I have a semi-silly, semi-serious question for all you people who currently live, or has lived, in Taiwan:
“Have you lost, gained, or stayed the same weight as when you 1st arrived in Taiwan?”
The reason I am asking is that I originally thought I would lose weight, but then I thought, - well would I?
REASONS I SHOULD LOSE WEIGHT:
Taiwanese food is generally alot healther than UK food (but then again - what isn’t?)
Fruit and veg can be found anywhere, and again, is alot cheaper than in the UK.
V hot in Taiwan - I usually eat less when I am in a hot country.
I will sweat alot (sorry - perspire) - therefore I could lose weight that way?
I will keep on comparing my big-boned western body to Taiwanese people, and this will ensure that I keep on trying to lose weight.
REASONS WHY I WON’T LOSE WEIGHT:
The food is glorious and gorgeous - I will surely have to try everything they can throw at me!
I will be busier at work than ever, and so will have less time to eat?
Can’t be bothered - other things to do.
I seem to get forced-fed whenever I am there - by in-laws, food stall-owners, etc…
Food is cheap, cheap, cheap - when compared to the UK.
Can buy food/drink any time, any place in Taipei…convenience…
As you can see, my mind is very well balanced in terms of this topic, and any thoughts from anyone out there who has experienced/is experiencing this would be much appreciated???
/ Trapper
PS - I HAVE ASKED THIS SAME QUESTION IN ANOTHER TAIWAN-ORIENTED FORUM, BUT I JUST WONDERED IF I WILL GET THE SAME ANSWERS HERE AS I DID IN TAIWAN HO!.
I shed a lot of weight last summer when I was in Shenzhen and Beijing. I’ve managed to keep most of that off. I lost about a good 30 lbs. and gained back about 10 since being here. Still trying to get it down lower though, as my playing days are behind me and I don’t need to be so massive anymore. My playing weight in Uni, btw, was 300 lbs. Just your typical college football monstrosity.
I’ve always lost weight in Taiwan before I got introduced to my boyfriends parents. I was busier then, less home and only had a small fridge and no kitchen.
I’m gaining weight now for the first time in Taiwan cause I’m working at home, got a big fridge and a kitchen (actually that doesn’t matter, I hardly ever cook) and most important cause we are eating at the parents place often now and you can’t eat a little with the mother breating down your neck…=((
I lost about 25 kg in my year in HK, and I’m already heading down the same path here - last I checked I’d dropped about 5kg since arrival without even making an effort. I reckon it’s the substantially reduced dairy intake that’s doing it… about the only dairy I get here is either in my daily coffee or the occasional Alleycat’s pizza
Wow, formidable. How tall are you? And how are the knees holding up?[/quote]
6’3" or 190 cm for you metric people. College defensive lineman. I’m lucky that my knees are still in tip top shape, and I hope I don’t get the knee curse that comes later on. To be honest, I never suffered anything worse than a strained hand in 10 years of playing ball (no I wasn’t a bench warmer …I was a full starter all 10 years, including being a 2 way starter all 4 years of HS), so I am in much better condition than many ex-players.
Jinete Mortal, 190 cms and 300 lbs?! Holy. Shit. I am 190 and a massive, whopping, immense 150 lbs (actually, I worked it out to roughly 147lbs, but being less than half the man you are makes me weep sorrowfully). I eat like a horse (no, not grass, and no, not out of a feedbag), but to no avail.
I have lost about ten kgs in the three and a half years I’ve been here.
I was about 70kg when I arrived here in 1988, stayed the same until… er… circumstances took me down to less than 50kg for a few years. Now I’m back to about 75kg. Unfortunately, that additional 5kg is IN MAH BELLY!
[quote]Here’s a few more to add to your ‘Reasons I might get Fatter’ list:
Taiwanese food is often very oily.
If you’re busy or working funny hours, you may grab quick convenience food (usually not healthy) a lot.
