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Don't Tell Me How To Diet
May. 27th, 2012 09:37 amI changed my layout in celebration of the new season. It's not the best, but I quite like it. It's simple and cute. A few of my friends have been asking me to post both in English and Japanese so that they don't have to struggle through the English. It's pretty time consuming, but I'm considering it.
....ANYWAY....
I'm a sucker for "Limited Edition Items," so as soon as I saw 31 Ice Cream's commercial for a Men in Black Limited Edition flavor, I absolutely had to have it. I told myself that if I could maintain my work out plan for two months, I'd allow myself to have it, and since I completed that goal yesterday, I had my reward for breakfast today!
The huge chunks of cheesecake made it a lot sweeter than I had expected it to be, but it was still quite enjoyable.So enjoyable that I almost regret splitting it with two other people!
A friend tried to guilt me over indulging in this little reward. "When you're on a diet, you can't eat things like this!" she told me, to which I replied, "I'm not dieting." She seemed confused, and told me she had thought I was trying to lose weight. I am, and I know that sacrifices must be made in order to lose weight. However, I do not believe in cutting out all of my favorite foods and snacks. I believe in moderation. From the day I decided I wanted to live a healthier life, I've lost 31 kilos. Not once have I felt deprived. Many of my friends constantly complain about their cravings and then often end up splurging when they go out.
For me, it's all about creating a healthy and active lifestyle I can maintain for more than a couple of months. Some people can completely cut sweets from their diets. I am not one of those people. These days, I rarely have cravings for such sweet things, but when I have a craving I simply can't get out of my system, I satisfy it with a small amount of what I'm craving.
I exercise five days a week (six when I finish my to-do list on time!) for almost two hours a day and dance for almost 45 minutes on top of that. I don't think a splurge every two months, for example, is going to kill me. It anything, it works as a motivator.
I used to be a yo-yo dieter, so at this point in the game, I may not be well educated on the best ways to lose weight, but I know quite a bit about what doesn't, and I can say with full confidence that making yourself miserable does not help.
Getting in shape and living healthy is not just a physical change. It's also a mental and emotional change. If you feel cranky and stressed, you won't be able to make the best decisions when it comes to this new life you want.
Every time I try to explain this to my friends, they roll their eyes and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.Well, as I said, I may not be an expert but....I'm not the one sitting there making complaints about how difficult and stressful dieting is, am I? No, I'm the one eating a slice of cake while I browse through a magazine for a new size 4 dress.
I've never met a guy who puts themselves through the same torture girls put themselves through to lose
weight.....
EDIT: Some hours after I posted this, I went on to discuss diets with a friend, which led to a discussion about food in Japan vs. Food in the US.
Where did this idea that all food in Japan is automatically healthier than food in the US? Their argument was that in the US, they eat certain things and get fat, but in Japan, they can eat whatever and not get fat. This has more to do with the lifestyle than the actual food itself, I feel. For instance. In Japan, you buy a burger at MOS burger. The size is considerably smaller than that of an American burger, so you feel you won't gain weight. The truth is, you'll most likely walk a lot of it off because well, you do a lot of walking in Japan. That's life.
In the US, you order a burger and it's almost the size of your head. You eat it then get in your car, drive home, and complain that you've gained weight because American food is icky and that this would never happen in Japan. Wrong. Cut the burger in half and walk home.
In my mind, the only real difference is that people in Japan do all the work for you. You eat smaller portions because they give you smaller portions. That doesn't mean you can't be an adult and control your own portions in your own country. You burn things off quickly in Japan because you walk a lot. You can't walk in your own country? The thing is...you can.
The same rules apply for every country, in my book. So, whenever I hear girls make the argument or go with the assumption that just by being in Japan, they'll be able to eat whatever they want and still lose weight, I feel totally confused.
It feels to me like the issue isn't the food itself but more an issue of an individual's discipline.
....ANYWAY....
I'm a sucker for "Limited Edition Items," so as soon as I saw 31 Ice Cream's commercial for a Men in Black Limited Edition flavor, I absolutely had to have it. I told myself that if I could maintain my work out plan for two months, I'd allow myself to have it, and since I completed that goal yesterday, I had my reward for breakfast today!
The huge chunks of cheesecake made it a lot sweeter than I had expected it to be, but it was still quite enjoyable.
A friend tried to guilt me over indulging in this little reward. "When you're on a diet, you can't eat things like this!" she told me, to which I replied, "I'm not dieting." She seemed confused, and told me she had thought I was trying to lose weight. I am, and I know that sacrifices must be made in order to lose weight. However, I do not believe in cutting out all of my favorite foods and snacks. I believe in moderation. From the day I decided I wanted to live a healthier life, I've lost 31 kilos. Not once have I felt deprived. Many of my friends constantly complain about their cravings and then often end up splurging when they go out.
For me, it's all about creating a healthy and active lifestyle I can maintain for more than a couple of months. Some people can completely cut sweets from their diets. I am not one of those people. These days, I rarely have cravings for such sweet things, but when I have a craving I simply can't get out of my system, I satisfy it with a small amount of what I'm craving.
I exercise five days a week (six when I finish my to-do list on time!) for almost two hours a day and dance for almost 45 minutes on top of that. I don't think a splurge every two months, for example, is going to kill me. It anything, it works as a motivator.
I used to be a yo-yo dieter, so at this point in the game, I may not be well educated on the best ways to lose weight, but I know quite a bit about what doesn't, and I can say with full confidence that making yourself miserable does not help.
Getting in shape and living healthy is not just a physical change. It's also a mental and emotional change. If you feel cranky and stressed, you won't be able to make the best decisions when it comes to this new life you want.
Every time I try to explain this to my friends, they roll their eyes and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about.Well, as I said, I may not be an expert but....I'm not the one sitting there making complaints about how difficult and stressful dieting is, am I? No, I'm the one eating a slice of cake while I browse through a magazine for a new size 4 dress.
I've never met a guy who puts themselves through the same torture girls put themselves through to lose
weight.....
EDIT: Some hours after I posted this, I went on to discuss diets with a friend, which led to a discussion about food in Japan vs. Food in the US.
Where did this idea that all food in Japan is automatically healthier than food in the US? Their argument was that in the US, they eat certain things and get fat, but in Japan, they can eat whatever and not get fat. This has more to do with the lifestyle than the actual food itself, I feel. For instance. In Japan, you buy a burger at MOS burger. The size is considerably smaller than that of an American burger, so you feel you won't gain weight. The truth is, you'll most likely walk a lot of it off because well, you do a lot of walking in Japan. That's life.
In the US, you order a burger and it's almost the size of your head. You eat it then get in your car, drive home, and complain that you've gained weight because American food is icky and that this would never happen in Japan. Wrong. Cut the burger in half and walk home.
In my mind, the only real difference is that people in Japan do all the work for you. You eat smaller portions because they give you smaller portions. That doesn't mean you can't be an adult and control your own portions in your own country. You burn things off quickly in Japan because you walk a lot. You can't walk in your own country? The thing is...you can.
The same rules apply for every country, in my book. So, whenever I hear girls make the argument or go with the assumption that just by being in Japan, they'll be able to eat whatever they want and still lose weight, I feel totally confused.
It feels to me like the issue isn't the food itself but more an issue of an individual's discipline.
