Weight loss. What a great thing. The latest visit to the scale shows a loss of 2 kilos (4.4 lbs.) in just two weeks! I have expended considerable energy trying to understand just how did and does it continue to happen? I think it's the culmination of a hundred daily decisions, made consistently over a period of time. But specifically what about the areas people tend to focus on in the whole weight management equation?
Such as...
- Coke. I still drink it though only about a third of what I used to. (Koreans call it cola. If you ask for cola - more accurately pronounced "coh-la" - it's universally assumed you mean Coke, not Pepsi, even though Pepsi is nearly as available as Coke - to the chagrin of free thinking people everywhere.)
- Carbs. I eat much less bread than I used to. Most food markets almost treat bread as an afterthought when it comes to stocking a wide variety and it's rarely if ever served with meals. But any benefit from eating less bread seems in my mind outweighed by all the rice I eat.
- Fats like sweets, desserts, and butter. I eat much less of everything though I still often indulge when the urge, which is quite real, hits. (You know, like indulging in a nice stick of room temperature margarine, drizzled with hot fudge, for dessert.)
- Deep fried foods. Almost non-existent, though potato chips are still available, especially Pringles, and who can resist Pringles? Not me. Nor can I resist (no joke) deep-fried octopus tentacles. Tasty!
- Fruits. As if!
- Vegetables. Of course I eat truckloads more than I used to but it's not like Korean cooking is totally virtuous when it comes to serving veggies that aren't fried, sauteed, or swimming in some other evil substance.
- Multi-vitamins. I took them faithfully when I first got here but haven't bothered with them for about three months. (Doug, what do you call a multiple ingeston of multi-vitamins?)
- Exercise. One can't excuse the voluminous walking and biking I do though it's not anything to write home about (So, Richard wonders to himself, exactly what am I doing right now?). I'm not doing anything structured besides moving around from place to place, though that will soon change.
Since the usual suspects don't explain it, here's my revolutionary thought as to what might be one if not THE biggest variable contributing to my plummeting body mass and the ruination of my extensive Big & Tall wardrobe: milk.
Yes, milk. That wonderful milky fluid, milk. For as long as I can remember, wait, what was I talking about? Oh, yeah, my new physique. Actually I was talking about milk. For as long as I can remember, I've managed to guzzle 2-3 gallons of skim milk a week. Consistently.
Then I came to Korea where, unfortunately, it's not available in large containers and, though I've seen ads promoting civic responsibility in supporting Korea's two dairy farmers, I've managed to skate through the last six months (SIX MONTHS!) by drinking probably less than two gallons! This wasn't a conscious choice, just happenstance. I've always loved milk and I thought ,since I was drinking skim, that quantity wasn't an issue but now I wonder, because of all the variables I've considered, this represents perhaps the most dramatic departure from my previous habits.
Is it possible this radical drop in my dairy intake could be responsible for my dramatic weight loss?
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