The Great Korean Gym Debate

As many of you probably remember, I've been working diligently to shed weight while in Korea.  I didn't get a scale until April or May, and I figure I ballooned when I first arrived in Korea seeing as I had brought a bunch of Cadbury Creme Eggs I never ended up giving out (which I obviously finished within about a week and a half).  I was also in transit moving to my new school, didn't have pots and pans yet, and hadn't really figured out how to cook tasty meals using a glorified hot plate.  

I had been working out at Eco-Gym from March 2015 just up to my Shanghai vacation over Chuseok (September 25th - 28th).  Things were going pretty well and I had been losing weight steadily even if it was a little slow for my liking. 

Enter Velocity Fitness.  This fitness franchise was set to open at the beginning of October 2015 in Hwamyeong.  Look at us - getting a Subway Sandwiches and a snazzy new gym reminiscent of Good Life Fitness all in the same month.  Things finally started to be turning around for our little out of the way suburb.  What could be next, a Thursday Party location?  Maybe a Sharky's Nakdong River location?  The sky seemed to be the limit - I mean, Koreans do have a tendency to build up!

I was so excited to be in a new gym with my friend G.  Whenever the creepy Adashis at Eco-gym would leer at us on the bikes or during our squat routines we'd look at one another and chant "Velocity...just think of Velocity..."  Sadly for me, Velocity never came and would never come.  We were told the new gym would open the first week of October, which meant there was no reason for me to buy another Eco-gym membership as upon my return from Shanghai I'd have a beautiful new fitness facility to enjoy.  No such luck.  We were told that the opening day was being pushed back to the 15th.  No problem.  Jillian Michaels and I had done great things together through her "30 Day Shred", and I wasn't about to put back on all the weight I had lost by this point.(I'm estimating about 25 lbs from my heaviest in Korea).  I cut way down on calories and started doing 2 or 3 workout videos a day just to keep edging down.  When Velocity told me that the day had been pushed to October 26th, I was really peeved but just kept going.  

Fast forward to Saturday, October 24th.  While enjoying the fireworks at Gwangalli Beach, I received a text message in Korean from the guy who had registered G and I (in perfect English).  I used my translator and found that November 6th would be the new grand opening date.  That was the last straw.  After having the day pushed back 3 times with no guarantee in sight that this would be the last time, I spoke with the sales rep last Tuesday, saw the facility in such disarray that November 6th was a pipe dream, and got my deposit back.

A colleague of mine takes her fitness quite seriously and mentioned to me that her gym might be cheaper than Velocity (and, of course, was already open).  She called SPO+ Gym (now WINS Fitness) on my behalf and got some details for me. She even generously offered to go with me to speak with a manager there.  It's a block away from Velocity (so 3 blocks from my apartment) and was over $100 cheaper for a year.  I also negotiated a yoga class every week as well, so there's really good bang for my buck.  I got back into the gym last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, skipped Sunday, and went back today (Monday).  The gym is fantastic and I've been spending anywhere from an hour and a half to just over two hours every visit.  With my year-long membership I get access to the entire gym plus my yoga classes, I get a locker, uniform (and laundry!), and towels, as well as access to the biggest sauna/ steam room I've ever seen.  SPO+ Gym offers spinning classes, Vinyasa, Aerial, and Hot Yoga, Zumba, an Adidas fitness course, and a few others I haven't yet translated.  They also offer Personal Training from Korean fitness competitors (bikini and bodybuilding/ women and men) should I ever feel like learning some new moves.  I also really dig the friendly faces of the staff who circulate the entirety of the gym, making sure to throw an "안녕하세요!" your way every 20 minutes or so.

When I get on the treadmill, there are floor to ceiling windows offering an 11th floor view of the stunning mountain vistas I so enjoy in Hwamyeong.  The walls are plastered with motivational phrases like: "If it was easy, everyone would be doing it", "Just keep running" (my mantra every time I'm on that dang treadmill!), and my personal favorite: "Just do squats".  Ladies, that booty isn't going to grow itself - get squatting!

