[ersatz]

When I traveled in Thailand/Malaysia/Bali for 3 months, I lost 15 pounds without thinking about it at all. I ate whatever I wanted. I never had non-local food, I ate mostly street food, some fruits, some 7-11 snacks, etc.

I've heard that pinoy food is pretty bad although. I've heard stories about how people in their 20s have had all of their teeth removed because they load everything with sugar, although that was over 25 years ago and could of been many other things. Have you guys lost weight when you traveled to the Philippines?

[misterstir]

No but I lose weight whenever I travel outside of Britain + North America. I'm pretty sure it is because our foods are loaded with a specially refined high fructose corn syrup and other crappy ingredient that cause one to gain weight. I think it is in almost all foods but the vegetables including stuff like bread, meat etc. I have trouble losing weight in Toronto but once I leave I lose weight easily.

[ersatz]

Looking around at our philipino threads here, you can find good food, but you have to get a local to cook it at home for you. It's not like thailand where tasty weight loss food is around you every 5 minutes. If you still lost weight eating the convenient food in the philippines, speak up!

[MiXX]

Losing weight is not something to scream with joy about without knowing what you lost. You could be severely dehydrated or your body could have broken down lots of muscle tissue.

You want to make sure the weight you lose is 100% Sub-Q FAT under your skin, and that only happens when your body is in ketosis!

[Celtic]

Filipino food gets a bad rap around here. If it's so bad, why are their women so much skinnier than ones in the USA? I didn't find a lot of food loaded down with sugar there. It's not to the quality of Thailand or Spain, but they have plenty of tasty dishes there.

[the chef]

(01-02-2012 11:46 AM)Celtic Wrote:  

Filipino food gets a bad rap around here. If it's so bad, why are their women so much skinnier than ones in the USA? I didn't find a lot of food loaded down with sugar there. It's not to the quality of Thailand or Spain, but they have plenty of tasty dishes there.

They're skinnier because they don't consume as much processed shit as westerners do. The average Filipino cant afford to be eating shit at tgimcfuckwads and Applebee's all the fucking time.

With that being said yes, Filipino dishes aren't the healthiest option. A lot of middle aged filipno's I know tend to be prediabetic, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and so on. That's not to say Filipino food can't be good though. If you're in the Philippines the restaurants are generally not up to par... Eating with families in their own houses is a much better alternative.

[ersatz]

(01-02-2012 11:23 AM)MiXX Wrote:  

Losing weight is not something to scream with joy about without knowing what you lost. You could be severely dehydrated or your body could have broken down lots of muscle tissue.

You want to make sure the weight you lose is 100% Sub-Q FAT under your skin, and that only happens when your body is in ketosis!

I gained some muscle and definitely lost some body fat while in SEA, so I'm not worried about that kind of weight loss from traveling.

[Enfant_Terrible]

(01-02-2012 02:53 PM)the chef Wrote:  

(01-02-2012 11:46 AM)Celtic Wrote:  

Filipino food gets a bad rap around here. If it's so bad, why are their women so much skinnier than ones in the USA? I didn't find a lot of food loaded down with sugar there. It's not to the quality of Thailand or Spain, but they have plenty of tasty dishes there.

They're skinnier because they don't consume as much processed shit as westerners do. The average Filipino cant afford to be eating shit at tgimcfuckwads and Applebee's all the fucking time.

With that being said yes, Filipino dishes aren't the healthiest option. A lot of middle aged filipno's I know tend to be prediabetic, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and so on. That's not to say Filipino food can't be good though. If you're in the Philippines the restaurants are generally not up to par... Eating with families in their own houses is a much better alternative.

Have you tried going to the "Barrio Fiesta" or "Kamayan" restaurants? I realize they're chain restaurants but it doesn't feel like a chain restaurant when you go in them and the food is great in my Filipino view.

[Enfant_Terrible]

(01-02-2012 03:14 AM)ersatz Wrote:  

When I traveled in Thailand/Malaysia/Bali for 3 months, I lost 15 pounds without thinking about it at all. I ate whatever I wanted. I never had non-local food, I ate mostly street food, some fruits, some 7-11 snacks, etc.

I've heard that pinoy food is pretty bad although. I've heard stories about how people in their 20s have had all of their teeth removed because they load everything with sugar, although that was over 25 years ago and could of been many other things. Have you guys lost weight when you traveled to the Philippines?

I'm not going to force you what to eat but I can tell you to not go by hearsay and try the food for yourself. You're missing out on a part of what makes travel fun. Make friends with the locals and ask them where to eat Filipino food. Filipinos are generally chill and friendly, especially the young.

This is also a great way to get invited to parties or events (also a great way to meet Filipinas who're not bar whores) where food is plentiful. If you're a foreigner in a party Filipinos are eager to impress you by loading your plate with more food.

I'm no fitness expert, but if you're looking to stay fit while eating Filipino food you should be fine if you're doing your regular exercise routines and controlling/knowing about what goes in your mouth.

Finally, you can shop in the many open markets ("palenke's") for a wide selection of produce and other foods if you don't want to eat Filipino food. Warning: you might see some unsanitary things going on (like street kids drinking water from drain pipes) but vendors generally keep things clean.

--a skinny Filipino who loves Philippine food struggling to build muscle.

[morpheus]

You can pretty much follow a high protein, low carb diet in Phils (if you forgo the rice).
Try the tuna or pork sinigang (sour soup) or tuna panga (marinated tuna jaw). Both are really delicious.
Loads of BBQ around, just trim the fat off the pork and take the skin off the chicken if it bothers you.
Although, I find I can pretty much lose weight on any diet if I don't eat any complex carbs like potato or rice.
Filipino food is great, although Thai food is better.

[Aliblahba]

(01-02-2012 09:52 PM)Enfant_Terrible Wrote:  

This is also a great way to get invited to parties or events (also a great way to meet Filipinas who're not bar whores) where food is plentiful. If you're a foreigner in a party Filipinos are eager to impress you by loading your plate with more food.

This is spot on. And problem number 1. Filipinos are proud of their food and will load your plate over and over. Especially if you're a foreigner that doesn't turn your nose up at everything on the table cause it looks "weird". It's easy to overeat around pinays. They love to fatten you up so no one else will love you.

(01-03-2012 01:38 AM)morpheus Wrote:  

Loads of BBQ around, just trim the fat off the pork and take the skin off the chicken if it bothers you.

Problem number 2. A lot of the cuisine is fried and fatty. I've gained weight living with a pinay. It's hard not to. Crispy pata is the best, but, damn, it's a heart attack in the making. I can cook a number of dishes and most to them aren't something I'd eat regularly and expect to maintain a healthy diet.

Filipino BBQ is great. A proper lechon baboy, IME, rivals E. Carolina pulled pork or Texas brisket. No joke.

Now problem number 3. White rice. NOT HEALTHY!

This is a recently released study from Harvard, that backs a lot of other studies findings over the years, linking white rice to diabetes. I now eat it in moderation.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsou...index.html