Phuket body transformation: And so it begins

PHUKET: Moving to Phuket has taken its toll on my weight and health. Almost 10 kilograms is what I have gained since I moved to the island a little over one year ago. How come?

There are a number of reasons for this mishap.

The love of Thai food

It doesn’t take a nutritionist to figure out that stuffing yourself with heaps of rice, pork, greasy curries, fatty coconut milk and sweet Thai tea day after day isn’t exactly a sustainable diet… and I do love Thai food. Who doesn’t?

There are literally hundreds of quality restaurants around, leaving one with little time to dine at home. And boy, are the restaurant owners eager to please. In the last 12 months I must have gulped down more foie gras, t-bone steaks and crème brulee than in my entire life before Phuket.

No time to move

Tourists can spend entire days in Phuket indulging in their favorite sports: cycling, surfing, tuk-tuk chasing. For working expats, things are different. With the sun setting at about 6:30pm every day, there is little time left to go outside and move once free from the office.

So, here I am, 15 months later and 10kg heavier. As of today, I weight 93kg.

I’m by no means fat. That is mostly thanks to my above-average height of 196cm. But I do feel heavy, lazy, constantly tired and, at times, depressed and frustrated.

I wanted do something about it, to make a change, but lacked determination to do it. There are some things you cannot do on your own.

Help came from Thanyapura’s Total Body Transformation Program: eight weeks of exercise and diet under the guidance of the sport centers’ fitness and nutrition pros. I decided to commit.

For the next eight weeks I will be:

Exercising at Thanyapura three times a week under the guidance of a professional coach.

Avoiding some of my favorite and, at the same time, most harmful foods, including soda, bread, cheese… just looking at that list makes me sad. But, I will prevail!

Exercising at home according to the advice provided by Thanyapura coaches.

It won’t be easy, and there will be pain and sweat – though I’m not expecting any tears – but I’m willing to take the plunge.

I will be regularly reporting on my progress, stumbles, falls and successes, and eight weeks from now, there will hopefully be one less fat foreigner in Phuket.