In Germany Trying to get right

mistadj
mistadj Posts: 43 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Im an American working and living in Germany..Although my German isn't very good. Looking for people to connect with and be motivated. My biggest issue is eating...bad eating habits, so i hope to find someone who knows about eating right with out really being on a diet.

I like my physical size but need to lose the fat around it and still build muscle. My Motivation is to get close to looking like "Michael Jai White"...Although im sure...thats a long shot...that why i said close. I have the build...just need to renovate

Replies

  • MacDHH
    MacDHH Posts: 34 Member
    Hi there,

    I too am an American in Germany and have been on MFP for about 4 weeks. The hardest thing I find is not finding the foods we have here on the database. But I was pleased to see that some of the chain bakeries are offering info online now.

    We're in Hamburg. And you?

    Mac
  • Pikkuinen
    Pikkuinen Posts: 3
    Hi! I'm a German living in Southern Germany :)
    I've only been on here for a few weeks and could use some more motivation, too.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    I'm also in Germany (5+ years). Still learning the language... Make sure you take a look at toytowngermany.com to connect with other expats (lots of outdoor activities).

    Feel free to add me. I'm in Wiesbaden, Munich and Lille, Fr.
  • ImprovingEla
    ImprovingEla Posts: 396 Member
    Hi, I am a german girl living in the netherlands. feel free to add me!
  • angiebelfast
    angiebelfast Posts: 8
    Hello in Germany, Belfast is a long way off but I am keen to widen my circle of friends so feel free to add me
  • berlinrunnergirl
    berlinrunnergirl Posts: 44
    Hi there and welcome! I'm from Berlin, mostly doing maintenance stuff on here, tracking my workouts and making sure I eat right to stay healthy.

    Anyone from Germany (or nearby) feel free to add me!
  • Sjudit84
    Sjudit84 Posts: 24 Member
    Yeah I know what you mean, I guess most fitness sites cater to American needs all the time, it is soooo hard for me to find my country's (Hungary) meals on here, some of them have already been added to the website but they are not chain restaurant foods but mostly homecooked, and I can never know if that is accurate enough to how I make my food or how much I make of it. Anyway, keep up the work!
  • ElizaDnl
    ElizaDnl Posts: 46
    Hi, I am a german girl living in the netherlands. feel free to add me!

    Funny - me too! (well, apart from the girl bit, not sure that applies at my age any more...) :-)

    Feel free to add me, anybody, it's nice to have friends in the same time zone :-)
  • MacDHH
    MacDHH Posts: 34 Member
    Just to add to the comment about toytown, you might also want to check out internations, a social networking site for expats (I think it may have started here in D.land actually). We've moved around a lot in the last few years (but are hoping to stay put for a while as we're tired of moving!), and always signed up in our new country. It's great because they organize loads of events, so you will be meeting people in real life, not just online. Don't know how it is, but it used to be that you had to be invited by a current internations member to get in. If it is still that way, let me know, and I will send you an invite.

    Also, check to see if there any meetups and stammtisches in your area. Last, you may also want to see if there are any facebook groups for expats/americans/internationals in your area (just put your city name and see what types of groups pop up).

    Hope this helps! I don't know about you, but once I start to meet people and get out, I find motivation for all sorts of things (including fitness) :)
  • lundii
    lundii Posts: 151 Member
    I am German, living in Germany... in the "Ruhrgebiet"
    Feel free to add me, It is motivating to have someone in the same timezone ;)
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    I am an American whose family comes from Germany and spend as much time there as I can afford! Every time I spend the summer there, I come back 10-15 pounds lighter due to the lifestyle shift. It is easier to eat healthy there and get "free" exercise as compared to here in the MS Delta. I walk past so any fruit and vegetable stands!

