with your first example.. male, about 1.73m

Good idea about the food log, but how do you estimate calories intake? Its difficult to know the weight of the portions.

[Overandout]

Actually, I have just doen a BMI calculation and I get 18.333, accepted ideal seems to be between 18.5 and 25. So I am not "way too thin", just a bit under the recommended minimum. 1Kg more and I would be "in range"...

[faraday]

Hmmm....you need to establish your daily caloric intake, so as was mentioned, you should keep a Food Diary.

And then use something like this to measure the Calories:

http://www.nutracheck.co.uk/CaloriesIn/

BMI is really not a great indicator of Fat content & doesn't take into account muscle mass & bone size. It's ok as a general guide, but I take little notice off it.

[h90]

Actually, I have just doen a BMI calculation and I get 18.333, accepted ideal seems to be between 18.5 and 25. So I am not "way too thin", just a bit under the recommended minimum. 1Kg more and I would be "in range"...

Well ignore the BMI.......it is a very bad way of measuring....

If you loose weight without reason it is something to worry about.....Most people who don't care get fat not slim.

[KVJ]

I had the same problem. My normal weight is 70kgs plus. Got down to below 60kg at one point. Did a number of tests - nothing came up. Took worming tablets too. I felt fine though. My diet is pretty much Thai, I just stepped it up dramatically and ate more. Like you I get hungry every 3 hrs or so, so now I satisfy that urge and eat heaps. Now I'm up to 68kgs and that looks to be were its staying. Happy enough with that.

In the end, it could be just the way people like us are made. The Thai diet is less conducive to putting on weight than a Western one hence why the weight loss. Just have to make sure you're filling up on good food though - plenty of fruit and veg.

[Loptr]

I think many of us lose weight after moving to Thailand... The change in climate, diet, daily routine, exercise, etc all contribute to the weight loss... I would not be too worried about it unless the weight loss continued and you began losing strength, stamina and muscle mass... OTOH, a blood workup at the hospital is cheap and easy just to be on the safe side...

[h90]

Same thing with a frie d of mine.....then he started to. get weak. Went to the hospital and they did a work up on him. three days of tests. Nothing.

Then a month later he gave birth to a 6 m tapeworm.

Nice!... no other symptoms?

55 kg: The question is how tall you are and if you are male or female.

(a big difference if you are 1.75 male (way too thin) or a 1.60 woman (not really thin))

Try to write down for a week what you in total. Some thin people believe they eat a lot, but in fact they don't eat much while some fat people think they almost eat nothing (who was it who claimed to doesn't loose weight at 700 kcal per day?) but in fact they eat a lot more than they believe themself.

Unfortunately you are almost bang on with your first example.. male, about 1.73m

Good idea about the food log, but how do you estimate calories intake? Its difficult to know the weight of the portions.

the weight is difficult if you don't cook yourself.

Maybe estimate something and post it here, the "I am too fat" people will have an idea if this is already a diet that scares JT or if it is an amount where I would get fat....

There are some parasites that can cause you loose weight, sure someone here knows more about then than I do.

55kg at 1.73....I am 1.70, have 64 kg, OK muscular but not that much and low fat. At 62 my wife is already scared that I look like a drug abuser. At 55 kg I would look like out of the death camp and I am 3 cm shorter than you.

Try to monitor and list what you eat.....it doesn't matter if it is exact or not. And please someone write how to check for worms or other parasites, there are some that make you loose weight.....

[h90]

I think many of us lose weight after moving to Thailand... The change in climate, diet, daily routine, exercise, etc all contribute to the weight loss... I would not be too worried about it unless the weight loss continued and you began losing strength, stamina and muscle mass... OTOH, a blood workup at the hospital is cheap and easy just to be on the safe side...

I actually only know people who gain weight in Thailand....that rice and fatty food.

[Loptr]

I think many of us lose weight after moving to Thailand... The change in climate, diet, daily routine, exercise, etc all contribute to the weight loss... I would not be too worried about it unless the weight loss continued and you began losing strength, stamina and muscle mass... OTOH, a blood workup at the hospital is cheap and easy just to be on the safe side...

I actually only know people who gain weight in Thailand....that rice and fatty food.

Yeah, you do see an awful lot of foreigners that are teetering between over weight and obesity... I always thought they brought it with them when they came to Thailand...

It is true that a lot of Thai food is cooked in oil, has a lot of salt and sugar and is not that good for you... Like everything in life, moderation is the key...