It’s very easy and affordable to eat out ALL the time in Taiwan, (small kitchens and the difficulty of slowly building up a supply of the cooking things you’re used to help with this), and it’s probably harder to eat out than at home.
Sooner or later you’re going to want the company of other Westerners and on the few occasions where this is not drinking beer at a pub, it’ll be at a restaurant or BBQ.
You’ll be getting older.
You may find it harder to find the exercise or sport you are used to at home.
Regular exercise aside, you may lose the incidental exercise of walking/biking places, as you decide it is too hot/rainy/dirty to walk, and realise how easy and cheap scooters/public transport/taxis are.
You’ll find a gorgeous girl, marry her quick and realise you no longer have to try and lose wight to pull birds.
I’ve no idea how much I weighed when I first came to Taiwan, but I was very thin then and began to fill out a bit after I’d been here for a couple of years. For as long as I’ve paid any attention to my weight, I’ve generally stayed in the 65-68 kg range. But a year and a half ago, when I was too busy to take my usual substantial amounts of exercise, I ballooned up to 70 kg, which was rather scary. Since then, with my daily swim and a minimum 10 km run each day, I’ve got the weight back down to a steady 64-65 kg, which is exactly where I want it to be, and can apparently eat whatever I like without affecting it at all.
I arrived three years ago in tremendous condition. Three years of long work weeks have set me a back a bit. I still work out and hike 2 or 3 times a week, but nothing like my former six day a week program. I’m up about 8kg. Could stand to lose all eight, though being tall makes it sit better on me.
Try not to get too comfortable. Keep pushing, or you’ll slowly get chunky.
USNA Midshipmen (Division I-A Independent) and Willamette University Bearcats (Division III - Northwest Conference).[/quote]
Thanks. I’m planning on attending the Navy at Tulsa game in September.
I have lost weight, but that just continues the trend. During the last year of graduate school, I followed a ridiculous diet of 1500 calories of alcoholic beverages supplemented by 1800 of food each day. I was up to 193 pounds as a result (quite a bit for my frame, though I looked a bit “chunky” rather than “fat”). In the past year and a half, I have knocked that down to 148. It makes a huge difference in my energy level and joint complaints.
I have lost about 20 kilos since coming to Taiwan without going on any kind of strict diet or exercise regiment. It goes up a little and then back down and seems to be stuck at a particular weight which I think means I need to actively lose weight. It helps that you can walk to places rather than having to drive for five minutes to get to the closest “convenience” store. Plus the fact that I am extremely picky about what I eat in Taiwan, because I don’t trust it, helps.
I have found, though, that during my stay in the US I cannot comfortably eat more than once a day because the food here is much heavier than back in Taiwan. Or maybe it’s because of the time difference affecting my body’s metabolism. Or maybe because my mother’s trying to cook up every single one of my favorite meals for the time that I am here. Could be that I am making the most of the fact that I can drink tap water (with ice!) by having 8 or 9 glasses a day. It’s probably all of them, but I’m hoping for the water.
Oh! Some people think that a big house or a fancy car make a suitable status symbol. Others think name-brand clothes or pedigree pooches indicate high status.
Not me. I think that people who have truly “made it” in this world have a big-assed ice box in their kitchen that dispenses crushed ice (not cubes) and cold water from the ice box door.
The ice box that dispenses crushed ice (not cubes) and cold water from the ice box door is, IMO, the ultimate status symbol.
That is what I am working for. I want one. Badly.
OK… about weight. I lost tons (not actually tons… but pounds) when I first came to Taiwan. But I hardly ate anything and I was exercising more than most professional athletes. I’ve gained and lost and gained again since then. But, I’m not trying to lose or gain now. I should try to lose.
Maybe we should have a thread where we post our weights and our losses. Kind of as a way to encourage ourselves and each other. Just a crazy thought.
College defensive lineman. I’m lucky that my knees are still in tip top shape, and I hope I don’t get the knee curse that comes later on. To be honest, I never suffered anything worse than a strained hand in 10 years of playing ball (no I wasn’t a bench warmer 