Do you try to stay healthy while living in Thailand?

[bazza40]

My weight blows out to 100kg when I go back to Australia for a couple of months. I eat because I'm bored. With exercise ( 30 floors of a condo five times a week + swimming ), mainly Thai food and massage, I get back to 92kg here in about 2 months. Think the chili in the Thai food decreases food absorption.

[TheKnave]

I swam 1500 meters this morning in about 45 minutes stopping only every 300 meters for a sip of water. I have my own kitchen and cook almost all my own food except when we go out to the Oishi buffet.

Good on you, Jasper Lamarr. Those years in the nursing home have done you no harm...

[smokie36]

I'm healthier now than I've ever been. I watch what I eat, exercise a lot, and try to limit my drinking. Mainly because I don't want to end up like the guys I see around town who've let themselves go.

My main concern with drinking too much is ending up like the guys that got wasted and slept with a ladyboy.

I enjoy a few drinks but swim regularly as well....and eating too much junk food anywhere is a bad thing.

Thailand has plenty of cheap noodle options or fresh fruit all over the place....no need to avail yourself of deep fried gunk every or even any day.

I certainly don't.

Western food too often will fatten you up for sure though.

[tomyumchai]

i eat 3 times a day back home with beer on an evening and weight 82kg. i dont do much in manual work there. i eat 1 time a day in thailand and drink 4 small beers a night and balloon to 86kg in a month. i walk miles and miles in the north and climb mountains and go down deep caves. the food here is packed full of shit so i cant be bothered with trying to eat healthy. i shout till im blue in the face with " no sugar no salt no msg and no f uck ing skin but they still load that crap in there. the oil they use must be as nutritional as capstan full strength. i dont plan for a long old age.

[thailanddogerator]

Go to a gym even if you don't like it, there is no other way to exercise correctly here, without finding stupid excuses as "heat"...

[foxteen]

My eating habits is every 3 hours i eat as little as possible but healthy food ..and with chopsticks i eat less and take my time so i end up loose weight hahahahaha

Tell you what..when you have a build up belly is very hard to get to rid of..and think about that..be jealous with your slim girlfriend and be a copycat hahahaha

[ChoakMyDee]

Thai food is NOT healthy(as others have said). When I arrived in Thailand 7 years ago I was slightly overweight and both a non-drinker and non-smoker. I gained a lot of weight over about 5 years and had a big gut eating only Thai food, no desserts, no sugar drinks etc. I lost 28 kilos in the last 6 months by eating zero Thai food. I made kale shakes with protein, carrot, beetroot and ginger, I ate boiled eggs, lean chicken or tuna fish and an apple with every meal for carbs...a handfull of almonds for a snack when really hungry in between meals. I went from 118 kg. to my current 87 kg. in about 5-6 months.

Thai food is terrible. The noodles are are not a healthy carb. If you want a healthy carb eat oatmeal for breakfast and brown rice with other meals. They put sugar, MSG and salt in everything they cook and they use very unhealthy oil for cooking, as others have said. Also, they put very little good protein in their food; the meat servings are too small and very poor quality. If I order cow man gai on the street I get a big plate of white rice which is devoid of all nutrients with a few tiny slivers of chicken on the plate with fat and skin making up 50% of the chicken. It's not the right balanced diet at all. You never really get the right amount of protein when dining out, mostly empty calories from white rice.

I'm so healthy now that when I occasionally eat out, if there is MSG in the food my body reacts violently every time. I get an instant headache and heart palpitations when I eat their crap food. What does that say about all the people who are eating that stuff every day and slowly poisoning themselves? It's not until you step back and get healthy that you realize how badly that bad food affects your health.

For me it started when I decided I didn't want to be another fat farang waddling down the street with a Thai wife half my age. So I started to educate myself on what is a healthy diet and how to exercise properly. Now I am a slim, handsome man walking down the street with a Thai wife half my age.

[robertthebruce]

Thai food is not healthy..

Full of ''Sugar, Salt, or Soy Sauce'' then either ''Fried'' in gallons of Oil, or Boiled tasteless...

But the fresh Tropical Fruit is delicious, so for sure, endulge in that...

[robertthebruce]

Thai food is not healthy..

Full of ''Sugar, Salt, or Soy Sauce'' then either ''Fried'' in gallons of Oil, or Boiled tasteless...

But the fresh Tropical Fruit is delicious, so for sure, endulge in that...

[Mbaki]

Thai food is not healthy..

Full of ''Sugar, Salt, or Soy Sauce'' then either ''Fried'' in gallons of Oil, or Boiled tasteless...

But the fresh Tropical Fruit is delicious, so for sure, endulge in that...

Everyone's body is different and it wouldn't be just the Thai food making you fat or unhealthy. My wife cooks all my meals and I haven't had any problems, she gets fresh food everyday and doesn't let me near the street carts or leftovers.