    Where in Germany are you? There is almost always easy access to nature lands for hiking or running year round.
  • mistadj
    mistadj Posts: 43 Member
    Hello Mac. Im in Stuttgart. I dont have the problem finding the food because i work for the American Army. We have access to the commissary which have a lot of stuff from the states. The only problem is..its not always the best food or sometimes close to being expired due to shipping
  • graywi123
    graywi123 Posts: 19 Member
    I am German that immigrated to the US. I will travel to Germany tomorrow. I will be in Stuttgart for two weeks. Counting calories will be hard.

    Mac, you can also get a lot of fresh produce on the German economy. Venture out to local farmers markets and small Tuerkish stores have a plethora of foods that are great for counting caloric intake. For a quick meal replacement get a protein shake for lunch and/or breakfast at the commissary. For dinner you can also stop at one of the many imbiss' and buy rotessierie chicken. Fix a nice salad or backed potato with that.... The options are plentyful. Talk to your fellow Americans there as well as possible German coworkers. Good Luck!
  • fldiver97
    fldiver97 Posts: 341 Member
    Welcome to MFP. I am from Germany, my family is still there. Been in the US for 23 years now. Miss some of the german food :) What always helped me to 'compensate' for all the good (and often rich) food - LOTS of walking versus using the car for everything, lots of veggies and fruit and salads. I always had 'room' for good chocolate, pastries, bread, cheese, wine and beer!!!! Weight issues occured later - too much eating out, too much processed/junk food, not enough exercise :grumble: So hopefully you can experience some of the food and drinks, in moderation with some added exercise (and try to walk places, you'll see more and fit in with the locals!!!)
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    I am German that immigrated to the US. I will travel to Germany tomorrow. I will be in Stuttgart for two weeks. Counting calories will be hard.

    Mac, you can also get a lot of fresh produce on the German economy. Venture out to local farmers markets and small Tuerkish stores have a plethora of foods that are great for counting caloric intake. For a quick meal replacement get a protein shake for lunch and/or breakfast at the commissary. For dinner you can also stop at one of the many imbiss' and buy rotessierie chicken. Fix a nice salad or backed potato with that.... The options are plentyful. Talk to your fellow Americans there as well as possible German coworkers. Good Luck!

    I do realize it could be considered criminal to leave Germany without having consumed at least one Döner and a weekly Brat with a few beers :drinker: but really, I avoid the commissary and really any place that has English on the menu. (My main hang out is Kaiserslautern/Ramstein Air Base area but I do spend some enjoyable time in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg- and occasionally Munich. You can make room for the richer dining fare by taking advantage of the walking culture AND get to know some pretty cool people at the same time.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    Im an American working and living in Germany..Although my German isn't very good. Looking for people to connect with and be motivated. My biggest issue is eating...bad eating habits, so i hope to find someone who knows about eating right with out really being on a diet.

    I like my physical size but need to lose the fat around it and still build muscle. My Motivation is to get close to looking like "Michael Jai White"...Although im sure...thats a long shot...that why i said close. I have the build...just need to renovate

    And is that a jug of Syntha-6 I see on the shelf over your right shoulder in your profile pic? Love that stuff! It just got too expensive and couldn't support my habit on teacher pay :laugh:
  • mistadj
    mistadj Posts: 43 Member
    Im an American working and living in Germany..Although my German isn't very good. Looking for people to connect with and be motivated. My biggest issue is eating...bad eating habits, so i hope to find someone who knows about eating right with out really being on a diet.

    I like my physical size but need to lose the fat around it and still build muscle. My Motivation is to get close to looking like "Michael Jai White"...Although im sure...thats a long shot...that why i said close. I have the build...just need to renovate

    And is that a jug of Syntha-6 I see on the shelf over your right shoulder in your profile pic? Love that stuff! It just got too expensive and couldn't support my habit on teacher pay :laugh:

    Thats not mine. Im in a office with 4 other guys. 1 of the fellas in there use it...well, its been sitting there awhile. I take protein shots...no added sugar

    Im also not really a beer drinker or eat pork...so i dont exactly fit Germany for eating...although their famers markets are the best place to get veggies and no the commissary
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
    @ mistadj... IKWYM!

