Body weight and diet in the Philippines

[Dave Hounddriver]

54 minutes ago, Balisidar said:

Seems like she's always explaining that we are doin it for exercise which seems amusing to many of them.

When I first started walking in the Philippines I had to tell many people the same thing.  Seems like every filipino with a car, motorbike, tricicle or whatever would stop and ask me if I wanted a ride because nobody walks in that heat.  I was constantly explaining that I love it and it was good exercise for me.  It was one of the few times when I was not asked for money.  "I give your ride Joe.  Too hot for walking.  No charge."

I love that about the Philippines.

[Old55]

7 hours ago, graham59 said:

We also try to get out for some exercise each day...

What a lovely area for a walk. Lucky to have a safe clean area like this.

[Snowy79]

I put some weight on when I first arrived here after tearing a few ligaments supporting my right knee.  An MRI scan also highlighted general wear and tear after 24 years in the forces. I'm one of those that just has to look at weights and I build muscle. I got to 110kg at 5ft 8 which is technically obese but I was pretty much muscle as all I could do was gym work.  I do a lot of distance swimming but could swim all day and it doesn't tire me out or affect my weight. 

I started gentle jogs up a steep hill where I used to live as going up never hurt my knees and I'd walk down very slowly.  Since arriving on Boracay I started walking about 9km daily bare footed on the beach then slowly introduced jogging. I gave up all weight training and just concentrated on walking and jogging. I got to the stage where I'd run pretty fast for 4.5km then jog back or walk slowly.  

The lifeguards got to know me as they'd see me every day and noticed I did a lot of swimming so invited me to train with them. Up until last month when covid hit Boracay I was training with them 5 days per week and finally got down to about 85.5kg. Running and swimming was banned so I started doing circuit training and running inside the resort I live in as there's only 4 people, one circuit is just over 1km with two decent hills and put 2.5kg back on.

I only eat one main meal per day and just eat two small snacks, probably about 2k calories maximum per day, don't drink, smoke or like soft drinks but I've pretty much hit my weight I think as regardless how hard I'm training now I can't get under 87kg.

Fitness watch wise I bought a Huawei Band 4 pro with built in GPS so I can track my swimming without it being linked to my phone but it's useless for swimming. I swim say 2km and it records 600m and says I took 21 strokes. It's lnked to Google maps and shows me swimming on the beach. Running, heart rate and steps is very good though and quite accurate. 

[Tommy T.]

1 hour ago, Snowy79 said:

I only eat one main meal per day and just eat two small snacks, probably about 2k calories maximum per day, don't drink, smoke or like soft drinks but I've pretty much hit my weight I think as regardless how hard I'm training now I can't get under 87kg

Your weight of 87 kg sounds perfect for your height.

That sounds quite good and reasonable, Snowy. I can only suggest you might wish to augment your regimen with a goodly amount of sexercise... burns up a lot of energy and feels good too?

[Freebie]

14 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

What are you using to track your steps?  My wife had bought me a cheap fit band a few years ago, and it does not seem to be working now.  I wanted to start tracking my movement again, but I don't want to buy a really expensive one.

Several years ago in China, a then gf bought me a fitbit. Cant recall the model but it was a basic one but what was good was the software and the analysis that i was able to see, especially steps and kms on daily weekly monthly bases.

Since then I upgraded to a better fitbit model. fyi straps on fitbits are crap and break after a few months but lots of good alternatives on lazada etc.

Anyways in past 5 years Ive set myself a target of 5 million steps a year which equates to 13,700 per day.

At end of last year I achieved 25 million steps which was just short of 20,000kms....thast a good walk !

 Can see the total daily if I synch my fitbit with pc or phone. Its a strong motivator for myself. Definitely recommened

[Snowy79]

1 hour ago, Tommy T. said:

Your weight of 87 kg sounds perfect for your height.

That sounds quite good and reasonable, Snowy. I can only suggest you might wish to augment your regimen with a goodly amount of sexercise... burns up a lot of energy and feels good too?

I keep telling my partner that but she won't have it. She does comment that the single neighbour next door seams to be losing weight.    

[Old55]

Snowy what you are doing is amazing I'm sure it's contributing to ensuring a longer and better quaintly of life. The swimming is fantastic. I was an average swimmer but now I doubt I could only do more than a half dozen laps.

After I retired last year my wife and I both gained weight to an unhealthy level. We are eating better lately and attempting to walk but are slowly loosing weight. 

[graham59]

19 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

I see why. Not much else you could do there 

You'd be surprised. 

Party party tonight !  

[Snowy79]

7 hours ago, Old55 said:

Snowy what you are doing is amazing I'm sure it's contributing to ensuring a longer and better quaintly of life. The swimming is fantastic. I was an average swimmer but now I doubt I could only do more than a half dozen laps.

After I retired last year my wife and I both gained weight to an unhealthy level. We are eating better lately and attempting to walk but are slowly loosing weight. 

I'm fortunate in that I suffer cabin fever.  I wake by 5am most mornings and can't lay in bed.  If I'm too stiff to train in the morning I still walk a good 5km up the beach just to tick over then I train late in the afternoon.  I'm certainly reaping the rewards as my knees are the best they've been in years. From thinking I'd need them replaced to now I hardly feel them when training.

My partner has also had a massive improvement.  When I met her she suffered from a stomach ulcer and asthma.  Her diet was definitely to blame, dried fish, pork fat, plenty of salt and almost no vegetables. I refused to buy any of that and slowly introduced vegetables disguised with spices etc to her diet. She also accompanied me when I jogged the beach.  It's about 4.5km long and she would set off with me. The first week or two she went from running about 200m to a km without stopping. By the second month she was about 300m behind me as I hit the 4.5km turn around point.  Now she loves vegetables, has no ulcer or asthma and can beat me at times on my runs.  I'm very proud of her. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

16 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

nobody walks in that heat. 

Funny you say that. If Im walking somewhere with GF she complains it's too hot. I say its not, its hotter in Australia where I lived than it is here which it usually feels that way to me.