could also be... the high humidity & heat, smaller portions of food (which are heavily fish and veg based), high rates of smoking, general poverty and simply eating less, etc.
I lost weight in Thailand and later in Australia, and it was mostly because of the heat, sweating a lot, and generally smaller meals. No magic secret here.
Plus the inevitable "Bali belly" that travelers get the first couple days there.
the South is humid and hot but very obese. I think it has to do with metabolism. The rice diet does not metabolize into fat as readily there among the natives.
I lost weight in Thailand and later in Australia, and it was mostly because of the heat, sweating a lot, and generally smaller meals. No magic secret here.
Plus the inevitable "Bali belly" that travelers get the first couple days there.