How do you get rid of a pot belly that won't go away?!

[Winston]

I dont get something. How come most people in china dont go to the gym yet they are very thin? Why not me too?

Yesterday the doctor said my BMI is 29 now. 27 is considered obese he said. At least in taiwan. Not sure about america.

[droid]

I dont get something. How come most people in china dont go to the gym yet they are very thin? Why not me too?
Yesterday the doctor said my BMI is 29 now. 27 is considered obese he said. At least in taiwan. Not sure about america.

That whole thing about it being dependent on individuals' metabolisms is baloney. I can guarantee you if I spend a day with you I will be able to point at your bad habits. I've known people that complained about their weight, but could see when they ordered creamy cakes and shakes, they just don't mention it.

I love sliced bread and bought two big packs on sale the other day. Gobbled them down in a week and yeah now i gained a couple pounds. Clear as water.

[Winston]

But the last two months, ive been eating only rice and vegetables. Yet my weight has been a constant 82kg. It doesnt want to go down. Then last week i started eating some junk food and now im like 83kg. Its like i can gain weight but not lose it. It wont go under 80kg for some reason, even with extreme healthy eating and lots of walking around the city, as i did in china.

[El_Caudillo]

Have you been drinking your iced tea with sugar? Some drinks in Taiwan are incredibly sweet. Cut them out, there are plenty of no sugar options. Also cut down on rice - try replacing it with beans if you are cooking at home. Many buffet places in Taiwan have that red rice which is better for you than white rice.

Walking on the flat just isn't high intensity enough for losing weight, are there some mountains around Chiayi you can go to twice a week or so? I think Taiwan is not a bad place to get into shape, can't comment when it comes to Angeles city.

[Rock]

I'm just back to Makati from Taipei. Winston came up to visit while I was there which gave me a chance to observe him.

I'm pretty sure he has serious obstructive sleep apnea which deprives him of deeper rejuvenating slumber. So he generally feels lethargic during the day and that minimizes his activity level. He also often goes through periods where he eats a lot of processed garbage, at frequent intervals, and in large quantities.

We went to Taipei Medical University Hospital to confirm my suspicions. Doctor was pretty sure he has the sleep condition (will get a comprehensive test next week) and also confirmed what many of us on the forum have already stated - that periods of fasting only compounds the problem for someone like with very low metabolism and that he's in dire need of some strenuous exercise.

Well, the next day, I took him to a small mountain near my place and just walking up a few hundred meters of incline made him dog tired. He was panting like he was about to have a heart attack.

The guy needs to get his sleep problem managed and get on an exercise program which involves a lot more than walking. On that mountain, there were many elderly people who had no problem hiking to the top. He needs some intense exercise to stimulate testosterone and boost his metabolism. But in order to achieve a normal energy level for someone his age (albeit an overweight one) to perform such exercises, the sleep issue must first be addressed. Cus it may be the root cause of his reluctance to exercise.

Oh, doctor also said his BMI of just over 29 is in the obese zone (27+) by Taiwan standards.

Really hope he will get these issues managed to dramatically improve the quality of his life going forward.

[Citizen]

But the last two months, ive been eating only rice and vegetables. Yet my weight has been a constant 82kg. It doesnt want to go down. Then last week i started eating some junk food and now im like 83kg. Its like i can gain weight but not lose it. It wont go under 80kg for some reason, even with extreme healthy eating and lots of walking around the city, as i did in china.

Winston, do you look like the others who post on this site? If yes then take their advice. If no, then find some people that are like you and ask their advice. If they are healthy and you want to be healthy then live a life the same as theirs. Exactly the same as theirs because in a persons life the possible causes for things are infinite. You don't know the cause.

[Moretorque]

If you eat lean meats and vegetables with exercise the weight will come right off, I have been through all this stuff, it is your diet along with exercise.........end of story.

Some people are blessed who can burn more calories but all or most of these people who claim they eat what they want and do not get fat eat like birds compared to me.


If you are young then yaa you can get away with alot but other than that it's your diet and exercise.....

[YourTrustedAdvisor]

But the last two months, ive been eating only rice and vegetables. Yet my weight has been a constant 82kg. It doesnt want to go down. Then last week i started eating some junk food and now im like 83kg. Its like i can gain weight but not lose it. It wont go under 80kg for some reason, even with extreme healthy eating and lots of walking around the city, as i did in china.

Winston:

You've been fat so long, can you even remember being thin?

The answer to what you perceive to be a perplexing problem is really quite simple: if you had really tried to get into better shape, you would have been so by now.

As the saying goes, sometimes you just gotta know when to fold. Spend your energies on something else you know will produce real results.

[wanderlust]

I dont get something. How come most people in china dont go to the gym yet they are very thin? Why not me too?

Yesterday the doctor said my BMI is 29 now. 27 is considered obese he said. At least in taiwan. Not sure about america.

