Train for Weight Loss in Thailand at Tiger Muay Thai

Welcome to Tiger Muay Thai’s weight loss and fitness blog. I’m your host, Aaron Rowland. I’m a 27-year-old writer from Los Angeles, California. I’m at Tiger to lose weight, improve my fitness and have the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve been here seven months so far and I’m staying indefinitely. My favorite exercises are the bicycle crunch and the medicine ball slam. Tire flips, suicide planks and burpees give me nightmares.

Keeping It Going

After a big loss in my first week, it was a bit intimidating moving into week two. I knew there was no way I would be matching my first weeks loss, but I also knew that I could keep moving in the right direction. It’s not about the number on the scale each week, but instead about slowly replacing poor food and exercise habits with healthier ones, until they become second nature. I planned another hard week or exercise and clean eating. No late night parties or naughty late night food runs. Not on the critical week two.

Sun And Fun On The Weekend

Last Sunday, twenty new Tiger friends and myself decided to embark on a day of adventure! Our first stop was a wake park on the northern side of Phuket. Here we spent two hours wakeboarding, kneeboarding and water skiing using an advanced cable pulley system that drags you along the perimeter of a large lake. After we headed for lunch and a competitive 18-hole game of mini golf. Everyone was exhausted by the time we got home, and it proved an excellent way to stay active on a rest day! Tiger offers outings most weekends, and it can be a great way to enjoy your time off from training and meet your fellow Tiger guests.

Does “Low Carb” Mean Low Energy?

Something started happening this week. I started losing energy. Instead of curling 20LB dumbbells, the 10LB ones beckoned to me. Instead of leaping up onto box jumps, I only have the power to slowly step up. I just didn’t have the energy. My body was finally punishing me for changing my diet. Over the last two weeks, I had been eating very clean. Very few carbs, lots of lean protein and lots of veggies. It’s going to take a couple weeks for my body to adjust to a healthier way of eating, but it will be worth it once it does. By Friday, I was already starting to feel the power slowly return.

The End Of Week Two

I was really dreading this weigh in. A 5.8 KG (13 LBs) weight loss is not typical, and I knew that it was possible I wouldn’t lose a single once this week. Luckily as I stepped on the scale, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. 117.7 KG (259 LBS), which meant I had lost 2.7 KG (6 LBS) this week. Much more than I could have hoped for. Again, I have to chalk a lot of it up as my body adjusting to a new way of eating. A sustained weight loss of 1 KG a week is a reasonable and healthy goal to pursue.

What’s Up Next?

Week three approaches! This weekend I was lucky enough to attend Ocean Bloom’s Saturday morning Boot Camp Fitness class at the Phuket Health & Fitness Festival. I’ll be aiming this week to keep up with the healthy eating and hardcore Tiger training. Hopefully my energy will continue to return and by Friday, I’ll be back to a body fit and cross training machine. In the meantime, I’ll rely on the motivation and encouragement of the other Tiger guests to keep pushing myself onward and upward.

Have a great week of weight loss! If you set your mind on it, I know you can do it!

A twenty-seven-year-old from the UK, Jordan Henderson has lost a stunning 41KG (90 pounds) during his time at Tiger. Originally from Scotland, Jordan has spent the last seven years working in the mobile telephone industry in London. He has been at Tiger for four months and will be heading home in a few weeks. His least favorite exercise is the burpee and his favorite exercise is the squat.

What first made you want to come to Tiger?

My brother came to Tiger two years ago in 2011. He had a fantastic time. I remembered him talking about it and made the decision to come to Thailand. I looked into Tiger at the website and all the youtube videos. I started learning about the cross training classes and the Buddha hike and it seemed like a great place to come for training.

When you arrived at Tiger did you set any goals for yourself?

Yeah, I wanted to lose a minimum of 50 KGs while I was here.

Wow. That’s a lot. How do you feel about those goals?

Right now I’m up to 41 KGs lost. I’ve still got a little bit to go, and I still want to lose the last 9-10 KGs before I leave. That way I’ll only have another 40 KGs or so to lose when I get back home.

What accomplishment at Tiger are you most proud of?

