La Vida Idealist

Home to beautiful art and high altitude

While not directly related to volunteering, I felt this post could inspire someone feeling a bit overweight to make the trip to Bogotá, volunteer, and lose a few pounds in the process.

The other day I weighed in at the doctor and I was surprised: I lost 9 kilograms, or 20 pounds? I have a thin frame as it is, so that is a lot of weight for me.

I was confused. I exercise no more than I do in the U.S. My diet isn’t drastically different from back home. If anything, the food I eat here has more fat and more carbohydrates.

I began to  consider that the altitude had something to do with it. Bogotá is elevated at 2,640 meters (8,660 feet). I am used to living at sea level.

I looked around the internet, and found some studies on weight loss at high altitude. It turns out, the body absorbs food at a lesser rate in high altitude climates. Also, the body dries out faster, taking away water weight.

There are other high altitude cities in South America. Standing even higher are Quito, Ecuador (10,000 feet) and La Paz, Bolivia (12,120 feet). That gives you three major cities in South America to look at, and there are tons more.

*Disclaimer: I am far from a nutritionist, and there may be other health factors to consider.

Latest posts by mabogota

• Inevitable Stereotypes - March 11th, 2010
• 2009 Wrap-Up - December 30th, 2009
• Paying It Forward: Helping Locals Volunteer Abroad - November 2nd, 2009
• Is Bogotá Safe? - October 20th, 2009
• Must Read: Strategies to Empower a Community/Organization - October 14th, 2009
• Volunteering at a Religious Organization When You´re Not Religious - September 29th, 2009
• Be Careful, Self-Deception Can Cover Its Tracks... - September 20th, 2009
• Ciclovía: A Car-Free Revolution - September 8th, 2009
• Teaching English with a Fake Degree I Bought off the Internet - August 31st, 2009
• What You Need to Know About Living in Bogotá - August 25th, 2009