[simon43]

I read somewhere (sports and exercise forum) that by exercising regularly, you can extend your life by as much as 3 years.
Hardly seemed worth the effort.

Perhaps you think that way when younger. If you are old and healthy because you have exercised regularly, you will probably appreciate those extra 3 years .

As or all these posters who claim to be fit, healthy and with an Adonis body - where are you all hiding? Because all I see in Thailand are fat, tattooed, ugly old westerners.

[robblok]

I read somewhere (sports and exercise forum) that by exercising regularly, you can extend your life by as much as 3 years.

Hardly seemed worth the effort.

Perhaps you think that way when younger. If you are old and healthy because you have exercised regularly, you will probably appreciate those extra 3 years .

As or all these posters who claim to be fit, healthy and with an Adonis body - where are you all hiding? Because all I see in Thailand are fat, tattooed, ugly old westerners.

Come over your invited even though in a previous post you stated all your friends died quick. So people call you a health hazard. Just teasing. Anyway for everyone who said they are in shape there are 10 who are not they wont post here of course.

[akentryan]

Arrived in 1986 at a svelte 150kg. Now at 100kg plus or minus a couple depending on how many beers I've had. Rarely eat street food or fast food. Survived triple by-pass aortic valve replacement surgery and two bouts with cancer. Try to spend two hours each day at the gym. Just turned 77 so I guess I can't complain. Doubtful I would have survived I had stayed in the West.

[williet98248]

Yes I do try to stay healthy. I have been here twelve years. About 5-6 years ago I found myself overweight and out of shape. Went on a diet and exercise routine and lost 16 pounds. 204 down to 188. Now 185-186. Goal is around 180 but happy where I am. Over the years I have accumulated a home gym, All used, second hand and all very cheap. A universal machine, elliptical trainer, dumb bells, barbells and incline and decline benches. I am 73 so I researched fitness training for the old guy. I do a weight training circuit 3-4 times a week with anywhere from 10- 40 minutes on the trainer. 60-80 minutes a session. I have a bicycle and run my errands on the bike plus 20-30 kms a couple times a week for exercise. I usually cook my own food with a fine steak once a week, chicken and fish for protein, many salads and fruits, vitamin supplements. After every meal is a dessert of an apple, orange or other fruit. Very little sugar. I don't drink more than a couple of beers a week with a meal, no smoking and no street food. If I am out real restaurant food. 5' 10", 185-86 pounds, muscular (for 73). Old guys should check out Dr Jeffery life's book The Life Plan. Designed specifically for men over 65. Re. the bicycle. I feel safer on the bicycle than I ever did on the motorcycle. No mass. Been rear ended twice and just knocked the bike out from under me and a prat fall. Sold the MB after too many broken bones and much road rash. Car and bicycle.

[williet98248]

I read somewhere (sports and exercise forum) that by exercising regularly, you can extend your life by as much as 3 years.

Hardly seemed worth the effort.

Perhaps you think that way when younger. If you are old and healthy because you have exercised regularly, you will probably appreciate those extra 3 years .

As or all these posters who claim to be fit, healthy and with an Adonis body - where are you all hiding? Because all I see in Thailand are fat, tattooed, ugly old westerners.

Well, we are not hiding in the bars where you will see a lot of fat, tattooed, ugly old westerners. We are in the gyms, running on the street or on the bicycles.

[ChoakMyDee]

I read somewhere (sports and exercise forum) that by exercising regularly, you can extend your life by as much as 3 years.

Hardly seemed worth the effort.

Perhaps you think that way when younger. If you are old and healthy because you have exercised regularly, you will probably appreciate those extra 3 years .

As or all these posters who claim to be fit, healthy and with an Adonis body - where are you all hiding? Because all I see in Thailand are fat, tattooed, ugly old westerners.

If you're ever in Hua Hin come and visit us; you will see I'm not fat. You can even use my home gym if you want.

Edited November 21, 2015 by ChoakMyDee

[pugwash1]

I,ve been here for a year now,and i,ve lost a stone,and feel a lot better for it. I bought a pushbike,and have a good thrash on it just after dawn. I live in the sticks like a lot of the guys,so biking about is pretty simple,also a good blowout on the beer once a month,keeps me sane,and slim(ish)

[lungnorm]

Trying to stay healthy living in Thailand. Its not easy and Street food is a definite No No. Nothing wrong with Thai food if you stay away from the fried stuff god only knows what they fry it in. Coconut oil is a must to fry food in anything else is looking for trouble even olive oil as its authenticity is always in question.

The best way to keep healthy is juicing your vegetables and eating lots of good fat. A probiotic is a good idea daily.

Alcohol is ok in moderation, find a drink you like without having to add soda drinks or stick to beer.

