Summer Break is Over...Back on Track

I apologize for my little break in blogging.  It has been a busy summer!  My middle school was on break from July 23 to August 22.  However, per my contract, I only get 8 days off, so I worked a couple of days in my classroom and taught at an English summer camp at a local elementary school.  But, my summer break wasn’t all work.  During that time I managed to spend a week in Vietnam and get my SCUBA certification in Korea.  Not bad for one month!

The summer camp started after Vietnam, and I was feeling the need to get back on track after that trip.  I did what most of us do on vacation…enjoyed all the delicious new food!  Rather than beat myself up about splurging, I was determined to get back on track with eating healthy.  I thought that would be easy at summer camp because I was in charge of my own lunches.  What I did not anticipate was all the yummy snacks we would be given at snack time. 

The snacks I didn't eat.  Patiently waiting
to be eaten another day! 

I’m only about six months into being in Korea, so many things are still new.  When I see a new food or snack I haven’t tried, I just can’t help myself.  I want to experience it!  And, unfortunately, snack time wasn’t about healthy snacks – more like baked goods from a popular bakery.  To make matters worse, we taught two sessions each day, so there were two snacks handed to me.  My strategy…eat the snack in the morning and take the afternoon snack home for another day.  Since baked goods will go bad, I froze them to make them last.  I even got smart after the first week and halved some of them for portion control. 

The other benefit of this method is better control when craving something sweet.  Sharing food is very popular in Korean culture, so portions are pretty big.  This isn’t a problem for Koreans because another part of their culture is to do things together.  It’s rare for a Korean to go out to dinner or even to a coffee shop alone.  However, the big portions present a problem for me when I’m by myself and craving something sweet.  On more than one occasion, I’ve overindulged when the craving hit.  Now, when I’m craving a sweet baked good, I have portion control in my freezer.  I just need a little patience to let it thaw. J

Overall, Korea is an eating culture.  I am constantly amazed by the amount of foods Koreans eat at any time of day (and…they are so tiny…how is that possible!?!?!?!).  I am so thankful for all of the strategies I’ve learned in the past several years.  Without those strategies, I really would be in “big” trouble (pun intended).

Then and Now

When I look back to the past,

I’m surprised by what I see.

Wow…those eating habits,

Truly weren’t good for me.

I didn’t know any better,

What was good and what was bad.

So I had some extra weight,

And that made me really sad.

But knowledge is power,

Or so that’s what they say.

I embraced new ways and habits,

And changed the amount I weigh.

And even more than the number

I feel so healthy and alive!

Mindful eating, mindful habits

Have helped me truly thrive.

So I continue on my journey

Facing all the highs and lows.

But I’m a stronger person for it

Of that I truly know!

One of My Favorite Korean Dishes: tteokbokki

I had a breakthrough this week with beginning to guesstimate calories!  One of my favorite meals in Korea is something called tteokbokki (떡뽁이).  I did look online once to try to find the calorie count, and it seemed pretty high.  That was a little disappointing!  However, this week I learned how to make it in a healthier way.

My co-teacher invited me to her apartment for dinner.  I asked if I could be there while she made the meal, so that I can begin to learn how to cook Korean food.  She was all for it.  Naturally, I requested that we make ttoekbokki.  I was thrilled to learn that, for the most part, it’s healthy: stock, scallions, carrots, cabbage, fish cakes (it’s a Korean thing), red pepper paste, red pepper powder, and a little bit of sugar.  Now, the calorie killer is the rice cake (not at all what we think of when we talk about rice cakes in the US).  But all in all, I was glad to see that one of my favorite meals isn’t as bad as I thought calorie wise.

As an added bonus, the homemade version tasted “fresher” and lighter than what you get in the restaurants.  Of course, I shouldn’t have been surprised at that because that’s true everywhere, isn’t it.  Restaurants have a way of ruining even low-calorie meals…like salads.  Such a challenge for our weight loss goals!

Korean rice cake, aka tteok.

If you're curious about trying this fantastic dish, check out this link for a recipe:  http://aeriskitchen.com/2008/10/ddeok-bok-ki-%EB%96%A1%EB%B3%B6%EC%9D%B4/.  

Ode to Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki, tteokbokki!

Our delicious meal: tteokbokki,
kimbap and beer.

I want to make you mine!

So yummy and tasty.

I  can eat you all the time.

I love all your spice,

And the texture of your cake.

You sure do taste nice.

It’s you I will make.

I have you in a dish.

Gotta grab me a beer.

You're the answer to my wish.

I’m addicted…it’s clear!

My fabulous host and cooking
instructor, Kil Na Yeon.

Produce...Good for Health, Hard on the Budget!