Getting up Big Buddha. That’s not something I thought I would be able to manage. I used to smoke a lot more than I do now, so I didn’t think it was something I’d be able to do. It actually only took me about three weeks of training before I was able to get up it the first time. Also just changing my lifestyle in terms of my relationship to eating and food. Learning to use food as more of a fuel for the body and not just something for you to enjoy. I’ve always known that was what you needed to do, but I had never been able to get myself into that pattern.  Now I’m getting used to it.

What kinds of challenges did you face along the way?

Staying motivated was pretty tough. After the first two months, it can be hard to stay motivated going to classes and not slacking. That, and making sure cheat days don’t become more and more frequent. You have to keep putting yourself in check. I found that to be difficult. I hit a bit of a wall. I just had to push through that. It’s fun being here, but sometimes it can be a bit of a struggle.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about coming to Tiger?

If you’re going to come, have a structured plan for the first two months of what training you want to do each day. Bring a food diary and use it. Definitely hit up the cross training, body fit and Muay Thai. Those classes are great for weight loss.

Are those the classes you took?

Cross training and Muay Thai were the classes I mainly stuck to. I really want to try some other classes like western boxing and BJJ before I leave.

Any advice for someone getting ready to come to Tiger?

Getting your cardio up can be helpful. Working out in the heat and humidity can be tough. You might be able to do one of these classes in the UK, but in this heat it’s a totally different ball game. You have to keep hydrated all the time. At least do some light jogging and maybe a bit of weights to prepare.

What surprised you the most about Tiger?

The friendliness of everyone and how easy it was to make friends. Not that I thought people would be mean or unfriendly, but everyone here is really supportive and helpful. You’re never on your own when you come here.

Tell me about one fun memorable thing that happened at Tiger?

I really enjoyed Songkran last month. It’s a phenomenal festival to celebrate Thailand’s New Year’s Day. It’s pretty much a three-day water fight throughout the whole of Thailand. Everyone is happy and carefree. It was a great time.

Any plans to return to Tiger?

For sure. I’ll be back in January for a month at least. I’d like to stay even longer.

A member of the Tiger team for the past six years, “Peter The Hulk” is nothing short of a Tiger legend. Every day, you can find Peter in the Tiger gym training with guests, showing them proper form and pushing them to increase their strength and muscle mass. He was born in Phuket and plans on living here for the rest of his life. He has been working as a personal trainer for over twelve years and specializes in building muscle naturally without chemicals. Be sure to also ask Peter about his history as a professional body builder and his large action figure collection!

How long have you worked at Tiger?

This is year six. Before I worked in a hotel for seven years as a personal trainer. One of the owner’s friends was a client of mine. He talked with Big Mac [Tiger’s owner], we met and spoke about what I do. He thought it would be good to have me work here. I speak English and I help build muscle naturally.

How did you first get into fitness competitions?

Many people told me, if you’re training, one day you have to compete or you won’t push yourself. If you compete, you see how they judge you. If you look at yourself everyday, you look the same. If you’re judged by others, you have more motivation to change and to train. Then you’ll see how they judge you compared to other people.

What advice would you give to someone preparing to come train at Tiger?

Here we have a big facility for weight loss and fitness. It’s not just Muay Thai. For people coming here, I think you should be at least coming for two months to see a big result. It’s good to come for a week or two to see what we have, but if you want to see big results and to be motivated to keep working at home, come for at least two months. I will teach you how to motivate yourself.

What weight loss tips would you like to share for people who are struggling?

Here in Thailand, the main thing is food. It’s the key for weight loss. We have good fresh food. Eat well, train hard and don’t go out too much. It’s lifestyle training.

Any diet tips that could assist in weight loss?

Food is the main thing. It’s very difficult for people in the beginning, but after two weeks you get used to it. You need to be very strict about your diet. You’re not eating food for the taste. You just need to feed your body.  But when you get used to the food, you’ll like it. I didn’t use to like “diet” food. I didn’t like grilled chicken or steamed chicken, I liked fried chicken. Now I love healthy food.  Eat well and you’ll see your body change.

Any mistakes you see guests commonly make?

