I am an American living in the Philippines. America (the US) has the largest percentage of obese people of any country in the world. A lot of it has to do with the high standard of living enjoyed by most Americans, even if many Americans don't think they have a high standard of living. Those particular people need to look outside of their little box and see what's going on in the rest of the world. In the Philippines, for example, obesity isn't a problem and weight loss programs really aren't necessary, at least not right now.

Fat Filipinos?

Although the percentage of fat people in the Philippines is much lower than the US, there are still quite a few that need to lose body fat. In my neighborhood, I can only count three people that appear to be obese. While I would love to blame their fat on health problems, I can't. I've seen them eat.

My wife's aunt, on her mother's side, is huge. According to her mother, that lady is always eating too. She's constantly being told to quit putting food in her mouth. She's been like that a long time (and she's in her 50s or 60s, but I don't remember her age), so I don't think words are going to help.

Another neighbor, a former Navy Seabee (Construction Battalion), is a huge guy. When he fills his plate up with rice, the plate is full and it's heaping. His ulam is always in a separate plate. He could stand to lose 10 pounds or more, and I'm being generous.

Weight Loss Products

I'll be honest. I've been doing the grocery shopping for nearly two years and I haven't seen any weight loss products at all in the grocery stores. The few times I've been to the GNC store in the SM Mall in San Fernando, Pampanga, I didn't see anything being sold that promoted weight loss. I could be wrong, but that kind of stuff normally sticks out at you.

What if someone here in the Philippines actually wanted to go on a weight loss diet? Unlike in the US where weight loss plans, weight loss pills, and weight loss tips are in abundance, I think a Filipino would be hard-pressed to find anything without searching for a few days.

Nutrition

Here's something odd for you to chew on (no pun intended). Vitamins are sold over-the-counter at drug stores in the Philippines, along with Penicillin, but you won't see them in grocery stores. They may be sold in the GNC stores, as herbal vitamins and supplements, but I didn't look for any and I didn't see any. I'm willing to bet they're the only stores (other than drug stores) that carry vitamins of any kind.

I'm not saying they don't sell nutrition products in the grocery stores because they do. The difference is that they're sold as food products, not vitamin products. I have some examples in my head, but I can't write them out because I'd probably misspell them.

The Average Filipino

The average Filipino (or Filipina if you're referring to a female) has a slender build. It isn't because they don't have enough food to eat or because they're malnourished. It's because average Filipinos are outdoors and active most of the time, a stark contrast to average Americans who are indoors and sedentary most of time.

As an American living in the Philippines, I'm more sedentary than my relatives here. I'm more active since living here, however, than I was while I was in the US. Perhaps someday I'll get to be as slender as the average Filipino at my age.

Fat chance.

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