[stubuzz]

Calorie counter is a good website to use.

[h90]

I think many of us lose weight after moving to Thailand... The change in climate, diet, daily routine, exercise, etc all contribute to the weight loss... I would not be too worried about it unless the weight loss continued and you began losing strength, stamina and muscle mass... OTOH, a blood workup at the hospital is cheap and easy just to be on the safe side...

I actually only know people who gain weight in Thailand....that rice and fatty food.

Yeah, you do see an awful lot of foreigners that are teetering between over weight and obesity... I always thought they brought it with them when they came to Thailand...

It is true that a lot of Thai food is cooked in oil, has a lot of salt and sugar and is not that good for you... Like everything in life, moderation is the key...

My parents always tell that Thai Food is so light you can't fat from it, after 3 weeks in Thailand always the big whining starts when they are back....

The lots of fast carbs in the white rice, with often lots of oil, oil that you don't see...this watery sauce is often very fat.

That mixed with lots of beer because it is holidays and it is hot.....

At home they cook themself...less fat and they have the regular times for eating. If they are hungry they wait till dinner and don't buy something on street as there is nothing on the street.

And they wouldn't drink during the day.

But well I guess most brought their "emergency stock" with them....

[humqdpf]

Stop appealing to this discussion group for diagnosis of medical conditions. Losing weight without trying to can reveal a number of issues, from tapeworms to diabetes to cancer and quite a lot in between. As with people who are overweight and underestimate what they eat, underweight people can often overestimate what they eat (they order a meal but only eat a quarter of it). In many instances, underweight and obese folks are treated in the same medical unit in hospitals and clinics.

Go to your doctor, tell him your symptoms. Let him run a few tests. You may have to go for further tests in a more specialised facility. The earlier you do it, the less damage that is done to your body. Leave it to chance or the advice of strangers and you are looking for trouble. And stay away from the quack remedies.

[h90]

Stop appealing to this discussion group for diagnosis of medical conditions. Losing weight without trying to can reveal a number of issues, from tapeworms to diabetes to cancer and quite a lot in between. As with people who are overweight and underestimate what they eat, underweight people can often overestimate what they eat (they order a meal but only eat a quarter of it). In many instances, underweight and obese folks are treated in the same medical unit in hospitals and clinics.

Go to your doctor, tell him your symptoms. Let him run a few tests. You may have to go for further tests in a more specialised facility. The earlier you do it, the less damage that is done to your body. Leave it to chance or the advice of strangers and you are looking for trouble. And stay away from the quack remedies.

Well that is the health, body and medicine forum.....

If you don't discuss medical conditions here you could close that forum....and usually people don't need to run to a doctor for every pimple they grow....

[little mary sunshine]

See your doc. Get a complete physical

With the lab work. What are you doing

On TV. Duh!!

[Jdiddy]

5kg in 24 months? I lose 5kg in the 1st week every time i come here

Came here this trip in early May @90kg, im now 82kg

[tkramer]

Dear OP,

I just happen to receive this today in the mail and so thought I'd pass it along. As you say, you have a rapid metabolism (a good thing). However, people with a serious illness (cancer, other) can also have similar symptoms. How's about a quick physical at the local Dr.'s office.

For What It's Worth

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health e-Zine
June 28, 2015

Restricting Calories for Just Five Days a Month May Prolong Life

A new study shows that restricting calories just five days a month for three months:
* helped people lose weight,
* reduced a number of risk factors for cancer, diabetes and heart attacks, and
* improved markers for living a longer life and tests for immune function
(Cell Metabolism, published online June 18, 2015). The study author, Valter D. Longo of the University of Southern California, says that "the research demonstrates the first anti-aging, healthspan-promoting intervention that doctors could feasibly recommend for patients."

The Study
Thirty-seven men and women participated in the three-month study. For 25 days in each month, they all ate their normal diets. For the other five days each month, 19 of the subjects restricted calories to between one third and one half of their normal intake (the fasting group), while the other 18 continued to eat their regular diet and did not restrict calories (the control group). The fasting group was fed 1,090 calories on the first "fast" day and 725 calories per day for the other four "fast days". Their food on these days consisted of vegetable soups and chamomile tea.

