Getting fit in Hong Kong - harder than you might think

Here are my current statistics –
Starting Weight: 283lbs
Current Weight: 281.16lbs
Total Weight Lost: 1.84lbs
Highest Weight: 289lbs
Weight Lost Since Last Week: 0.22lbs

Is the amount lost disappointing?  Well, duh!  But at least it is a loss.  I did not get super exercisey this past week and I did not do as well as I would have liked in my food intake.  I did track all of my food and water.  I did track all of my exercise.  I did consciously make an effort to walk a little more than usual whenever possible. 

Today I walked to Starbucks down the road from my office.  Granted I was huffing and puffing on the walk.  However, I am very proud that I did it.  Even at my size I did the walk and didn't feel too much like dieing.  I had a flash of that feeling when I got back to the office and I realized that my left ankle is buggered again, but truthfully it felt good.

So now to the title of this post - "Getting fit in Hong Kong - harder than you might think."  Hong Kong is a town where you need to walk to get anywhere.  There are hills all over the place and all sorts of overpasses and underpasses for people to use to get from point A to point B. You would think that I would be walking everywhere out here.  That is sadly not the case.  Taxis are cheap and plentiful.  The buses and minibuses are also cheap and run relatively close to their scheduled times.  The MTR (the metro/subway system out here) works really well and is always cheap.  Put simply the public transportation makes it hard to walk anywhere because it is faster and easier to hop on something for a few blocks than it is to try to navigate the roads to get anywhere!  This is also a foodie's dream location.  There are tons of restaurants, bars, and stores selling all sorts of food.  I gained some weight when we got here (not sure how much as we did not have a scale) simply because of all of the food.  A word of caution to anyone coming out here - bring sneakers to walk in or your feet will hate you.  Also be prepared to eat all sorts of things.

I am starting my fourth month here in Hong Kong and am prepared to start paying for myself to get healthier.  I think that my treat should I get to my goal weight by Christmas of next year will need to be something exceptionally awesome.  Perhaps a trip or a spa package.  I don't know yet what I will dangle in front of myself as a carrot to get the job done, but it needs to be something that I really want so that I can truly kick my ass into gear.  I am definitely seeing a return on my efforts thus far - I feel better, I am able to walk a little farther now, I am learning to enjoy a nice a glass of water or tea instead of a soda, and I am rediscovering fruit and vegetables.  Today's fruit is pineapple and it is luscious!  I will have to start paying more for the healthier foods, but it is worth it in the end I believe so that I can live longer and better.  Plus I am damn cute when I am thin;o)

Be well,
         Buttercupp