[lylalou]

Hi everyone,

I've been wanting to do this for a while now and I'm really lacking in any serious motivation so figured joining an online community and getting to know people would be the best option.

I'm originally from the UK but now live in Korea. I've been here for a year and a half and, in that time, have absolutely piled on the weight. I think it started out as not really having a lot of eating options here - I've been a vegetarian for 12 years and this is a very meat heavy country. I also live in a really rural area and fruit and vegetables are super expensive (in comparison to meat and rice - the staple of everyone's diet here).

As a result, I've kind of been binging on a lot of junk over the last year and a half. Not being near a city and not having a car also means that I stay in a lot too. So I sit at a desk most of the day at work and then go home and laze about, all while gorging on junk food from the West (and, believe me, it's not healthy Western food that's made it's way over here).

I've gone up 2 dress sizes which means that I'm now officially too big for clothes here - I live in leggings and stretchy pants.

I haven't weighed myself yet but I've gotten to the point where I feel miserable. Just so unhappy with my appearance to the point of avoiding mirrors and anyone taking pictures of me. My body just aches all over and it's time I do something about it.

I have a big vacation coming up during the 2nd week of January - I'm off to visit friends in India and then paying a visit back to the UK to see family - so that's my current goal. I want to be physically fit enough to enjoy my vacation and get back the energy and confidence I once had.

I'm not a huge gym lover but I have 2 workout DVDs at home I really enjoy, I own a bicycle that I plan on making the most out of, and there's even a running track right outside my apartment building which I want to make the most out of.

Would love to get to know you all and share in the support. Sorry for the essay introduction!

[CheesecakeBrownie]

I can totally relate to feeling miserable and eating junk. that's been my life for a long time as well.

starting an exercise routine is a great beginning to losing some weight, but what's your plan for finding some healthier eating options?

[giselley]

Are the people who eat the rice and meat diet overweight? You said you turned to junk food because veggies were too expensive? I read that S. Korea only has about a 3.2 obesity percentage. Maybe they are eating the right way? Maybe going to junk food because you cannot find veggies is not a good strategy?

I do not accept that meat in itself is "the main culpret" in fat gain since so many people who eat meat are not overweight. Remember if you wish that it took many years of propoganda to get people to eat vegetables. Frankly, generations of very skinny people ate meat, and things like starchy potatoes, bread, rice. It is the quantity of food--- that is to say overeating that really leads to fat, and that syncs nicely to Burn more calories than you eat, because a good way to look at it is, if you don't eat it, you have nothing to burn off in the first place.

Can you get small beans like lentils or mung beans there? If so, you can sprout them. Most grains and beans with an intact germ can grow. I sprout store bought lentils all the time. Can you start a small garden? Do the people in your area use onions or other spice type vegetables? Koreans seem to eat a lot of Kim-chee. I like Kim-chee a lot. Try some of that?

I feel that since the most effective diet ever was the "rice" diet, and since it still works. The traditional rice diet is white rice and fruit. Kind of strange. I like to do it with vegetables instead. I have been eating rice, onions soy sauce and sirricha sauce, some easy to plant veggies like zucchini (Marrows) which by now I get mostly from the garden, and have lost weight. It takes about a month to notice the difference. I also drink tons of ice tea, just plain tea no sugar.

[Jacqui_D]

Lylalou! I think you'll like it here. It really is a great place for support, and we have a UK forum and a vegetarians forum that you might enjoy among other things! Wow, the limited diet is tough, but there has to be a way to get away from the junk food. If you can't afford the veggies there, is there any way you can plant a garden and grow your own? When you say Western junk food, are you talking candy and chips (crisps) or fast food like McDonald's? If it is fast food, are there some healthy options like salads? The exercise plan is wonderful, but there has to be a food plan too. I wish you luck! Hopefully you can get some great ideas here!