How Might Intermittent "Fasting" Prolong Life?
Nobody really knows whether intermittent low-calorie diets help to promote weight loss and to prevent disease, but after three months of this regimen, the fasting group had a reduction in risk factors linked to aging, heart attacks, diabetes and cancer, including lowered blood glucose, reduced markers of inflammation and weight loss.

In similar studies, humans and animals have had a marked lowering of a hormone called Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), high levels of which increase risk for cancer and premature death. Intermittent low-calorie diets have been shown to extend the lives of yeast and mice. Mice in an intermittent fasting program had less belly fat which helped protect them from developing diabetes, more brain nerve growth promoting memory, and lower IGF-1 levels. Other studies published this year show that periodic fasting helps to prevent diabetes in those who are at high risk.

Weigh Yourself Every Day
Another study found that weighing yourself daily is one of the most effective ways to track your weight and do something immediately to help you lose weight or prevent weight gain (Journal of Obesity, June 2015). Weigh yourself at the same time of day each morning. If you are trying to lose weight, use your scales to monitor your progress. If you are trying to prevent weight gain, add a "fast" day wheneer you have gained a pound or more.

My Personal Experience with Intermittent Fasting
I am 80 and am 5'11" tall; Diana is 73 and 5'7". We have always exercised every day and not been fat, but when we retired six years ago, I weighed 168 pounds and she weighed 135 pounds. We have been following a program of modified fasting two or three days a week for the last three years. Today I weigh 139 and she weighs 118.

Four or five days a week, we eat our typical plant-based diet with occasional seafood. Two or three days a week, I eat oatmeal for breakfast as my only regular meal. Then we snack on oranges and nuts whenever we are hungry. This works for us because we have only oatmeal, beans, fruits and nuts in our house. I eat about 1200 to 1500 calories on these "fast" days, while my normal calorie intake is about 3000 per day. We ride our tandem bicycle or our single bicycles very hard almost every day and I believe that our exercise program also helps us to maintain our weight.

What This May Mean For You
This week a new report from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey shows that today Americans are fatter than ever before. More than 75 percent of men and 67 percent of women over age 25 are overweight or obese (JAMA Internal Medicine. June 22, 2015). Many studies show that being even slightly overweight appears to shorten lives. Most weight loss programs fail to help people keep weight off after they have lost it. Fasting can cause hunger which is painful, so most people will not do it. I have found that a modified program of intermittent fasting with snacking is easy and relatively painless. I believe that future research will show that intermittent fasting helps to control weight and to prevent the diseases that are linked to excess weight.
More at:

Intermittent Fasting
Weight Loss with Intermittent Fasting

[h90]

5kg in 24 months? I lose 5kg in the 1st week every time i come here

Came here this trip in early May @90kg, im now 82kg

either your body is total bloated with water or you burn a 5000 kcal per day more than you eat.

Considering you eat the same as at home you would need 20 hour sex per day to use 5000 kcal extra.

[canarysun]

I also lost a lot of weight and my diet was very good ( lots of fruit and vegetables ) no booze and lots of serious walking every day but lost about 25 KG in a year.BUT i was drinking about 3 litres of water a day refilling plastic bottles from the water machines ( 1 baht a litre ) The Doctors all told me it was a bacterial problem ( but i wasn't convinced ) in the end after a few blood tests it showed my Liver was in a bad way due to drinking water " as pure as the Mekong River " ......

Do not drink water from the water machines viewers!

F.J x

[Geoffsilverfox]

FWIW.........both my parents, and my maternal grandfather all complained about losing unexplained weight. All died from the same illness.........colon cancer.

One of the slowest growing cancers........the tumour can take up to 10 years to grow before exhibiting any outward symptoms, but sadly then it is too late. They all looked to be very healthy, even though eventually I realised that they had a colon tumour.

The good news is.....if the tumour can be found early enough, then surgical removal is about 90% successful.

Please go to a reputable hospital for a full medical to include cancer marker tests.

I hope after your medical you get good news, and a clean bill of health.

[Tolley]

Not to be alarmist but cancer is a possibility.

Serious enough to get some real tests done.

I would get some blood work done and would also consider a PET scan if nothing shows up on a blood test.

[h90]

I also lost a lot of weight and my diet was very good ( lots of fruit and vegetables ) no booze and lots of serious walking every day but lost about 25 KG in a year.BUT i was drinking about 3 litres of water a day refilling plastic bottles from the water machines ( 1 baht a litre ) The Doctors all told me it was a bacterial problem ( but i wasn't convinced ) in the end after a few blood tests it showed my Liver was in a bad way due to drinking water " as pure as the Mekong River " ......