[chicowoodduck]

I do my runs in the wee hours of the morning....and try my best to avoid getting run over or down by all the pissheads who are out and about as well....never do the street food thing and frequent the gym about four times a week and some swimming....wish I could find a half way decent bike to ride other than the kidee models I see on the local roads.......not sure if I'm all the healthy, but the doctor always says I'm doing ok for an old fart pushing 70....?

[chicowoodduck]

I do my runs in the wee hours of the morning....and try my best to avoid getting run over or down by all the pissheads who are out and about as well....never do the street food thing and frequent the gym about four times a week and some swimming....wish I could find a half way decent bike to ride other than the kidee models I see on the local roads.......not sure if I'm all the healthy, but the doctor always says I'm doing ok for an old fart pushing 70....?

[Stevemercer]

I'm 56, and have lived in Thailand for nearly two years, and find it much harder to fit here compared to my home land (Australia). It's mainly the constant heat, constant eating and constant drinking in Thailand. On the plus side, a lot of the junk food I enjoyed in Australia, such as Cadbury chocolate, Twisties, hamburgers/souvlakis etc, is simply not available out where I live. Overall I think my dietary intake of carbs and fats etc probably balances out.

I mainly do cycling, about 30 - 60 kilometres every few days. Plus we have about 5 rai and there is about 2 hours work per day to maintain that. But I sometimes wrestle about the economics. Should I labour and sweat for 5 hours in the sun cutting bamboo when I can pay a Thai guy 300 Baht to finish the job? In Australia we are used to doing everything ourselves because hiring labour is too expensive. That's not the case in Thailand. Still, I like to do the work myself and keep on top of things.

[elgordo38]

road bike can be done during the day....you get hot to the heat (or fall dead from it) both cases problem fixed

I must be doing something right I am now 78 and feel wonderful. Maybe my 26 year old g/f contributes something to my health

Give me control of a nations money supply and I care not who makes its laws.

Mayer Rothschild

Private Banker

[Assurancetourix]

My bike riding is also early on a trainer so I can get quality precise efforts. Again, in that I live in Issan, hills are non existent.

Ouaoh! I think I don't live in the same Issan ..

In Sakon Nakhon , Kalasin , Khorat or Loei you have your quota of hills !

[SpokaneAl]

My bike riding is also early on a trainer so I can get quality precise efforts. Again, in that I live in Issan, hills are non existent.

Ouaoh! I think I don't live in the same Issan ..

In Sakon Nakhon , Kalasin , Khorat or Loei you have your quota of hills !

I live in Korat and would really like to find some hills to ride.

[berybert]

Live out in the sticks away from the bars......health improves tenfold.

Oh.....I forgot to mention, live in a house on 10 rai....you don't need to exercise....just looking after the backyard will take care of that.

I live in rural Thailand and I spend an hour or so most early mornings hacking down the scrub and grass/palm grass on 2 rai. If I get bored with that I then do the same for my friend and neighbour who has no husband to do it for her. The alternative is to prune/hack/trim the trees back and there are a few of those to do as well.

That is how I spend at least 2 hours each day, sometimes up to 6 hours, cutting grass and trees, looking after next doors extended garden, an old woman lives there sans family, I also cycle in the late afternoons. I really enjoy working in the heat, and working outdoors, having worked In An office for over 40 years. I am teetotal and a non-smoker. I take a pride in making sure my immediate surroundings are as neat and tidy as they can be, I just wish the grass would stop growing quite so fast.

Try watering the grass with vodka, it will come up half cut.

[Assurancetourix]

Don't know where you are living in this huge province;

if you are living in the south of it ,going to Kabinburi or Saraburi for example ;

you will have some nice hills .

If living in the north of the province, I agree with you it's " morne plaine" as said Napoleon when he was in Russia ...

[perdido]

...nice yoga studio on 2nd road, opposite Caesar's Palace.....' Ang ' yoga...

[Mencken]

Judging by all the whales I see in the MRT, it is doubtful.

I weigh 7kg more than I did thirty years ago. I'm way too soft though. Walk 2-6km a day, Bangkok heat.

Obesity is just sloth. Obesity causes obesity.

When I hear someone is fat because of illness or meds, I still think they take no exercise and eat poorly.

Sugar, carbs and processed foods are killers.

Thais are becoming much heavier but it can still be asked, why are they slim and you fat? Diet primarily.

Single people eat poorly.

Fat people have no business drinking beer. Beer belly so disgusting and dangerous. All that fat pressing on your organs. But hey, bet you knock em dead in the gogo you handsum man.

Edited November 21, 2015 by Mencken

[puukao]

10 beers a day, 3 short times, and mango shake.

do i even have to say what i do after 11 a.m.???

[robblok]

10 beers a day, 3 short times, and mango shake.

do i even have to say what i do after 11 a.m.???

Trolling the forum does not cost a lot of energy.