Dieting in South Korea

I have been on this journey of fitness and health for a while now.  I went on a diet in May and have been on one ever sense.  Though there have been some slip ups during that time.  About 6 weeks ago, I started working out on the regular.  I go to the gym 4 days a week, and weight train with cardio exercises.  Trying to accelerate my progress.  Which is what I want to talk about.  How it is expensive and difficult it is to be on a diet in Korea.

First, diet foods.  I am counting calories but also trying to eat more fresh ingredients.  My normal day looks like this:

Breakfast:
Whole Wheat Toast (1 slice)
Fried Egg
Cheese

Snack:
Piece of Fruit

Lunch:
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Carrots
Two Boiled Egg Whites

Dinner:
Tuna or Chicken
Rice


Now, sometimes dinner is changed but the contents are similar.  A carbohydrate, protein and some vegetable.  As you can tell I eat a lot of eggs, vegetables, and tuna.  Eggs aren't really that expensive here.  Pretty reasonable for Korea actually and my school sells them, so they are organic and free range.  Which I love knowing.  However, that is the only thing that is not expensive.  I pay so much for the fresh fruit and vegetables I get.  For instance, a bag of peaches can cost about $10, and only last me for one week.  I could get a lot more for the price in America.  Or apples.  Or really any fruit.  Fruit, even locally grown, is crazy expensive here and a luxury but one that I pay for.  Additionally, I pick the cheap vegetables.  Cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes are comparable to the US in price but there are so many things that are not.  Potatoes are really expensive here.  As are asparagus.  Really most vegetables aside from cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, radish (Korean), or romaine lettuce are really crazy in price.  Don't even get me started on how hard it is to find certain types of food.  The cheese I buy is packed with protein (which is good for muscle growth) but costs $5 for a small amount.  Meat is crazy here.  A can of tuna can cost $3 for 100g (a small can).  My grocery bill is small because it is just me but I am still spending about $30 to eat about 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day.  It is crazy to me.  Eating out would be cheaper in some cases.

Secondly, the gym.  Memberships are comparable to the US.  I pay about $50 a month to be part of my gym (which is a discount I got for paying for 3 months up front and in cash).  The huge difference is the equipment and such.  It took me forever to find a gym that had the workout equipment that I wanted for lifting.  Most of the ones I visited would have a huge section for cardio workouts but a small tiny forgotten section for weights.  The gym I go to is tiny (we are talking the size of Mom and Dads dining/living room) but they had a good setup when it came to weights.  They didn't have everything that I wanted but they had enough.  However, the cardio options in Yeoju suck!!!  All they have are treadmills and maybe 4 stationary bikes, if you are lucky.  The treadmills do not offer inclines and really are only there for walking.  I had to deal with it because I really wanted the weights.  The cardio makes it difficult to change up your routine, which is vital when it comes to cardio and weight loss.  You need to change it up with inclines and speeds as you progress and I can't do that.  Now, I have heard of wonderful gyms that are similar to back home but they are in larger cities and they cost a lot of money.  Something I do not have.  So, I am stuck compromising.

All of this being said and complained about, I am okay with it.  I think I would have to compromise on things in the US too.  I also think that this weight loss journey would be a lot harder at home too because I would have access to everything that I love.  (i.e. mom's cooking)  I have lost about 7 kg (14ish pounds) so far and still working on it.  I am dedicated and hopefully soon I will see results.