Red is for vitamin C

As you’ve read in previous posts, there is never a shortage of food in Korea…they are definitely an eating culture.  So, my plan of attack has been to eat mainly salads for dinner when I cook at home.  Well, I’ve run into a little problem with that plan…produce is so darn expensive!!!

I haven’t been saving as much money as I had hoped, so I took a look at my finances to see where it’s all going.  I was a little shocked to learn that a huge chunk is groceries.  This has caused me to change my eating habits.  I’m going to stick to my omelet for breakfast (one egg and one egg white with lots of peppers and onions).  My school lunches will remain my biggest meal of the day.  Dinner…instead of tuna salad and fruit…is now a green smoothie.  Spinach is pretty cheap, and I can usually get a good deal on browning bananas.  When you freeze them for smoothies, the browning doesn’t matter.  And I’m thrilled to say…I found PB2!!!!  There’s on online store called iHerb that ships to Korea pretty inexpensively.  Add that to my smoothies, and it’s great tasting with some added protein!

Hopefully the plan B will help me maintain my wait AND ease my pocket book! : )  I will admit, though, I’m going to miss eating an abundance of produce.  Produce is just so powerful!!

Produce Rainbow

Can’t wait for that tasty strawberry.

Orange is for vitamin C as well as good ol’ A

Baby carrots are the way.

Yellow adds potassium

Bananas…I’m excited when I see ‘em.

Green throws in some folic acid

Spinach I ate it all, I did!

Blue provides some antioxidant power

I should eat blueberries every hour!

Indigo…ummm…I’m stuck…uh-oh

At least the poem keeps me in the know.

Violet has vitamins and a little manganese

Grapes...gotta get me some of these!

So many options, it’s hard to choose!

I’ll eat them all so I can lose!

Surviving the 4th...and the Rest of Summer

Fried chicken and kimbap...
my 4th of July picnic.

So how’d you survive the 4^th of July barbecues?  I did okay, mainly because portions were controlled…and because I created my own 4^th of July celebration with other foreigners.  My celebration of America’s Independence Day consisted of a picnic-style dinner by the Taewha River with two Americans and a Canadian, who we made an honorary American for the evening. Our menu consisted of fried chicken and beer, as well as kimbap.  Kimbap is traditional Korean picnic food: vegetables, rice, and protein wrapped in seaweed…yum!

 

Celebrating with two Americans
and a Canadian.

I veered a little off course for my holiday, but that’s easy to do during the summer.  Good news you can always use a few tips, tools, and strategies to re-set:

• Pick yourself up when you stumble…don’t throw yourself down the stairs just because you went overboard for a day.
• Think positively about the changes you’re going to make and take small steps to get back on track…slow and steady wins the race.
• Focus on a photograph of a thinner you.  You know what they say…a picture’s worth a thousand words.
• Remember that success isn’t always about the numbers on the scale.  It’s what you learn from the numbers that counts…change your perspective and you’ll change your world.
• Find a partner to be active with.  Get out together and make the most of a sunny day…two is more fun than one!
• Set small goals, so you’re not frustrated by the big pictures…just take it one day at a time.

As you can see…all kinds of sayings and idioms were coming to mind as I wrote this.  So, I’m going to do something a little different for this post’s poem:  inspirational weight loss sayings:

• When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.
• Take care of your body.  It’s the only place you have to live.
• Do not reward yourself with food.  You are not a dog.
• If you are going to doubt something, doubt your limits.
• No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch.
• Changing your diet is something we choose to do, not something we are forced to do.  Instead of dreading it, try saying, “Here’s another thing I get to do to help myself. Great!”

And my favorite one...

• Even if you can’t physically see the results in front of you, every single effort is changing your body from the inside.  Never get discouraged!

Party Smarty

I feel better having written those down…writing things down sure does make us more committed.  And I definitely need to commit to some behavior changes.  I’ve been just giving in to the whim of eating what I want.  These will help me slow down and get back on track!  : )

Summer is here!  Luckily, the weather in Ulsan, South Korea is quite pleasant compared to what’s happening back in Atlanta. J 

Summer used to mean lots of parties and more tempting foods, but that’s not going to be the case here (doesn’t seem like part of the foreigners culture over here).  But, going out to drink with Koreans is like a party…so much food!  In many Korean bars, you have to order food with drinks, which can be a bit problematic if you’ve already had dinner or visited another bar beforehand.  I need some strategies to help face the tempting foods.  Here are some old stand-by’s with a slight tweak:

• Make some healthier choices. My Korean friend Ryan ordered tomato slices with cheese last night because he knows I like salads.  That was a much better option than some of the fried choices on the menu.  And, it was delicious!
• Do a mental rehearsal.  This is more powerful than it seems.  If I mentally prep myself before going out, I find I am better at resisting the urge to over indulge.  I need to decide what I want and actually picture myself doing it.  (This is a particularly great strategy when facing a night of drinking.)
• Utilize the plate.  This used to mean choosing a smaller plate or filling the plate with fresh fruits and veggies.  The problem with this strategy in Korea is that plates aren’t always used.  The Korean culture is all about sharing food, so people just dig in and take from the main dishes and don’t necessarily serve themselves on a plate (they even do this with soup, which was a little unsettling at first).  If I could find a way to get a small plate and then put servings on my plate, it might help me control my portions.  When you’re eating from the main dish, mindless eating can lead to lots of calories.  The trick is to use a small plate without offending the Koreans I’m with.

