Need Help Losing Weight

Life Health & Fitness
21

[quote=“Icon”][quote=“masterdoko”]me times sends me crazy…i overthink things normally so me time drives me NUTS

are there any free(or cheap) places for swimming where people wouldn’t take the time out to stare and say “watch the fatty!!!”[/quote]

Taipei City’s got a bunch of sports centers, like Zhongshan -close to the MRT- where it’s only 50nts per time at the swimming pool. Clean, you get to use the sauna, and practically empty in winter -in spite of being indoors.[/quote]

yes the pool at Zhongshan (aint that the one next to the CKS memorial?) is really clean and great, but I remember its 110 nt a time not 50?? But you can buy a monthly for 1600nt and that works out to be hair over 50.

theres a great beef noodle place near there too.

I Liked that place.

22

[quote=“tommy525”]
yes the pool at Zhongshan (aint that the one next to the CKS memorial?) is really clean and great.[/quote]
No, that’s Zhongzheng. Zhongshan, as the name suggests, is near Zhongshan MRT.

23

Sorry to say it, but light exercise like walking or swimming isn’t going to make a substantial difference. A trainer once told me fitness is, “90% diet, and 10% exercise”. I’ve heard 80/20 as well but… Unless you’re a marathon runner (which I was before I came to polluted Asia where even walking is dangerous as hell… wouldn’t dream of it here), or 11 years-old, you simply can’t eat crap, or even lots of healthy food for that matter, on a remotely regular basis. Although, finding an activity you are truly passionate about CAN make a world of difference.

You are going to have to change the whole way you think about food. You’re life and your psyche need some major changing. I know this is just stating the obvious, but f you’re 400 lbs, chances are you eat for reasons other than nutrition. You need to deal with these issues if you want to change. Breaking food addiction is the hardest addiction to break IMO because you can’t just quit food. On the bright side though, once you take that first step it gets a hell of a lot easier. Your body actually stops craving sugar, fat, fried crap, processed carbs, etc., and starts to be repulsed by them (OK, so I’ve never been “repulsed” by chocolate, but I feel disgusting and ashamed if I put KFC or McDonald’s in my body).

Can you cook for yourself? It’s really hard to watch calories in Taiwan as far as eating out goes. The only thing I eat out without feeling guilty is fishball soup from the dumpling place, very few items at the vegan buffet (the ones that don’t have any oil, like cauliflower, broccoli, and steamed whatever with brown rice), sushi sans mayo (just the fish on top of rice), chicken noodle soup (rather than beef noodle), subway turkey on wheat 6", and rice triangles from 7-11 (not the ones with the friggin’ wieners and mayo in them… gross). Oh, and the fruit ice desserts, although loaded with sugar, are OK too. Seriously, THAT’S IT.

No refined sugar.
No refined carbs.
No oily food.
No fried food.
Nothing white… rice is OK sometimes, better than oily fatty meat IMO
No sugary drinks, not even juice (eat the fruit instead)

These foods should be an occasional treat, not part of your main diet. Treat yourself once in a while so you don’t feel miserable and deprived. Your body and mind will adjust to your new eating habits and you will feel great in no time. You will probably acquire a more refined culinary taste too. A treat for me is Peking duck, or Shanghai buns (which prolly aren’t even that bad considering they’re steamed, especially not vegetarian ones), or a REAL burger from a restaurant. Not fast food. That stuff isn’t even good, and isn’t worth your calories, dude!

Oh, and EAT BREAKFAST!!! This is so important. I swear everyone I know who is fat doesn’t eat breakfast, or eats 2-3 big meals a day. Start the day with some oatmeal cooked in water, little milk and cinnamon, and some fructose. Or a couple of eggs and wheat toast – no butter. Eat 5 SMALL meals a day (it’s easy to fudge this one up and take in more calories if you are not militant about portion control). Lastly, don’t go below 1,500 calories a day at your weight.

It gets so much easier as time goes on, trust me. And good luck.

24

You have to do something every day. I got a dog that made me get out twice a day to walk her. It pushed me to do something EVERYDAY. Rain or shine I walk at least once a day. Going to the gym can be discouraging in skinny Asia, and the pool… Well.

