Keeping up with weight loss while traveling (to Asia).

I'm going to be traveling to S. Korea for a couple of weeks.  I'm about 4 lbs from my goal.  How do I effectively keep up with my weight loss while I'm there?  I've vacationed in other places (Hawaii, Canada) but I'm able to continue counting calories there.  In Korea, I'm going to be so lost in how to count calories.  And most Asian cuisines are pretty salty (even if healthy ie. kimchee).  I know that sodium can be taken care of with lots of water but sodium does affect me a lot.  At home, I'm able to restrict my sodium intake but it'll be so hard there.  Any advice?

Thanks!

The simplest rule is to eat plenty of vegetables and keep an eye on the portion sizes.  From what I remember, South Koreans are not renowned for being massive people (!).... so eat what the locals eat and I'm sure you'll be fine.   Enjoy the trip.

Thanks gi-jane.  What you advised makes complete sense.  I'm starting to rethink my sodium issue.  Maybe retaining water has more to do with than just sodium, I'm beginning to think my fiber intake is too high.....I get anywhere from 35 to 43gms a day.  And I thought the more fiber, the better.  I've been drinking between 12 to 18 cups of water a day along with fiber (all from foods) so I thought I was okay but maybe not.

Hi Michelle, 

I would take a solid water bottle with me and buy some water cleaning tablets at the pharmacy before departure. I don't know where you are going but if you are staying in more rural areas you might have a problem with clean water - and as drinking water is so important you might want to take those tablets/pills with you. You mix them with tab water and most bacteria is killed by those things - and the water is easier to digest for you. 

And just as GI Jane wrote - stay away from deep fried food, try to eat the things locals are eating, rice and veggies, fruits that can be peeled - and you should be fine.

Enjoy your vacation!!

B.

I've been living in Seoul for a little over 6 months now and you should have no problem keeping up with the weight loss. Korean food is very low calorie (as long as you watch how much rice and BBQ you eat). If you can handle spicy foods, stick to the kimchi dishes like kimchi jjigae (김치찌개). If you do a Google search, there are lots of sites that have the calories in Korean food. If you know how to read/type Korean, this site is amazing:

http://www.47kg.co.kr/

But yeah... just watch your rice, alcohol, and meat intake. The meats here can be on the fattier side. Also, street food can be tempting since it's so cheap and convenient, but going to a Korean restaurant is cheap too.

As far as salt goes, where are you going to be staying? If you have a kitchen, maybe just stick to cooking so you can control the salt intake yourself. Sashimi might be a good option for you as well. There are a lot of fish places.

We'll be staying in Seoul for the bulk of our stay and a few days in Soreaksan for some hiking.  We're in a hotel so no kitchen.  You're all right about Korean food being low in calories.  Most of their side dishes are vegetables.  Although I love the noodles with black bean sauce (and so inexpensive!).  I was mainly concerned with sodium....but what I'll do is wait for a whole week after my return to get on the scale.  That way the water retention will have disappeared and won't depress me (that is if I fair well overall with the food intake).  I hate to be going on a vacation with only 4 - 5 lbs left.  I'd rather be going when I've entered the maintenance stage so I can up my total daily calories.  But the way Seoul is laid out, we'll be walking plenty so that should be some help.

Mermaid, we'll be drinking bottled water so I'm not too concerned as far as the quality of the water I'll be drowning in .  The issue there will be locating a restroom everywhere I go!

Thanks all.

Wow, you get to go to Korea! That's so cool! :D

Well, there are some people at my school from South Korea, and they are all stick-thin (It's kind of surprising how much food they can put away at lunch and still be so tiny), so I wouldn't really worry about the food (traditional food, that is) being that unhealthy. Just like everyone else said, eat lots of veggies, and maybe drink some more water because of the sodium.

Hope you have lots of fun! Enjoy your trip!