Hello! Need some motivation- challenges living abroad

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underarms
underarms Posts: 25 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone!

I've been started my new plan about a week ago now and have been counting calories using Excel, but I just joined this site and I’m very excited to use it!

I’m 27 and I've been yo-yo dieting most of my life. I’m 5’2” and at my highest was 160 lbs. I am currently 135-140 lbs (my scale is not accurate enough to know exactly). I am hoping to lose around 30 lbs in the next 6 months. I have a crazy goal to lose 15 lbs by mid-August, as I have a wedding to attend then, but I know that will be HARD. I’m still gonna try though. Even 10 would be fantastic. I'd like to make 'lifestyle changes', but considering my entire living situation is a lifestyle change, the phrase doesn't really make sense. I'm just trying to make healthy choices and get in shape.

Although I’m American, I’m currently living abroad in Bangladesh due to work. There are many challenges about living here with being healthy and I’m finding it extremely difficult—and it’s only been 1 week!

My challenges are:
- Limited access to many foods, particularly fresh food. I can buy some local, seasonal veggies but that’s basically it. And a lot of the veggies at the market I've never seen before and have no idea how to cook. I can’t buy much of the healthy food I love. Even skim milk and brown bread is hard to come by.
- I have no oven. I cannot bake anything or roast veggies. Everything I cook has to be done on a stove. Basically I’m stuck with boiling or frying/sautéing.
- The local food is VERY fattening. Everything is fried! It’s so hard. There are no salads and even if there were I wouldn’t dare eat them because of sanitation reasons. I’ve already been sick here and there’s a reason most things are cooked/fried to death!
- There is nowhere to exercise. In this country, women cannot just go running outside and plus the traffic makes it impossible anyway. I looked at joining a women’s gym but it is way over my budget. Any exercise must be done in the confines of my home. I don’t have exercise videos, so I need to just jump around or something.
- I am extremely isolated where I live and am only able to see friends on the weekend. When I do, we pig out on Western food and alcohol. There is not much other means of an affordable social life for me. I don’t know how to rectify this since last weekend I basically undid all my dieting during the week.

Because I live isolated alone at home with not even a fitness video to use, I’m finding it hard to find the motivation to do any exercise. This is dangerous because I have a desk job so I am pretty much just sedentary all the time. Not good! I go from sitting at my desk to laying on my bed in the evening/night and then repeat.

I’m hoping to find the motivation on this site to push through the challenges and get it done. Some friends [if only virtual] would be lovely to motivate me, and I've also been known to help motivate others :) If you feel we could click, please feel free to add me as a friend! I promise I'm nice!

So pleased to meet everyone! I wish you all the best of luck on your day today!!

Replies

  • deeksha_s
    deeksha_s Posts: 79 Member
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    Hey, Thanks for the friend request. I see your problem but the solution should not be that difficult. I live in India and I believe the spices and veggies are gonna be very similar to what you find in Bangladesh.

    You have 2 options, either go looking for the healthy kinda food you find in your country and spend money on it or make most of what is already available to you. I can help you with simple recipes or links to simple recipes. Easy to make food that can be made and stored. I won't be any help with meat though, I'm a vegetarian.

    Regarding exercising, I understand what you mean. Why not buy a skipping rope or checkout some exercise videos on Youtube and practice the same everyday? You can find good videos/books on yoga with postures as well.

    If you can manage to have your dinner early that'll again help you loosing. If you need anything, just drop me a message :smile:
  • sam308lbs
    sam308lbs Posts: 1,936 Member
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    wow the way you described it,losing weight seems to be the last of your problems.From LA to Dhaka must be quite a cultural shock! My only advice is get out of there asap
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 820 Member
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    fried food isn't going to make you fat in and of itself - eating too much fried food will. You can still steam veges on your stove top?

    I would ask the name of local veges, then google how to cook them/ what to put them with. Half the fun of moving to a new country is to try new things!

    Maybe instead of binging on food and booze you could do something active and then go out for dinner ( having just done something active you may be less likely to binge!)

    Check out body weight exercises, and nerdfit has some great workouts for when you are traveling (don't have access to a gym). The skipping rope is a great idea
  • sharkweek
    sharkweek Posts: 165 Member
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    I don't have a lot of good advice, but did want to say that this was exactly my situation (except the fried food) when I lived in South Korea -- no stove, isolated from friends, pigging out on Western food on the weekends. Korean food isn't so bad, but as a vegetarian, there wasn't a lot I could eat. I walked very frequently, but definitely should have found a way to do more.

    Even though it was tough, it was a great experience. I learned a fair amount of Korean, loved practicing it, and was really proud of myself for sticking it out a year when I finally went home. Not to say that you'll love Bangladesh too, but I know it took me way more than a week to adjust. Good luck!

    Also, I second the nerdfitness suggestion above. :)
  • Brenda4105
    Brenda4105 Posts: 117 Member
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    Good Morning!
    I don't have advise for food, but was going to suggest utube for exercise videos. You can find all kinds there. The Jillian Michaels ones are on there if your up for that kind of challenge.
    I spent 10 years living in Germany, once for 2 1/2 years and then again for 7 1/2. By the end of the time I was there I loved it.
    What are you doing there? Are there local nationals where you work? Ask them about the best places to get food for a good price.
    Feel free to add me and send me a message we can chat more.
    :flowerforyou:

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