I apologize
for my three-week hiatus. I usually
write my blog entries on Saturdays, but the last three Saturdays have been very
busy. The first one, I was busy
preparing for the American-style house party I threw for my Korean friends
(read more about that at www.betsyinkorea.blogspot.com). The next two Saturdays I had a good friend
visiting from the United States…it was great having her here for two
weeks. I’m back now and will hopefully
stay on schedule because…I NEED YOU!
All of the
wonderful Korean food and the eating together values of the culture have caught
up to me. I weighed myself last Monday,
and I was up 7 pounds from when I got here.
YIKES!!!! That hasn’t happened in
five years and, to be honest, I’m freaking out a little bit. Add to the fact…it’s not easy for someone my
size to find clothes in South Korea…and the clothes I have are starting to get
tight. I need to make some serious
changes, and I need you for accountability.
Here are the changes I made this week:
·
Packed
lunch – I brought my own lunch this week, which turned out to be a bigger deal
than I thought. Eating together is such
an important part of this culture, so all my co-teachers noticed I wasn’t
eating in the cafeteria. I had to
explain why many times, and they just didn’t seem to grasp what I was talking
about. I needed to pack my lunch to get
my head back in the game, but clearly, it’s important for me to eat with the
other teachers in the lunchroom. So, I’ll
just have to cut back on portions.
·
Gym
Membership – There is a Curves that is a 5-minute walk from my apartment, so I
joined that this week. I was the only
foreigner there, but luckily you don’t need many words for the workout. Body language works well! The
trainers are really nice and speak a little English. I even inspired one of my Korean co-teachers
to join the gym, so I have a workout buddy.
·
Active
Link Challenge – My Active Link wasn’t working when I first arrived for some reason. But, I was able to get it working again. I’m doing my assessment this week and will
start a challenge next week. Making sure
I get to at least 4 solid lights each day should get me motivated to up my
activity.
I do still
have some challenges:
·
I
don’t know the calories of the food I’m eating, and there’s no way for me to
find out. The language barrier makes it
too difficult to find the exact ingredients, and there is no book to look it up
in. Add to the fact that half the time I
don’t even know the name of what I’m eating.
I just enjoy. Most of it is
vegetables and meat…and lots of rice and noodles. I need to cut back on those starches.
·
Another
problem is the social aspect of the food.
I really don’t understand how Koreans eat so much but stay so
tiny!!!!!!!! Yesterday I was working at
an education festival and lunch was provided…McDonalds’s (my first time having
McDonald’s in years). We had a DOUBLE
cheeseburger, LARGE fries, and Coke. Unfortunately,
it could be perceived as a little rude not to eat food that is provided…ugh! The unexpected social meals keep popping
up. Koreans don’t understand eating less
to maintain weight…it’s just not a part of their culture. This is going to be a continuous challenge
for me.
My Commitment
I need to
lose these 7 pounds quickly! I’m going to
do a better job of monitoring my food and increase my activity. I’m also going to check in once a week to let
you know my progress…good or bad (you know how that goes). Any words of wisdom or encouragement from my
readers would be GREATLY appreciated!
Mayday!
Mayday…mayday
What can I
say
I’ve gained
a few pounds
Much to my
dismay
S.O.S
What a
mess!
The extra
pounds
Are causing
me stress.
Here comes
the red flare
My distress
I must share
By telling
good people
Who I know
surely care.
It’s time
for the rescue.
This is
your cue.
Hold me
accountable
I’ll do the
same for you!
Just a pound!
It’s just a setback,