I think the Japanese diet appeals to me...
I only brought one belt with me, and when I arrived I could not even come close to fastening it. It was an older one that I'd bought before gaining weight.
6 weeks after arriving I can get to notch one. I've lost about 20 lbs and haven't really done a lot of exercise. However, I walk a LOT more here in Tokyo than I ever did at home. Once my real running shoes arrive sometime next week I should really be able to kick it up a notch.
I have also noticed that I simply eat a lot less here. Food is not as readily available here as it is in the States, so I simply wait for my meals instead of snacking a lot.
I talked to a good friend about getting on a proper diet and eating a lot of protein, minimizing carbs etc. That is exceptionally hard to do here since rice is served at every meal. However, most Japanese folks seem to be pretty slim so perhaps they know something we don't. Their eating style certainly appeals to me.
posted by Jeff D @ 9:01 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Congrats on the weight loss. The secret behind the Japanese diet, at least from this gaijin's perspective, is that the rice with every meal is typically served with lean protein (salmon, tuna, other healthy meats). Also, the condiments here are not as diverse (many are soy sauce based and served on the side), unlike the American variety that includes Ranch and Bleu Cheese dressings, ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.
The walking definitely helps. Our first month here, I lost 12 pounds by doing little more than walking a lot. I'm not a big guy, so 12 pounds is pretty significant... but 20 is great. Keep up the good work.
I agree, the walking makes a difference.
Of course I just went out and had a katsu-kurry and am stuffed to the gills right now!
Okay, now I'm doubly jealous! (but in a happy for you way... luvya!)
That no-carb thing has never made any sense to me and I don't recommend it. A world without donuts is a world not worth living.
Homeria ;)
It's great you have lost weight (hopefully in a good way). I'm sure the portions are much smaller than in the US and that must affect a lot of the weight loss as well.
Soon you will have to lose the yokozuna t-shirt.
That's awesome! I tellya, when we first got here we had a lot of blisters from all the walking that we've done. Now, it's just a part of life. I haven't lost a lot of weight but I've built up muscle and I've gone down a size. Don't worry about the carb thing. Balanced meals are key. If you are truely worried, put brown rice in your cooker instead of white. It will give you more whole grain in your diet (easier for you body to process) and buy wheat bread. If you're really feeling adventurous, try reading, "Japanese Women don't get Old or Fat" pretty informative even for the oposite sex! :)
I think the size 52 shoulders probably won't make that a necessity any time soon :)
I might just do that with the brown rice, at least to mix it up every once in a while.
Reese, I forgot to mention before that the portions really are not small at all here. Usually for about Y650 or Y700 you can get a large katsu-karrie (rice curry with a fried pork cutlet) or a big bowl of ramen. Either of those usually fills me up completely for five or six hours without making me feel bloated.
The issue for me in the States is that whenever I was hungry, I ate. And I also ate when I wasn't hungry. Here I eat healthier food, don't eat until I'm bloated, and am OK with being hungry a little bit.
All that said, I just found out that there is a place around the corner from me that makes honest-to-goodness hamburgers from scratch for about Y550. I'm glad I didn't know about it before today, because I'd have never lost 30lbs here if I did.
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