Korean Job Discussion Forums

[teacherinseoul]

[Epicurus]

[Starla]

To fromtheuk, your diet sounds very limited. You will bore of it if you continue to eat the same things day in and day out. And 4 eggs a day? 7 days a week? That is far too much cholesterol you're digesting. I believe the weekly recommended limit is 3 eggs. I think you should just eat the foods you enjoy but practice portion control and eat low fat/sugar versions of them. Find out what a proper portion of everything you eat is and keep that in mind every time you eat.

As for me, I wasn't overweight when I came here but I lost about 5 pounds in the first few months nonetheless so now I stand at 5'7" and 124 pounds. I eat everything basically and balance it equally between Korean food and Western food though I've always followed a low fat diet. Can't deal with not eating sugar though and eat a small amount of cookies or cakes with unsweetened coffee or tea after every meal. I've also been doing so much salsa dancing since getting here which burns so many calories.

One thing I have to say is I feel much healthier after eating Korean food and I've acquired so many favorite new veggies. Not lethargic like with Western food. When I was New York this month, I just ordered myself a slice of pizza and I was feeling sick afterward. It was also very hard to find healthy options there whereas here, it's so much easier not to mention you're not charged extra for it.

I think my body has gotten used to the large amounts of vegetables, fish and kimchi in Korean food I've been consuming which are all very low in fat. And I've read that kimchi or more specifically the hot peppers, garlic and cabbage that are in kimchi serve to increase metabolism after consumption. Something like up to 20% higher metabolism up to 4 hours after eating kimchi. So I eat a lot of that now and really enjoy it. In fact, I think I'm addicted to the kimchi at this point.

[ChinaChao1]

It may have to do with all the walking and work that Koreans do... I've seen those chicks walk around in heels. My theory about their calves. Plus I don't think Korean chicks eat as much, or overstuff themselves plus they can drink! My Korean friend said that a Korean girl would rather eat less and have to work out less than the other way around. I love food too much to do that! =P Thumbs up to the weight loss as most of America is FAT.

[roadwork]

[Starla]

[Goku]

I'm trying the Okinawan diet now.
I've been on it for about 2 weeks.

The pros: Good energy, no lethargy. people have mentioned good skin, I look healthy and that I give a really wonderful aura. I feel good everywhere and I feel younger and much skinnier. The man flab and boobs have been drastically reduced.

The cons: Consumption consists of food like unprocessed grains and vegetables. Meat and cheese is rarely eaten and the only meat is just a small serving of fish. It can wreak havoc on cravings. But generally they haven't been so tempting I want to cheat the diet yet.

So far I've been strict to the diet and only cheating through coffee. (Which im not sure is really cheating though).

Also, I'm fasting once every week by skipping a dinner or a lunch to keep my body on it's toes in terms of the calorie intake. Studies recently indicate a low cal diet can prolong life.... we'll just see how that works.

[matthews_world]

A couple good tips for those in Korea to lose weight.

1) Stop eating pizza and fast food. Learn to shop in Korea by visiting the super and street markets in your area for fresh veggies, meats & fish.

2) Don't deep-fry your food. Cook lean recipes only.


I limit my fast food intake to once or twice per month.

I visit the gym 4-5 times per week.

My routine: 50 min. of cardio. 1600-2000 sit-ups per week. 30 min. of weights.

I'm at a plateau of 90kg right now which I can't seem to cross. Perhaps I'll try walking more. I can't recall my last BMI figure.

[I'm no Picasso]

[roadwork]

This is a great thread. Lots of great advice. Recently, I had to kick my main vice: booze. I've noticed a big change from even doing that. These days, not only because of economics, but because of health reasons, I stick to making tofu at home. It's cheap (especially from the street market) and nutritious. Even more so with some chung-gook-jang. I have also taken to steaming my veggies and slightly stirfrying them with teriyaki sauce.
I'm still working on quitting smoking as well, and looking forward to getting my tastebuds back.

**To Starla: Yeah, that makes sense. I was just saying that if you look at what is considered beautiful in Korean culture, it's just a pretty face and a skinny body, whereas in western culture, I think that most men would go for a body style more like Beyonce (thick strong legs, round butt, wider hips) or Tyra.

[whome33]

when facing a daunting about of weight to lose, just go back to basics. common knowledge that you surely already know. don't eat after 7pm, don't eat obvious junk food, and don't eat until you're stuffed. be satisfied not filled to the brim. don't try difficult diets and torture yourself, because changes are you will cheat on your diet, become discouraged, and quit. baby stops bob.
if you can follow these pretty easy dietary rules, you will start to see results without starving yourself.
add in some excercise. if you're over weight, in all likelihood the most appropriate activity would be walking. evening walks are nice. go for an hour, 4 times a week. walking is a low-intensity activity, which burns fat. at higher intensities, a large amount of your energy will be taken from stored glycogen.
a weight regiment is also good. stimulating muscle development increases your metabolism. your resting metabolic rate will increase....so you'll burn more calories during the day during your regular activities.

drink more water. less coke, beer, and less sugar in your coffee.

this basic things and you'll shed some weigh without working too hard.

[whome33]

also, be patient. dont get discouraged. healthy weight loss is gradual. make a 6 month plan.

[roadwork]

whome33: What does that mean 'baby stops bob'?

[fromtheuk]

My experimenting with the menu is ongoing. I eat lamb, chicken, but less often nowadays. I've also reduced exercise to five 30 minute walks a week. 5kms an hour speed on the treadmill, it comes to at least 7 miles a week.

I also do 20-type abdominal exercises 5 days a week too.

I can't be bothered to go through the entire thread to see what the last thing I wrote about my diet was, but I eat what I used to, minus margarine, butter, cakes, cookies, junk food basically.

I feel pretty good. As a man, I think 4 eggs in one day is not excessive. Apparently, only those with proven problems with eggs shouldn't eat too many of them.

[Forward Observer]