Do not drink water from the water machines viewers!

F.J x

yes we can't warn enough from these water machines.....

Funny thing if you would have drank 4 large beer every day sitting in the bar like the usual Farang in Thailand does your liver would be in much better shape

Maybe there is some wisdom in it

Also fruits and any food bought near the street can contain terrible things and lots of Thais are very afraid of it and would never eat it.

From the 10-15 people in the office one per month get some serious food poisoning, and no they don't want a free day, because some come and vomit/$hit 10 times per day.....

[seancbk]

fatsecret.com and the associated app for android or iphone is very good

it is totally free

[lounger]

There is a blog called 'dont eat these 5 foods'. I tried googling but it seems everyone now has joined the 5 bad foods bandwaggon, written allegedly by a nutritionist. she says modern food is carp and so full of chemicals your body doesnt bother to process it just converts it to fat. She blames GM wheat, soymilk, crisps etc. She says if you eat fresh food EVEN IF IT HAS A HIGHER CALORIE COUNT than your usual diet then you will lose weight. She says exercise helps but is only about 20% effective in losing weight.

Sounds to me like the slimming down gents on this forum are eating fresh Thai food and not the rubbish I used to eat in UK. Eggs not weetabix and soy milk. So if you prefer cuddly take sweeteners not sugar, macdonalds not home made minced steak burgers. soy milk not cows. ( actually best health milk is from goats because the fat make up is nearer human milk) and chips 'n crisps not rice.

[kovaltech]

I also lost a lot of weight and my diet was very good ( lots of fruit and vegetables ) no booze and lots of serious walking every day but lost about 25 KG in a year.BUT i was drinking about 3 litres of water a day refilling plastic bottles from the water machines ( 1 baht a litre ) The Doctors all told me it was a bacterial problem ( but i wasn't convinced ) in the end after a few blood tests it showed my Liver was in a bad way due to drinking water " as pure as the Mekong River " ......

Do not drink water from the water machines viewers!

F.J x

Your explanation ( from your doctor ) comes to the nearest of my diagnosis ;-)

Drinking a lot from the water in Thailand, and i mean the sealed bottles, the osmosis filtered water, leads to demineralization from your body.

With a fast metabolism, you'l notice it in weight loss and harder muscles, more little pains...

OP, Beef up your electrolytes, your stamina will be back in a blink of an eye...

[NoshowJones]

I had the same problem. My normal weight is 70kgs plus. Got down to below 60kg at one point. Did a number of tests - nothing came up. Took worming tablets too. I felt fine though. My diet is pretty much Thai, I just stepped it up dramatically and ate more. Like you I get hungry every 3 hrs or so, so now I satisfy that urge and eat heaps. Now I'm up to 68kgs and that looks to be were its staying. Happy enough with that.

In the end, it could be just the way people like us are made. The Thai diet is less conducive to putting on weight than a Western one hence why the weight loss. Just have to make sure you're filling up on good food though - plenty of fruit and veg.

There is no point in some posters telling us their weight without mentioning there height. I fluctuate between 75 and 76 Ks and am 6ft tall.

If your normal weight is 70 Ks, you should be about 5ft 10ins, are you? I have seen my weight go from about 75.6Ks and 24 hrs later, about 74.8 Ks.

[h90]

I also lost a lot of weight and my diet was very good ( lots of fruit and vegetables ) no booze and lots of serious walking every day but lost about 25 KG in a year.BUT i was drinking about 3 litres of water a day refilling plastic bottles from the water machines ( 1 baht a litre ) The Doctors all told me it was a bacterial problem ( but i wasn't convinced ) in the end after a few blood tests it showed my Liver was in a bad way due to drinking water " as pure as the Mekong River " ......

Do not drink water from the water machines viewers!

F.J x

Your explanation ( from your doctor ) comes to the nearest of my diagnosis ;-)

Drinking a lot from the water in Thailand, and i mean the sealed bottles, the osmosis filtered water, leads to demineralization from your body.

With a fast metabolism, you'l notice it in weight loss and harder muscles, more little pains...

OP, Beef up your electrolytes, your stamina will be back in a blink of an eye...

if you eat some fruits, some sea salt some fruit juice some meat you won't demineralize. Everywhere are the necessary minerals. Unless you do lots of sport and sweat a lot. Then yes electrolytes.