A big mistake people make is trusting in chemicals more than themselves. People get bad advice and chemicals are easy to find in Thailand. If you want to build your body, you should look at trees. Both can be grown naturally. With food, water, things like that. They grow faster and look better.

Should people take any supplements while training?

You need to take vitamins when you diet. If you eat grilled chicken, it’s pure protein, you don’t get all the nutrients you need. You need to take a multivitamin, omega threes, glutamine and whey protein.  Just take the basic supplements. We sell them at Tiger. You can buy them here.

What kind of exercise is best for weight loss?

Weight training and cardio.  For cardio, there’s body fit and cross training. It’s great for weight loss. And weight training is important for building strength and muscle. Skipping weight training is a big mistake people make. People want to lose, lose, lose to look good. But you need to build muscle to replace the fat. Many women don’t want to do weight training, because they think it will make them big. They don’t understand that it makes you look fit and toned.

Welcome to Tiger Muay Thai’s weight loss and fitness blog. I’m your host, Aaron Rowland. I’m a 27-year-old writer from Los Angeles, California. I’m at Tiger to lose weight, improve my fitness and have the adventure of a lifetime. I’ve been here seven months so far and I’m staying indefinitely. My favorite exercises are the bicycle crunch and the medicine ball slam. Tire flips, suicide planks and burpees give me nightmares.

Starting Things Off

After body fit, breakfast, and weighing in on Friday morning, my day of fitness wasn’t complete. 2:45 cross training was calling me, and the team chipper had my name written all over it. The team chipper is a series of exercises performed in a team. For example, one team member starts performing 200 sit-ups and after 20-25 reps a new team member steps in, slowly chipping away at the larger amount. Some Friday afternoons are partner chippers and some are team chippers, but you never have to go in alone.

Exercise, Eat, Sleep

While living at Tiger, you tend to fall into a routine. Wake up, attend your chosen classes, eat three meals, relax with friends, and get some sleep. That’s the typical schedule for a Tiger guest. The classes and meals might change, but it mostly stays the same. At least, Monday through Friday. The weekends can get a bit naughty. On any given Friday-Saturday night, you’ll find no shortage of people hitting the beach during the day and hitting the bars in Patong at night. Work hard during the week and you can play hard on the weekend.

To Cheat Meal Or Not To Cheat Meal?

When developing a plan for my renewed weight loss goals, I was left with a dilemma. Is it worth it to have a weekly cheat meal? Some seem to believe cheat meals are simply a dieter’s way to self-sabotage and that in the long term they’ll destructively preserve intense cravings for salty, sugary and fatty foods. I happen to disagree. I’m not looking to just lose weight and then later fall back into old habits. If I deny myself the foods I enjoy while I’m losing weight, then how will I be able to constructively integrate them back into my diet once I’ve reached a weight that I’d like to maintain? So, dinners on Sunday night, I’ll indulge a bit. Nothing crazy, just a normal sized meal that will help control some of the cravings I feel during the week.

The End Of Week One

The moment of truth arrives. On Friday, I stepped onto the scales, and discovered I was down 5.8 KGs (13 pounds). Obviously, I’m thrilled with the results. I must admit that I’d been a bit naughty with my diet the few days before I started the blog and stepped on the scale for the first time. So undoubtedly some of that weight is water I’d been retaining from a high-salt diet and a 5.8 KG weight loss is not a typical number you’d see on the scale. Over the course of this blog, I’ll be thrilled if I am able to lose 1 KG a week. Losing more than that over an extended period of time can be unhealthy and even destructive to the body. So while I’m thrilled with such a large number, I do want to emphasize that it’s not a number you should be expecting to lose on a weekly basis, whether at Tiger or at home.

What’s Up Next?

The dreaded week two slump approaches. Anyone who’s ever dieted (or watched a season of The Biggest Loser), knows that week two can be a tough week for weight loss. You likely won’t see the huge numbers you saw in week one and it can be tough to maintain your motivation without such instant results. Next week I’ll also talk about some exciting ways to stay active, and I’ll share some pictures from this last weekend’s wakeboarding event at Tiger.

Have a great week of weight loss! If you set your mind on it, I know you can do it!