I'm just back to Makati from Taipei. Winston came up to visit while I was there which gave me a chance to observe him.

I'm pretty sure he has serious obstructive sleep apnea which deprives him of deeper rejuvenating slumber. So he generally feels lethargic during the day and that minimizes his activity level. He also often goes through periods where he eats a lot of processed garbage, at frequent intervals, and in large quantities.

We went to Taipei Medical University Hospital to confirm my suspicions. Doctor was pretty sure he has the sleep condition (will get a comprehensive test next week) and also confirmed what many of us on the forum have already stated - that periods of fasting only compounds the problem for someone like with very low metabolism and that he's in dire need of some strenuous exercise.

Well, the next day, I took him to a small mountain near my place and just walking up a few hundred meters of incline made him dog tired. He was panting like he was about to have a heart attack.

The guy needs to get his sleep problem managed and get on an exercise program which involves a lot more than walking. On that mountain, there were many elderly people who had no problem hiking to the top. He needs some intense exercise to stimulate testosterone and boost his metabolism. But in order to achieve a normal energy level for someone his age (albeit an overweight one) to perform such exercises, the sleep issue must first be addressed. Cus it may be the root cause of his reluctance to exercise.

Oh, doctor also said his BMI of just over 29 is in the obese zone (27+) by Taiwan standards.

Really hope he will get these issues managed to dramatically improve the quality of his life going forward.

A lot of how people process calories stems from their already-existing hormonal balance. If someone has insulin resistance, or low thyroid, or high cortisol, or low testosterone, all those things can contribute to storing calories as fat. Those things tend to go together, and someone with that kind of balance tends to feel lethargic and somewhat depressed, a typical mood in the Anglosphere.

Many people will remember how as teenagers or young adults, they ate anything and didn't get fat. At the same time, they can remember that they felt somewhat different too. The body's chemistry changes with age.

I think Rock hit on something important above - sleep. Someone who doesn't sleep well and deeply tends to have higher cortisol and lower testosterone as a result. The higher cortisol tends to reduce the effectiveness of insulin, so the food you eat isn't as easily converted into energy and instead is more likely to be stored as fat. With the reduced testosterone, again that tends to promote fat retention.

Many on this forum might remember a time when their stress went up, they got fatter even if their eating habits remained unchanged. If the new chemistry comes and stays for a while, it becomes harder to shake it off.

Best thing would probably be to see a sleep doctor, or you could get your thyroid and testosterone levels checked.

[Shemp]

The way to lose weight is simple: eat less. There are no fat people in concentration camps.

The real issue is controlling appetite when eating less. Willpower is NOT the answer, at least not the whole answer. You have to work with the body's hunger mechanisms rather than trying to resist them head-on.

For most people, the first place to begin is a 7 to 14 day water fast. This will result in only a small amount of fat loss. The true purpose of water fasting is to reset the metabolism and, most importantly, break bad psychological habits, often referred to as "fatty mentality". If you are hungry while fasting, then continue the fast until the hunger goes away. Normally it goes away after 3 or 4 days. In healthy people, hunger disappears immediately. Hunger normally returns after a month or more of water fasting for someone who is overweight.

After concluding the water fast, go low-carb/low-fat/low-calorie/high-protein, eating once a day, with refeeds of excess calories (from lean meat or fish) every few days to push up the metabolism. Once the excess weight is lost, you can back off from the low carb diet to something more sustainable.

Exercise has little to do with weight loss. Sometimes it helps marginally, though exercise can also cause increased appetite and this sabotage weight loss efforts.

Water fasting beyond 14 days needs to be under a doctor's supervision. But do read the inspiring tale of the famous 382 day fast (not entirely water only, however): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2495396/

[desembarazarse]

jamesbond,

Could you create an image with Winston's head replacing this guy's head?

[El_Caudillo]

It's motivation, what if I told you if you dropped 10kgs you'd get a hot girlfriend? Then you'd be into it. Find your motivation Winston. Good luck.

[Rock]

It's motivation, what if I told you if you dropped 10kgs you'd get a hot girlfriend? Then you'd be into it. Find your motivation Winston. Good luck.

He'd prolly question the credibility of that statement by asking why you too don't have a hot gf even tho you don't have pot belly nor weight problem lol.

[Moretorque]

If you cut the food off the weight will go away, if you exercise it will go away faster. When I do heavy leg workouts the weight peels right off.

I am 51 and my body has slowed down a lot but it is nothing you can't overcome. I cannot eat like I am 14 and not gain weight as we age you need exercise and less food to stay fit plain and simple and you have to eat the right types of food.........

[El_Caudillo]

It's motivation, what if I told you if you dropped 10kgs you'd get a hot girlfriend? Then you'd be into it. Find your motivation Winston. Good luck.

He'd prolly question the credibility of that statement by asking why you too don't have a hot gf even tho you don't have pot belly nor weight problem lol.

Haha...but I also weigh around 83 kgs...conspiracy methinks!