I'm now down 35 lbs from what I gather to be my heaviest weight here, am 5 lbs away from the last time I fit into my graduation dress, and am 14 lbs from my graduation weight.  I can fit into a pair of jeans that I bought in Vancouver in 2008 and haven't fit into properly since 2011 (yes - I realise I'm crazy for keeping some of these things, but if your favorite pair of jeans is still in good condition you keep 'em).  I usually eat the same things every day Monday - Friday, modify on Saturday, and have my cheat day on Sunday.  

Typically I'll have either a yogurt cup or a 99 calories granola bar for breakfast before the gym.  For lunch I'll have an egg scramble with onions, peppers, broccoli, and sometimes zucchini sauteed in half a tablespoon of extra virgin coconut oil.  I'll add a portion of either ham or chicken breast, calorie-controlled colby jack cheese, and 2 eggs and then serve it up on a bed of mixed greens.  

I have a snack of protein powder and water halfway through the afternoon (I order Cellucor brand protein powder from iHerb every couple of months - it usually arrives within 3-4 days.  The Cellucor brand actually tastes really great just shaken up with water and it's 130 calories with 25 grams of protein - one of my kids thinks I reeeeeeeally like coffee ^^).  For dinner, I usually have some rice, chicken, and mixed greens again.   I aim to take in 1200-1300 calories in order to continue to lose weight.  This is definitely on the low side (never go under 1200 calories, women!  You'll start storing what you take in as fat) but I do feel full and I'm trying my best to listen to my body to find a balance.  I get in 45 minutes to an hour of cardio 6 days a week plus 45 minutes to an hour of weight training.  Sundays are for me, and if I want to sleep in I will, and if I feel like hitting the gym then I can (but I usually don't).  If I want to have pizza or fries on Sunday then that's the day to do it.  Monday morning rise and grind starts all over again.

Update: For breakfast, I mix Cellucor protein powder (120 calories and 25g of protein!) with water in a shaker bottle (all available at iHerb - click here for 10% off your first order!).  I have a 99 calorie granola bar as a snack, go through 3 - 4 L of water every day, have a turkey sub for lunch loaded with veggies and only the tiniest bit of mayo or mustard, and for dinner I usually make some combination of a protein (one of chicken, ground beef, eggs, bacon, or cheese), squash, peppers, and salad.  On the weekends I allow myself to go out with friends and enjoy a nice meal.  Once you shift your perspective from short term restriction to a long-term habit of fueling your body, making healthy choices is a lot easier!

While I'm really bummed about Velocity Fitness and not being able to work out with the group of local buds that have also joined, I'm really happy to be back in the gym and working on my fitness level in a space that isn't also my kitchen, living room, and bedroom (I have a studio apartment).  A few of my friends are interested in joining SPO+ Gym, but sadly G is sticking to her guns with Velocity (she got a pretty stellar contract renegotiation so I don't blame her, but it seems she was the only one who got any benefits because of the delays upon delays).

Had you told me a year ago I'd be rockin' a crop top for Hallowe'en 2015, I would have called you Bananas.  I genuinely thought that because losing weight in Toronto had been so incredibly difficulty I'd just kind of...be fat forever.  It's not easy and I don't think this lifestyle ever will be, but I'm enjoying it more and more each day.  I love getting up and walking to my new gym.  Getting a good sweat on is one of the best parts of my day.  I crave hitting all my macros and cooking with tons of vegetables.  The routine I've developed over the past few months has given me a sense of calm as well as a sense of fulfillment.  As of this past weekend, I'm also enjoying the attention I most certainly was not getting back in Toronto.

Are you losing weight in Korea?  Have you found a gym that revs your engine every time you walk through the front door?  Have you developed a plan you're sticking to, but need a support system?  Let me know in the comments section! xoxo

Losing weight in Korea

 

The Korean diet is SO healthy...not!