Party Smarty

A good ol' American summer party!

Summer picnics

What a blast!

All the good parties

How long they do last!

So many goodies

All kinds of choices

They’re calling my name

I can hear their voices!

But I have to be strong.

I have to be smart

I know some good tips

Time to take them to heart!

My tempting choices at a Korean bar!

I deserve lots of fun

I will got to the party

I will take on the food

Because I’m a real smarty!

Maintaining Despite the BLTs

Please forgive me for my three-week hiatus!  My dad and sister were visiting the last two weekends, and I was busy preparing for the visit the weekend before.  But I am back!  And…I’m happy to report that I did my monthly “weigh-in,” and I am back to within two pounds of my goal weight…yeah!!!

Typical spread at a Korean dinner.

One thing that makes weight maintenance challenging here in Korea is the amount of food served combined with the lingering over dinner that often leads to BLTs even when I’m no longer hungry.  I mentioned in a previous blog that Koreans are all about side dishes.  They are also all about sharing meals and lingering over dinner to enjoy the good company.  As a result, the table is filled with food that’s free for the taking.  Oh…did I mention you can get any side dish refilled for free?  Yes, there have been many a meal when I kept stealing a bite of something here, a lick of something there, and just a taste of this…the dreaded BLTs.  As we all know, those can add up quickly.

To be perfectly honest and truthful…I’m not sure I’ll ever have the willpower to deal with this dilemma.  It’s all so good…it’s all right there…and it’s bottomless.  Since we share the food, the old tricks don’t work: can’t put my napkin over it, can’t pour water on it to ruin it, can’t ask for  a doggie bag to get half of it out of view.  The only strategies I’ve used so far have been to have light meals when eating by myself and make sure I get exercise in.

If you have any other tips for me, I’d love to hear them!  : )

Now for the poem…I don’t know why, but Shel Silverstein came to mind this week.  So here is a weightloss version of one of my favorite poems of his, “If You Have to Dry the Dishes.”

“If You Need that BLT”

If you need that BLT,

Such a hard thing to ignore.

If you need that BLT,

Instead of points of which you’re sure.

If you need that BLT,

And make a trip to the store…

Maybe healthy snacks will take its place

And you won’t be hungry anymore!

If You Have to Dry the Dishes

Shel Silverstein

If you have to dry the dishes,

Such an awful boring chore.

If you have to dry the dishes,

Instead of going to the store.

If you have to dry the dishes,

And you drop one on the floor…

Maybe they won’t let you

dry the dishes anymore!

Spring is in the Air!

Spring is in the air!  Okay…spring is probably almost gone in Atlanta as the hot summer approaches, but temperatures are still nice here in Korea.  One thing I really appreciate is the nice breeze which seems almost constant combined with cool nights and mornings.  Unlike Atlanta, it’s not hot and balmy the whole day.  We have been getting temps in the upper 70s and 80s.  It’s still pleasant!    It’s the perfect time of year to open all the windows and let in the fresh air.  Also a good time for spring cleaning!

My dad and sister will be joining me for a visit in about a week and a half.  I’m so excited!  My first visitors, which means it is time for some THOROUGH spring cleaning to prepare for my first guests.  I started going through my pantry, which contains some items from the teacher before me.  I don’t even know what some of it is or how to use it.  Also, the expiration dates on a few items has come and gone.  Time to clear it out!

Spring cleaning my kitchen also means taking stock of some new trigger foods that need to be removed.  This includes a new party mix I found.  The name of the product translates to “Mix Party.”  A more appropriate name would be “Party Mix Crack.”  This stuff needs to come with a warning label…talk about addictive.  Once I finish this container, I need to be careful about ever purchasing it again…I just can’t help myself from grabbing a handful here and there.  And, as we all know, that adds up quickly.  Yikes!

What about you?  What are you doing to spring clean your fridge?  What needs to go and what needs to get added?

My dangerous new party mix!
This stuff is like crack for me...ugh!!

Ode to Mix Party

Oh, you tasty mix!

My craving for you

I cannot seem to fix.

Hmm…salty or sweet.

When I can’t decide

You are the perfect treat.

You are not good for me.

I must stay away,

That is clear to see.

‘Tis sad that we must part.

Alas, I simply cannot

Put you in my cart!