Help needed for choosing a healthy Chinese diet

[dumpling98]

Hello! I will be studying in Hangzhou for one year.  I am overweight and since I am moving to China, it is the best time to change my diet for the better. I will live in a student dorm. I want to eat Chinese food because I suppose it will be the cheapest option. I want to cook my food. Other than soup, what recipies you consider healthy and easy to make in a dorm environment?

 

I would love to experience a Chinese authenitic diet and change my lifestyle for the better. thanks for the help!

[abcdefg]

You might find some useful ideas here: https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/53539-survivor-china-minimalist-dormitory-cooking/

 

 

[Flickserve]

Eat less or no rice/noodles!

 

Avoid sugary drinks.

 

Eat one or two meals a day. It can be a hassle cooking. Enjoy Hangzhou.

[imron]

And live on the 6th floor of a 6 story apartment building that doesn't have an elevator.  I had a friend who lost ~18kg in 6 months which they attribute mostly to this and no longer snacking on random junk food.

[889]

Exercise -- like jogging around West Lake every other day -- is your only option.

 

Food in China is so tempting and so cheap that you will not be able to resist. If you can't lose weight at home, you're not going to lose weight in China.

 

It's particularly a problem because restaurant food is often oily and often filled with lots of sugar, even though you can't taste it. A simple plate of 鱼香肉丝 can provide a week's worth of calories.

 

Whipping up some healthy fixin's in your dorm is a nice thought, but one of those nice thoughts you only entertain before arriving in China. After sitting in your room a few times "enjoying" some 方便面 you'll be desperate for a real meal, and out the door you'll go.

 

So instead of futilely trying to deny yourself one of the real treats of being in China -- good food -- focus on working weight off by working out.

[abcdefg]

4 hours ago, imron said:

And live on the 6th floor of a 6 story apartment building that doesn't have an elevator. 

 

I live on the fourth floor (old building; no elevator.)

[dumpling98]

Thank you guys for the help! I will do my best to exercise and to eat restaurant food in moderation.  I've asked on another patform too and they said in most dorms it is not permited to cook due to the danger of fires. Is it true? It would limit me a lot. In that case I would have to eat at the canteene.

[889]

I thought you were going to have access to a cooking area.

 

I don't know the situation today, but in the past a hot plate in your room was a real serious matter. You'd be fined, and maybe they'd put a black mark in your record (though that'd affect Chinese more than foreigners).

[dumpling98]

I don't know yet if I will have access to cooking area. They haven't told us yet at what dorm we will be staying. But thank you for the help!