While on a bus the other day a friend and I started flipping through timehop and then through old photos on Facebook ("ohhhh my gosh BABY KATE!" was the reaction).  My birthday (coming up August 6th where I'll go from 27 Western age to 30 Korean age) is always a time of reflection on what I've accomplished, what I hope to accomplish, and how I'm looking and feeling.  This is a long post with tons of photos, ten years of nostalgia, and me still trying to figure out what hair colour I can stand long-term.  

To all my friends: there will never be a birthday where I don't want to feel young and ridiculous.  There will never be a day where pink dresses, wine through a straw, tiaras, and macarons are not of value.


When I told people I was moving to Korea most people were very excited for my new adventure and many wanted to tell me second-hand stories of friends (or friends of friends) who had done the same thing.  I was told stories of people coming back entirely fluent in Hangul, people coming back and leaving again, and people who just never came back at all.  I was told stories of people who started photos series of all the crazy "Konglish" (Korean + English) tee-shirts they had seen abroad.  I was also told many stories of people who had gone to Korea and dropped mad weight.  "The pounds just seemed to fall off" I was told.  I was skeptical, but at the same time hoped that I would also be able to enjoy the benefits of living on a Korean diet.

Keeping my weight in check has always been a struggle.  Growing up I lived in a fairly affluent neighbourhood with a variety of slim, pretty girls in Gap Kids clothes.  I was not one of those kids.  My Mom always let me have my own sense of style (which may have gone a little too far when I cut my own hair so it looked like "Jem" at 3 years old) and I enjoyed seeking out unknown designers as well as what I wasn't aware at the time was an entirely different echelon of fashion: Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Elie Tahari.  By the time I was 11 years old I was 5'8" tall (a height that hasn't changed to this day) and a women's size 6-8 (a size I wish had stood the test of time).  I was unhappy not fitting in at my elementary school and had been teased most of my life for big calves and my hips that came in early (hey boobs - I'm still waiting for you!).

Let's fast forward a few years to grade 12.  I was happy in high school - I went to a performing arts high school taking musical theatre so I got to sing, dance, and play a difference character every day.  It was rad.  I was getting exercise at school several times a week and with a gym membership my parents had got me (I was 17 and still holding onto baby weight - I think they knew what University had in store for me).

By frosh week, I was down to a weight that was heavy, but I'm a tall, muscular girl and I felt confident in my appearance.  I put on the freshman 15 in first year University and when I moved out of residence in 2nd year and got back to a gym routine many (but not all!) of the pounds fell off.  I was content enough, but still not thrilled.

 I made this face a LOT at UBC!

When I moved to Vancouver to go to UBC everything changed.  I was a residence adviser (so I lived back in res) and my cafeteria meal plan was completely different (I don't think Sodexho/ Queen's University has ever really heard of a proper salad regardless of the salad bar that was available).  I walked miles every day - circles around a giant, stunning campus with zillions of opportunities to walk, run, ride, dance, cheer (yes - I was a cheerleader and a sorority girl) climb, or rest enjoying a combination of mountain and sea air.  I was happy - really, really happy.  I almost immediately dropped about 25 lbs unexpectedly.  All of a sudden I was hot (this didn't exactly last, folks!) and people wanted to pay me to take my picture (the photos are out there on Google but I'm not going to share my professional vanity shots in this particular post).  I had a great wardrobe.  It was wonderful.  My ego was enormous.

I am my Father's daughter. I hope I still have the same smile and party attitude in x # of years...

My Mom still has a better body than I ever will - she's a fox.

When I started working full time I was the same weight but worked out harder (leaving my house at 5:45 AM so I could get a work out in before heading to the office).  I thought because I was sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day I was all of a sudden getting fat.  Regardless, people still took photos of me mid-bite and to this day I think they're cute.  Wouldn't catch me doing that now, though!

Eventually I did gain weight (and a lot of it!) because of my desk job, but that was in Toronto, not Vancouver.

