How to get slim like the locals

[ozchick]

Yeah well the rooster reckons we should eat like the locals and then we'd be slim. He's conveniently forgotten that I WAS slim when he first met me 8 months ago. I now have to battle for survival against the odds of chocolate, wines, crisps, cheeses etc that HE brings home that I don't ask for ! MEN ! They are the ruin of all good women !
Sigh.....so off we went yesterday to have breakfast like the locals.
Oh yeah this really made my day. A bowl of 'congee'- sloppy, starch-filled gruel of liquid-rice torture with scallops- yep for BREAKFAST !
But wait for it- there's more ! This was followed by shrimp dumplings and spring rolls. Yep- those last two are surely the slimmer's guide to success ! Well how could we say NO ? The waitress told us that this is what they eat ! Yeah sure....and I'm the queen of Sheba !
So of course HIS question is "How do the locals stay so slim?"
MY question to this dear man is, " Why don't you let ME do the shopping and YOU keep out of the supermarkets and restaurants ?! Simple ! Aghhhh !

[notwavingdrowning]

Exact same discussion...My partner & I have...FYI, if we ate like the locals daily, we would put on even more weight...We would eat at Hawker centres way more- but most of the food is either drowing is oil- even the greens? the rice is white versus brown, which is so much better for you- and much of the meat is deep friend or swiming in coconut milk...

I cant work out how the locals stay so slim either...My only solution is...calories in/calories out...

Many work longer hours than us...They MOVE more..They walk around more (something many expat women I know find hard to do, especially if you dont want to arrive at your destination looking like a drowned rat) rather than cab it..

In my case- I have never walked so little as I do here..just cannot cope walking with the heat...It makes you realise how much incidental excersize we were getting at home with little walks here and there..

Many of the expat women are not working...which is a killer for weight gain...

I would love to know the locals secrets to staying slim too- but I think it must be portion control- no snacking and lots of walking...

[Vaucluse]

How can white people be as dark as Africans?




Genetics, ladies . . .

[hertfordshire_lad]

Its not about genetics, you can still see a good number of "larger" locals.

However, I agree that there seems to be a weath of (unhealthy) eating opportunities which many locals enjoy without putting on excess weight.

I notice that a lot of locals will have a hot drink after their meal as well as hot soup with their meal. This must help to break down food.

I would also say that on average, locals are more active. They know a lot more people here so usually have more things to do after work.

[road.not.taken]

Many of the expat women are not working...which is a killer for weight gain...

Hey! Since when! I have a chance to walk and move around much more than someone who works in a little cubicle in front of a computer all day. On average I log 5,000 - 12,000 steps a day.

[durain]

i think it is not what you eat but what you do to burn off the food. how often you see local eating healthy food? can you get a bowl of healthy whole grain cereal in a food court? but if you look at the western food marketing, they would advertise good healthy food, organic stuff, free of chemicals, etc but the percentage of fat or obese people are still growing.

so genetic or lifestyle?

[road.not.taken]

I believe high fructose corn syrup has wreaked havoc on the western diet and will do the same here unless 'locals' (a flawed term) reject it. Singapore was a 3rd world country not too long ago and the older generation here still knows the meaning of frugality and careful, thoughtful conservative spending. It's no wonder their children are careful as well, but with all this new money it's no wonder obesity here is on the rise.

[ozsingfly]

With the commercialation of Asia watch the general population start to expand, not only in massive numbers but in masses of inches around the waist.

Can you remember visiting somwhere without a McDonalds??? KFC??? Burger King??? They arise in even the most of unsuspecting areas...

As for how to get rid of the weight, keep it off, excercise! Burn more than you eat and it has to happen! Yeah I know, not that easy!!!

I am only just starting to listen to myself, that is mix up the excercise, make it fun, make it a challenge, plan an excercise regime around social occasions, swim, walk, run, there are plenty of walking trails around Sing, yes expect to SWEAT!!! Set a challenge for yourself, enter a competition/fun run in a few months time and make your goal to complete it, no matter how long it takes.

Good luck with your mission should you wish to accept it...

[Wind In My Hair]

Partly genetics - smaller frames in general, though that should only make a local person look fatter with the same weight distributed across a shorter height if you think about it.

Partly diet - you don't see a lot of milk, cheese, butter, steak or wine in local cuisine. Yes food here is oily but you see it and so may instinctively avoid it. The 'western' diet has a lot of hidden rather than obvious fat. The times I and other Singaporeans put on weight is when living or holidaying in Europe or the US, so definitely diet has a lot to do with it.

Partly weather - it's too hot here to eat! Or maybe it's just me. When it's cold I eat a lot more, drink more hot chocolate etc.

Partly culture - we tend to order a few different dishes to share, and it's only polite to leave enough for the rest, so we end up eating less than we'd sometimes like to.

Partly money - lower incomes comparatively, plus in my experience 'westerners' are more likely to splurge on food compared to Singaporeans with the same income level.

Partly attitude - we're just gorgeous and we know it.

[durain]

With the commercialation of Asia watch the general population start to expand, not only in massive numbers but in masses of inches around the waist.

Can you remember visiting somwhere without a McDonalds??? KFC??? Burger King??? They arise in even the most of unsuspecting areas...

this is so truth. on the island of okinawa, the newer generation are getting fatter with the diet of unhealthy eating. okinawa has one of the oldest population in the world. dont know what's the outlook going to be for the next generation...

[phil30k]

The real secret is that locals don't eat out all the time.

Outside food is like festival/holiday food. Eating out is what packs on the pounds.

Home cooked meals tend to be simpler.

[Global Citizen]

Smaller portions of food and less meat. If meat is used, it's usually used sparingly and in bite size pieces making for less consumption.

Genetics play a part as does individual metabolism.

[jamesy]

From my experience most locals are fat. The oil in hawker food will kill you!!!

[sundaymorningstaple]

I would also say that an unhealthy percentage of locals are overweight as well. We, as westerners, tend to see them as smaller as they are "overweight" and not "Obese" like a high percentage of Westerners are, especially if they are from the fat capitals of the world like Aus & the US. But, with the better diets of today, and the proliferation of fast food garbage they will catch up in no time. According to WHO 25% of males and 25% of females over the age of 30 are overweight here and projecting that by 2015 26% of males and 36% of females will be overweight. According to another study 30% of the adult population are currently overweight.

We won't even talk about the fat little mandarins in primary school (of all three primary races).

[HunBunny80]

Locals have a high percentage of fats. They may look smaller but if you look closely, they do not have shape, i.e. no tone. Ladies tend not to exercise and they have flabby fats. Skin hanging off the bone. I was like that once.

Also, most chinese cooking do not have alot of nutritional value. Vegetables and meat are cooked to death so I guess even when the locals eat alot, they are still "malnutrion" and they have been doing that since young. Most exercise they do is dancing and shopping???

I am local born but after living in UK for many years, I developed the body of a westener because I eat and I worked out. Locals see me as fat which depresses me but hey, I am alot fitter than most local ladies.