Different country - weight gain?

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bally
bally Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all!

:bigsmile:

I moved back to Australia about 6 months ago from overseas and I have steadily put all my weight back on.
I'm not sure why as I am eating the exact same foods and am still in the same field of work.

I know this sounds silly but does anyone have any reasons as to why this is? I really don't eat the jun k food, am on my feet ALL day and try to eat healthy.

:flowerforyou:

Replies

  • StiringWendel
    StiringWendel Posts: 3,806 Member
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    Are you eating the same foods exactly or the same types of foods? I ask this because, for me, there is a difference. I, too, moved countries a little while back (from the US to Korea), and even though I'm still shopping in a US store (military base), I am using different brands than I was using in the US. And I'm finding things like the sodium content, the amount of processing, etc to be different. So if you are using different brands that may not be quite as healthy, that could explain the weight gain.

    If not, then perhaps you might want to look at other aspects of your life and how they've changed. Are you getting as much sleep? Are you under more stress? Those kinds of things can impact weight as well.

    I gained about five pounds in our move, and I am having a really difficult time taking it off despite doing what I did to take it off in the first place. I've finally figured out (as I outlined above) that some of that is because while I'm eating similarly, I'm really not eating exactly the way I was eating before. And I also chalk some of it up to different stresses in my life, etc. Maybe you are experiencing a similar thing. Take care! :flowerforyou:
  • zoink66
    zoink66 Posts: 116 Member
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    This happens to me as well! I've lived in 3 different foreign countries in the last four years, but I've noticed every time I go home I tend to put on some weight. I chock it up to the fact when I'm at "home," I'm visiting and treat it like a holiday, and tend to eat more. In my mind I'm always thinking, "It'll be ages before I can eat this again!" because it's not available where I live. So I always put on a bit of weight when I'm visiting, then have to lose it again when I get back. However, I'm eating entirely different types of food (comparing the US/England to China and Thailand) and I do very little cooking at home. So if you're still eating the same foods and putting on weight, I'm at a loss as to why that could be happening.
  • bally
    bally Posts: 20
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    Thank you bothyour replies :D

    I think you may be right StringWendel, I must just be more stressed here than where I was :)

    :flowerforyou:
  • Dom_m
    Dom_m Posts: 336 Member
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    How long were you abroad? When you travel, I'm convinced people's metabolism and general activity increase. When you're in a new environment, everything is kind of exciting! You rush round everywhere, you feel more alive. I'm sure this increases your metabolism. When you come back home, everyone and everything is exactly the same as you left it, but you're changed. You slow down a bit. Life is a bit more drudging. And I'm sure your metabolism responds. (this isn't based on science, just my personal observation, but I'd love to see a study of this effect).

    The other thing that you may be doing, though you seem to be saying not, is drinking more now that you're home. Depends where you were travelling and what you were doing there, but we tend to drink more in Aus than a lot of other places.

    The last thing, is that when you're abroad you tend to do a lot more walking than you do at home. Just walking around town, to the shops, to the sites, down the street. Whatever. At home, you drive.
  • kabailz13
    kabailz13 Posts: 18 Member
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    No advice sorry but where in Aus are you?

    What brought you here?

    I'm in WA :)
  • MisoSoup79
    MisoSoup79 Posts: 517
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    I gained a lot when we moved to Germany (August 09). For me, it was obvious what the cause was - lack of physical activity. I had to give up my dogs, so no more "mandatory dog walks." I don't have friends here and the tiny gym requires a buddy system because there is no staff present. Hubby works long hours and usually does his workouts at work (he's military). That leaves me lonely in the house! And like a PP mentioned, even though I shop at a U.S. store, the brands offered are different and I have significantly less choices. Winter was rough here, because I'm used to the hot AZ climate - here it was rain, clouds, snow and wind all winter long.

    In your case, though... I would honestly suspect it was your body's response to the stress of moving. When your metabolism gets messed up from stress, it can take a long time to recover. Just keep on working towards your goals and I'm sure you'll recover.

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