I can tell you - this was not a look that floored Lupul.

                               

In Toronto I was unhappy.  I worked long hours and even after leaving the office I never really left my work behind as I had two cell phones (work and personal) and the work one never gave me any rest.  Working in hospitality management meant that sure - I got to work at 9 (well - usually earlier) to get the business, but was responsible late into the night for keeping the business happy, fed, and imbibing to increase liquor sales.  I was lonely because I didn't have time to make real friends the first couple of years (shout out to the amazing gal pals I did end up making!) and I ate poorly not just because it was there and convenient, but because it was a crutch.

What a difference...a month makes?

I think that I thought I would drop a pile of weight like I had in Vancouver upon my arrival in Korea, and in some ways I did.  I figured I would do a lot of hiking (the only temples with climbs have been 10-15 minutes max) and that the Korean diet would do magical, wonderful things to my figure.  I have lost weight.  When I came to Korea I snacked a lot, had a lot of chocolate from Canada with me, and was trying to be cheap so that I could stretch the money I brought with me until my first paycheque.  Pasta and LotteMart red "vodka" sauce, rice bowls, and peppers were my go-to diet.  I think I probably put on about ten pounds when I first arrived as I had no gym membership and was eating like garbage.  Don't fall into that trap!  Koreans are bringing in more and more western food and quite frankly it's cheap.  Just don't do it.

In chronological order from left to right... 

 The goal: my 2009 Kits Beach Body.

Since April 17th, 2015 (when I bought my scale) I've lost about 9 lbs.  Seeing as I joined a gym at the end of March and started using MyFitnessPal around then I think overall I've probably lost about 20 lbs since my heaviest.  I go to the gym 5 times a week and on a lazy day still manage to get in at least 30 minutes of cardio, plus 5 sets of abs and a target area for my weights.  On days I go hard (which are more often) I hit Eco-gym and get in 50-60 minutes of cardio plus another 30 minutes to an hour of abs and weights.  I aim to net around 1200 calories a day (ie. if I workout 700 calories you better believe I'm having some extra snacks) and aim for under 100 g of carbohydrates.  MyFitnessPal really helps to ensure I'm getting enough protein and fat to make my day effective.  I also enjoy walking and riding a bike through the Hwamyeong Eco Park.

                              January 2014                                                                                 June 2015

My best advice would be to get a calorie-counting app, go to the gym and work HARD as much as you can, and make sure to enjoy time out with your friends once a week - balance is key or you'll lose interest and fall off the wagon.

July 2015

The pizza here is great (Pizza Maru has green tea crust - I'm not cutting that out completely).  Don't overdo it on the soju (it puts me right to sleep) and splurge on a nice bottle of red every so often.  The best advice I've ever been given was to keep everything in moderation - even moderation.  My ultimate goal is to lose another 23 lbs, so I'm almost halfway there.  Leave a message in the comments if you plan on hitting the ground running on this awesome fitness journey!  I don't think anyone can call me "the incredible shrinking woman" (that's my sister's title after losing something ridiculous like 140 lbs!), but I'm well on my way...

Update: I've actually managed to lose quite a bit of weight here by keeping my diet in check and working out hard 4-5 times a week.  I also try to keep active on weekends by heading out to places that require a lot of walking.  The number of stairs in the subways also helps!  For breakfast, I mix Cellucor protein powder (120 calories and 25g of protein!) with water in a shaker bottle (all available at iHerb - click here for 10% off your first order!).  I have a 99 calorie granola bar as a snack, go through 3 - 4 L of water every day, have a turkey sub for lunch loaded with veggies and only the tiniest bit of mayo or mustard, and for dinner I usually make some combination of a protein (one of chicken, ground beef, eggs, bacon, or cheese), squash, peppers, and salad.  On the weekends I allow myself to go out with friends and enjoy a nice meal.  Once you shift your perspective from short term restriction to a long-term habit of fueling your body, making healthy choices is a lot easier!