Happier Abroad Forum Community

Living in Asia for 10 months was an interesting experience.

One good thing to come of it was LOSING 14 LBS IN WEIGHT!

I lost most weight in China, simply because I couldn't find that much food I really wanted to eat. Plus I must have lost a bit when I got a virus and couldn't eat for 2 days.

I'm surprised I lost weight in Thailand. My diet there was pretty terrible given that just about everything in Thailand is fried. And I ate out a lot, and chefs don't care too much about using a lot of oil/salt etc. etc. Plus I drank a heck of a lot of beer Chang.

I put my weight loss down mostly to the fact that I didn't snack all night like I used to do back in farangland. In farangland I'd get home after work, put the TV/Playstation on and snack pretty much all night.

I think that drinking wine makes me eat more as well. I never drank wine at all in Asia.

One interesting thing is that I never really felt ravenously hungry in Asia, whereas back in farangland I have days when I just can't stop eating.

So my theory is that it's the VOLUME of food you eat that matters, not WHAT you eat.

Anyway, I hope I can continue this in 2014, as I'm only half a dozen lbs or so from being my ideal weight/BMI.

I've also lost around 15 pounds--just by eating mostly Chinese food. The funny thing is...I've virtually stopped lifting weights since being in China. I do run occasionally but not like I used to back in the States. And I've also been playing some basketball on the weekends.

So, essentially, I'm working out less, yet I've been losing weight while in China. Odd...

When you come back to the USA from Asian after spending a month or so you IMMEDIATELY notice how HUGE everyone is in the states...lol. I lost weight everywhere in Asia EXCEPT the Philippines.