But nobody laughs at a fat dude who is walking. And you can walk at night. Morning etc. It’s free. You can do it.

Make real small goals-like today you are going to walk 30 minutes, tomorrow walk thirty minutes and skip rope 50x’s, then add some push ups, dumbbell work, whatever. Do what you can-but do it well. If today you can only manage going to the end of your street and back or 10 jumping jacks (remember those from PE class) or 5 push ups.

“Hey I did 5 push ups and 10 jumping jacks, that’s more than I did yesterday!” Get that internal voice complimenting you rather than bitching at you. You might think-“Big deal 5 push ups.” After a week I bet you could do more than 5. You might be saying, " I couldn’t even do 1 push up. I have an old polo injury that prevents me… blah blah blah " fill in the excuse.

Do it every day and make it a part of your day that you won’t compromise. It gets easier-you get more energetic-which makes it easier- you get don’t sick as often when you eat right and exercise-so you can exercise more often.

Excuses-I’m the heavy weight champion of excuses. I got a thyroid problem, it’s raining, I’m depressed, my shoes hurt. (All my excuses BTW) If you need any excuses I got a million you can borrow. I just picture myself on an operating table having my sternum sawed into with an operating saw or being in the evening news as they crane lift me from my apartment after taking off the front door…

25

I’m being made to go to acupuncture 3 times a week (load of superstitious nonsense) and eating bunny food. Lost about 8Kg in a couple of weeks. I miss food :frowning:

Not so Big Fluffy Matthew.

26

[quote=“Bubba 2 Guns”] Going to the gym can be discouraging in skinny Asia, and the pool… Well.

[/quote]

You read my mind. I was going to start a rant thread about it. I have been going to the pool this past week…Day 1. I do a few laps and I am slightly out of breath (after months of sedateness) and an old guy with no teeth without any precursor wades upto me and tells me ‘you tire fast coz you are heavy’. OKAY.

Yesterday, I went back in…avoiding ALL eye contact, got out after about 6 laps for a drink of water and I am approached by a young guy,‘you swim well’ he goes. No eye contact, I mumble a xiexie but he’s not waiting for it, he continues ‘we Taiwanese cannot swim well (I am assuming he means free style) coz we are skinny, fat people can float better’. :noway: I can laugh about it now, that I have a cup of tea in my hand and but there, with a swimming cap on, and dripping wet thunder thighs while bikini goddesses are stretching their limbs not 3 feet away I was fuming. :bluemad:

Oh and walking is not easy either, people see me walking and ask ‘Pregnant’??? :frowning: Seriously, being fat in Taiwan is worse than being, white, black or a non chinese speaker. And I am not even THAT fat :wink:

27

On a slightly Off-topic rant note:

I hear you, dear, and I agree. Many times I’ve been chased out of a store by a clerk who maybe thinks being overweight is contagious… Either that or they start mocking your accent… Exploding doesn’t help as it only reinforces the stereotype.

I only wish I could say in fluent Chinese: Does it make you feel smarter/prettier to say crass things to people or is being passive agggressive part of your second nature? Or have you been brainwashed so badly by the “we Chinese have been abused by the world” that you have to take it on any foreigner on the street at the drop of a hat? Geesh…

The truth is they are just as bad among themselves when it comes to weight issues. I really feel for the overweight -for Taiwan- kids I see going to school everyday. Most of them walk alone. The worst part is that there are more and more of them all the time. The clash of reality vs. fantasy is going to be hard…

Just think about this: you’ll be home soon, where you are just one more face in the crowd…

28

…or one more fat bum :laughing: Thank you though!! It is awful here.

29

[quote=“SOLSIS”]hi all,

if you dont mind, I would like to introduce to you all a new wellness company. One of the products is about tackling weight management. The products arent revealed yet, but it will this May 15. I hope everyone can just go and register first,as this company is in it’s pre-launch. One of the people involved is a famous fitness instructor…so i believe with the products as well as the regimens, it will work as he has help a lot of people in US.