    I'm a lazy vegetarian so I don't really hit the typical street foods either, but beer, well, let's just say that it can be considered a food group for me when over there! I'll toss a few bottles in the fridge over night so I can wrap them in a towel to keep them cold in the pack and enjoy them on the halfway point of a long hike. I frequently walk the trail from Vogelweh through Hohenecken past Gelterswoog on into Landstuhl and Burg Nanstein, have a picnic on the castle grounds and hike back.
    Other than that, I live on eggs, yogurt, cheese, nuts, pastas, quinoa and whatever fruits and veggies look best at the market. The only people who have ever been freaked out by my eating choices have been the other Americans.
  • Canderson58054
    Canderson58054 Posts: 132 Member
    I am not in Germany, however I wanted to comment on the foods not being in the database.
    It's easy to add a personal food to your database. Just click on "Add Food" to the meal you'd like to add your new food to, then search for the food you'd like to add in the database. If the item does not already exist in the database, you can click on the "Add a food to our database" link below the search results. You'll be taken to a page where you can add the nutritional information for the food you'd like to add to the database. Once you're finished entering in your data, just click the "Save Food" button.

    It'll take some time to do that, but after you do it once- it'll be there for quick use later! :) Hope this helps some of you.
  • Arkani7
    Arkani7 Posts: 68 Member
    Hey there!

    I'm from Germany too, finding German products in the database hasn't been a problem yet. Most foods are already available and if not I just add them.
    I wish you all the best

    So, anyone can feel free to add me too :)
  • meenzer
    meenzer Posts: 100
    HI there... haha ... you do not have to be a beer drinker or Pork eater.... you can find all kinds of chicken and turkey meat in all kinds of stores, once you explore your surroundings a bit more. Get out and ask around, is all you have to do! I loved the farmers market and got most of my veggies and fruits there, knowing it is from local fields. Other then this, you can always get saisonal veggies and fruit in stores, of course you'd have to consider the price and source.

    Bodywise you are already on your way, Whey-protein is a good source before your training, I never had the urge to get into this protein thing. But after I've tried it for one week, I think it worked well... so I am giving it a good shot, just have to find a good one with a good cost-benefit ratio!!!! And if you can live with it, a good mixed salad with a piece of meat will round up the day and cal-intake... AND all that you'll find in the data base!!!

    May you do well... which I am pretty sure of!!! Oh by the way, I am a german in the US, so I am still getting used to my food intake here... :glasses:
  • MacDHH
    MacDHH Posts: 34 Member
    It's not info on US products I am worried about, or the fruits and veg (I am lucky to have a thrice weekly market down the road from where I live, including a bio one) but mostly the bakery stuff :) Bread is my biggest weakness over here, and to top it off, I seem to have a hard time finding the right one in the database (I heard that Hamburg is not even that great when it comes to varieties of bread, but it seems plenty varied to me!).

    But I just found that one of the big bakeries here (Hansa Backerei) has nutritional info online, so am using that for to get an idea of the calorie count for a lot of the breads. In case it helps anyone (or am I the only one with a weakness for bakeries?), here is the link: http://www.stadtbaeckerei.de/de/produkte/broetchen.html.
  • MzStarrQueenB
    MzStarrQueenB Posts: 194 Member
    You can add me and join my support group if you want….

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8987-serious-diet-support-group




    If you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.....
  • meenzer
    meenzer Posts: 100
    I can feel MAC on this one!!! I miss this so darn much!!!
    Before I left, the economy started to come out with a proteinbread/-rolls, for my taste a bit to flat/neutral. But you might like it!
  • wildapril
    wildapril Posts: 97 Member
    I just moved to Hamburg! Anybody who wants to meet up and go running, or can recommend a good gym, feel free to add me!

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