[color=#000080]Spam link removed by mod.[/color]

Do tell your friends about it, or at least those who wants to loose weight…give it a try! ( we wouldnt know until we try it as different people have different body composition…)[/quote]
You scumbag! Its bad enough touting your garbage, but doing it in a thread where a fellow has a REAL problem is just criminal.
DO NOT PAY ATTENTION to this “product!” IT IS NOTHING BUT YET ANOTHER SCHEME DESIGNED TO SEPARATE SUCKERS FROM THEIR MONEY! DON’T BE A SUCKER.

30

you shouldn’t have quoted him…JP would temp him once he gets off work. Patience!!! :slight_smile:

31

[quote=“Big Fluffy Matthew”]I’m being made to go to acupuncture 3 times a week (load of superstitious nonsense) and eating bunny food. Lost about 8Kg in a couple of weeks. I miss food :frowning:
Not so Big Fluffy Matthew.[/quote]
Well done, el fluffo. You’ll soon be all fluff and no substence if you keep at it at this outrageous speed.

HG

32

Divea, they are rude and ignorant. But don’t take it personally; they’re that way to everyone. And, hopefully you can use their insults for motivation, rather than simply fuming over them. I decided to work on my gut after I finally got sick and tired of my boss poking me and total strangers making comments to me in the elevator. The fact that I could kick any of their butts bicycling, running, swimming, fighting, whatever, is irrelevant. I’m tired of the fuckers telling me I’m fat. (And, come to think of it, I’m not especially pleased with photos of me at the beach.) So, I’m doing what it takes. Smaller portions, no snacks, less bread and rice, etc. As others have said, there’s no secret to weightloss/fitness; just steady, consistent application of commonsense principles.

Chiayo.

33

Damn! Where do YOU swim? I stopped going to the one near me at Xindian because its populated entirely by wrinkled ladies in their 70s. And young men in tiny speedos and spiky hair who look very hard at me and make me feel uncomfortable. How I’d like to find a pool that caters to good-looking straight people. Oops, of course then I wouldn’t be allowed in… thank GOD for walking!

34

[quote]I’m tired of the fuckers telling me I’m fat. (And, come to think of it, I’m not especially pleased with photos of me at the beach.) So, I’m doing what it takes. Smaller portions, no snacks, less bread and rice, etc. As others have said, there’s no secret to weightloss/fitness; just steady, consistent application of commonsense principles.

Chiayo.[/quote]

Yep Thanks MT. I do oscillate a lot too. Thing is these effers really never do stop…I am just bigger than the average Xiaojie. Last May I was 66 KGs which means super stick thin for me, I was hiking with a 12 kg child in my sling, doing 1 KM of swimming each day, and yet everywhere I went, people would be plucking the fat in my arms. These people just don’t get it, that we are of a different shape and curvature. Anyways, i am back on track and hopefully, will be back in shape taking those baby steps like you. Thanks!!

PS. Don’t even talk about Beach Photos :cry:

35

Damn! Where do YOU swim? I stopped going to the one near me at Xindian because its populated entirely by wrinkled ladies in their 70s. And young men in tiny speedos and spiky hair who look very hard at me and make me feel uncomfortable. How I’d like to find a pool that caters to good-looking straight people. Oops, of course then I wouldn’t be allowed in… thank GOD for walking![/quote]
Neihu Sports centre…somehow it has godesses and dirty old men in abundance. Wonder why???

36

Nicam obviously knows from direct experience, because he/she hit the nail on the head. How do I know? From direct experience. Reread his/her post again, and then do your own research around the ideas Nicam laid out.

Weight gain/loss is only about calories in / calories out. OP has been taking in waaay to many calories over the last few years. Some stats that I keep at hand:

  • A BMI over 32 is associated with a doubling of risk of death.
  • Obesity on average reduces life expectancy by 6-7 years.
  • Obesity contributes to some types of brain damage. (Recent NYT article.)

A couple of things that have helped me lose weight:

Study in micro-detail what the hell it is you are putting down your gullet. For a week, look up everything you eat on the ‘counting calories’ website and, in an excel spreadsheet, track how many calories of Fat, Carbs, Protein, and Fiber you are taking in each day. This process alone taught me so much - so many of our assumptions about what is healthy and what isn’t get thrown out the window once under this type of close scrutiny.

Good Luck

[quote=“nicam”]Sorry to say it, but light exercise like walking or swimming isn’t going to make a substantial difference. A trainer once told me fitness is, “90% diet, and 10% exercise”. I’ve heard 80/20 as well but… Unless you’re a marathon runner (which I was before I came to polluted Asia where even walking is dangerous as hell… wouldn’t dream of it here), or 11 years-old, you simply can’t eat crap, or even lots of healthy food for that matter, on a remotely regular basis. Although, finding an activity you are truly passionate about CAN make a world of difference.

You are going to have to change the whole way you think about food. You’re life and your psyche need some major changing. I know this is just stating the obvious, but f you’re 400 lbs, chances are you eat for reasons other than nutrition. You need to deal with these issues if you want to change. Breaking food addiction is the hardest addiction to break IMO because you can’t just quit food. On the bright side though, once you take that first step it gets a hell of a lot easier. Your body actually stops craving sugar, fat, fried crap, processed carbs, etc., and starts to be repulsed by them (OK, so I’ve never been “repulsed” by chocolate, but I feel disgusting and ashamed if I put KFC or McDonald’s in my body).

Can you cook for yourself? It’s really hard to watch calories in Taiwan as far as eating out goes. The only thing I eat out without feeling guilty is fishball soup from the dumpling place, very few items at the vegan buffet (the ones that don’t have any oil, like cauliflower, broccoli, and steamed whatever with brown rice), sushi sans mayo (just the fish on top of rice), chicken noodle soup (rather than beef noodle), subway turkey on wheat 6", and rice triangles from 7-11 (not the ones with the friggin’ wieners and mayo in them… gross). Oh, and the fruit ice desserts, although loaded with sugar, are OK too. Seriously, THAT’S IT.

No refined sugar.
No refined carbs.
No oily food.
No fried food.
Nothing white… rice is OK sometimes, better than oily fatty meat IMO
No sugary drinks, not even juice (eat the fruit instead)

These foods should be an occasional treat, not part of your main diet. Treat yourself once in a while so you don’t feel miserable and deprived. Your body and mind will adjust to your new eating habits and you will feel great in no time. You will probably acquire a more refined culinary taste too. A treat for me is Peking duck, or Shanghai buns (which prolly aren’t even that bad considering they’re steamed, especially not vegetarian ones), or a REAL burger from a restaurant. Not fast food. That stuff isn’t even good, and isn’t worth your calories, dude!

Oh, and EAT BREAKFAST!!! This is so important. I swear everyone I know who is fat doesn’t eat breakfast, or eats 2-3 big meals a day. Start the day with some oatmeal cooked in water, little milk and cinnamon, and some fructose. Or a couple of eggs and wheat toast – no butter. Eat 5 SMALL meals a day (it’s easy to fudge this one up and take in more calories if you are not militant about portion control). Lastly, don’t go below 1,500 calories a day at your weight.

It gets so much easier as time goes on, trust me. And good luck.[/quote]

37

In case I haven’t scared you enough re: obesity, an interesting quote from this article today:

“Obesity is really complex. It’s not all about willpower. It’s a brain-based disorder, and I hope that message becomes clearer.”

Seriously. That OP is obese suggests he/she may have a brain disorder. Perhaps not something to take lightly …

health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/ … ekids.html

38

A sedentary lifestyle plus fondness for beer and pizza is now considered a BRAIN DISORDER? Whatever will they think of next?

39

:smiley: that’s what we need, to know, we have screwed up bodies AND a brain disorder…puhleaaze…I am raising 2 kids and can’t do it with a brain disorder :loco:

It is also the modern day culture, blame everything on childhood and brain stuff, things you have no control of. Emotional needs and all…like DB says, we like the pizza and the beverage and the sofa!

40

…or one more fat bum :laughing: Thank you though!! It is awful here.[/quote]

Yeah. I dread this aspect of my return to Taiwan, but look forward to it, too. I’ve gained a lot here and I hate being fat in Taiwan–'cause even when I’m very thin, Taiwanese people love to tell me I’m fat. But now I really am fat. The good news is that the life style and diet changes always mean that I end up slimming down in Taiwan.

I’m only average here in Arkansas, but that’s such a false sense of things. Whenever I’ve been in Taiwan for a year or so and then fly back here, I’m always amazed by all the fat people. I hate to even admit that I’ve become one of them again. :frowning: