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Inexpensive Japanese diet? 2009/7/14 15:31
Japanese food were the best part of my recent trip to Japan that I am planning to eat Japanese food frequently from now on.

I love fish. I was drooling when I saw numerous kinds of fish at the Tsukiji fish market. I would be satisfied eating fish sushi everyday but doing so would leave a big dent in my wallet.

Also, I am happy with my weight but would be even happier if I lose 2kg. I heard Japanese diet is a good way to achieve it.

Any recommendations for an inexpensive Japanese diet? (without veggies as I dislike veggies)
by Jenny (guest)  

Cheap Japanese diet 2009/7/14 20:02
Jenny wrote:

Any recommendations for an inexpensive Japanese diet? (without veggies as I dislike veggies)

Lots of gyudon - do you have Yoshinoya near where you are?
by Dave in Saitama (guest) rate this post as useful

diet 2009/7/14 22:06
any weight-loss diet needs to include lots of veggies, by definition. they are the only things that will make you feel full when you are eating the number of calories needed to lose weight- otherwise you will be hungry all the time. most sushi fish is actually quite fatty.

if you only need to lose 2 kilos, why not just up the amount of exercise you are doing? same effect, no need to change eating patterns (although yours could do with changing, I'm afraid...)
by koala2 (guest) rate this post as useful

Cutting down soft drinks? 2009/7/15 01:04
Lots of gyudon - do you have Yoshinoya near where you are?

I agree :) I eat yoshinoya's gyudon about once a week. Over here (Shanghai, China) a large bowl costs around 300yen. I always finish the beef but eat no more than half the rice. Expensive by local standards but it's within my budget.

any weight-loss diet needs to include lots of veggies, by definition. they are the only things that will make you feel full when you are eating the number of calories needed to lose weight- otherwise you will be hungry all the time. most sushi fish is actually quite fatty.
if you only need to lose 2 kilos, why not just up the amount of exercise you are doing? same effect, no need to change eating patterns (although yours could do with changing, I'm afraid...)


True, I ate veggies almost everyday for 2 months to lose 2kg earlier this year. I really wanted to be under 50kg so I was willing to suffer for it. Now that I am under 50kg, I am not willing to suffer anymore. Not desperate to lose 1-2kg but would be glad to.

The more I exercise, the hungrier I get, hence I tend to eat more, which cancels out the effect.


I wonder whether cutting down my soft drink intake (which I drink almost everyday) and drinking oolong tea instead will be effective?
by Jenny (guest) rate this post as useful

nutrition and exercise 2009/7/15 08:23
gyudon is fatty- dave in saitama was being tongue in cheek. try to find leaner kinds of meat to eat, like chicken with the skin removed- gyudon is terrible unhealthy stuff- one a week is way to much. yes, cut down on the equally unhealthy sodas- one a week or so is ok, every day is too much- even diet versions. there is just nothing good about those drinks.

what you may not realise about exercising is that it increases your metabolism, therefore helping you to lose weight and keep it off long term- ever seen a fat olympic athlete? dropping exercise because it makes you hungrier is a huge mistake- you can eat more if you exercise and still lose weight, just don't go overboard.
by koala 2 (guest) rate this post as useful

gyudon 2009/7/15 09:09
gyudon is not healthy but it's not so unhealthy that one a week is too much. we're talking about food here not toxic waste. i'd guess even the worse of yoshinoya's gyudon is under 1000calories which is a bit more than half the daily caloric requirement for most females.

Anyway yeah your diet is terrible and you need to start eating some vegetables. Meat is expensive in Japan. The only cheap meat is chicken and even that will get expensive. Learn to like veges or learn to pay through the roof for meat. You don't have much choice.

Carbohydrate filled foods like rice dishes, bread or pasta will make you gain weight unless you exercise religiously every day.
by Winterwolf (guest) rate this post as useful

Calories 2009/7/15 11:23
i'd guess even the worse of yoshinoya's gyudon is under 1000calories which is a bit more than half the daily caloric requirement for most females.
Anyway yeah your diet is terrible and you need to start eating some vegetables. Meat is expensive in Japan.


Near 1,000 calories is perfect for my dinner as I don't each much all day. Typically:

Breakfast: None
Lunch: 400-600calories
Dinner: 800-1000calories
Soft drinks/snacks: 100-300calories

So I still eat around 1600 calories/day despite a heavy dinner (I usually sleep no earlier than 2am that's why)

I know my diet isn't healthy but I am not planning to worry till I am 30 :) . What I consider most important in my 20s is that my BMI stays in the 18-19 range.

I hope cutting down on the soda cuts down at least 100cal/day so I might be able to lose 1-2kg in 2 months.
by Jenny (guest) rate this post as useful

exercise 2009/7/15 14:43
exercise and start eating vegetables and you can lose 2kg in 2 weeks easily enough. If you stick to high sugar high carb diet you're fighting an uphill battle.

cycling for an hour each day or running for 30 minutes will burn off 400 calories more more which over a week will basically make you drop 1kg or more of body fat.

furthermore if you keep stuffing yourself with carbs and protein and no veges and then try to exercise you're not going to lose weight, you'll gain weight through muscle mass. all those carbs and the protein will be converted by your body into muscle right away.
by Winterwolf (guest) rate this post as useful

No Veggies? 2009/7/16 00:07
The large amount of veggies is one of the main reasons the Japanese diet is so healthy. That plus different types of seaweed, lots of seafood and rice. The fact they walk & ride bikes almost everwhere, when we Americans take the car to go 2 blocks to the store, is a big part of their overall health and lack of obesity.

Not eating veggies as part of any healthy diet is like saying you want to run a marathon without practicing, it just doesnt work that way!
by cf (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2009/7/16 00:40
If you wait till you turn 30, it will be even harder to change your diet as you will need a drastic change. If you want to keep your figure well into your 40s and 50s, start now.
by . (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2009/7/16 00:49
Ramen!!!!!!!!!!
by . (guest) rate this post as useful

Veggies? 2009/7/16 02:08
Is the Japanese diet really full of vegetables?

I often want to eat more vegetables, but I have a lot of trouble finding Japanese dishes that have a decent amount. Whether I'm eating out, or buying something at the supermarket... tempura, soba, sushi, donburi... I always just have to cook something for myself.

The only real veggie-friendly dishes I can think of are nabe and tsukemono, unless you count those huge mounds of tasteless raw cabbage you get with tonkatsu, hahaha...

Any ideas?
by rafracia rate this post as useful

... 2009/7/16 07:31
Yes, the (traditional) Japanese diet is full of vegetables!

I always just have to cook something for myself.

Of course! That's how Japanese diet works! You buy the vegetables at the shop and then prepare them at home yourself. Is it not the same in your country?

The range of pre-made vegetable dishes available at super markets is limited.

More about vegetables:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2346.html
by Uji rate this post as useful

not too late 2009/7/16 08:17
Once I reached my late 20s it became noticeably harder for me to keep slim, although, I manage it. I know guys in their early 30 who look quite a lot older because of poor diet and a stressful lifestyle.

It is never too early to change your habits, and the earlier you do it, the easier it is. Once you reach 30 you are starting to get set in your ways to some extent.

I agree that a traditional healthy Japanese diet (which doesn't include gyudon!) contains lots of veg- when I go to my mother-in-law's house I get fed large amounts of vegetables. She never goes near convenience store or fast food and is very slim and healthy at her age.
by Sira (guest) rate this post as useful

Does a 21 yr old need to suffer? 2009/7/16 11:57
Except for Dave & Winterwolf, all of you sound sound like my 47 yr old mum! :) (She can't stop talking about how important veggies are!)

The only time I eat plenty of veggies high in iron is during blood loss every month. I typically eat red spinach during that time. I can be good for a few days a month but can't be eating like that everyday!

Once I reached my late 20s it became noticeably harder for me to keep slim, although, I manage it.

I am aware that people (esp women) easily gain weight with age. So I wanna enjoy without gaining weight while I still can afford it at this age.

If you want to keep your figure well into your 40s and 50s, start now.

I wanna keep my figure in my 20s. In my 30s, 40s and 50s (I don't really think about being those ages yet) I am not sure... I probably wouldn't mind being a bit fatter as most others also gain weight anyway. However, Japanese women seem like the exception. My host (157cm) is in her late fifties & weighs 44kg! I am so envious.

Is this true? I find that most Japanese women around my age feel that having a waist under 70cm is most important. Other things (healthy diet, exercising) are secondary. I can't agree more.
by Jenny (guest) rate this post as useful

... 2009/7/16 12:07
what do you mean that having a healthy diet and exercising is secondary to having a waist that is 70cm or less? do you mean that unhealthy ways to achieve that goal (starving yourself, taking laxatives for example) are not a problem, because the ultimate goal is still reached?! i can't agree...at all.

i don't really get the weight/stats obsession some people have. i just eat relatively healthily and exercise moderately and i still weigh what i did at 20- about 57 kg (i am 174 cm tall).

i have no idea what my waist measurment is.
by koala2 (guest) rate this post as useful

My Japanese friends said so 2009/7/16 12:32
what do you mean that having a healthy diet and exercising is secondary to having a waist that is 70cm or less? do you mean that unhealthy ways to achieve that goal (starving yourself, taking laxatives for example) are not a problem, because the ultimate goal is still reached?! i can't agree...at all.

That's what a lot of my around age 20 Japanese friends said because (according to them) if their waists exceed 69cm, it would be really hard to find fashionable clothes. They felt "no matter how good your diet is, if you can't maintain a waist 69cm or under, you will have a hard time looking good."

If you are 174cm, I think it doesn't apply to you as a 70cm waist is very slim at that height. I am sure what they said applies to people around 160cm.
by Jenny (guest) rate this post as useful

. 2009/7/16 12:32
About iron loss. As you like beef, probably you don't need to force yourself to eat spinach. Iron in spinach is not as easily absorbed as beef, unless you eat it with foods rich in vitamin C. That must be a good news for you:) That being said, as Sira pointed out, people who don't follow well balanced diet usually age poorly. Wrinkles, dull skin and skin color, big waist.....you get the picture. I don't want to scare you, but you will start seeing the signs of aging in a couple of years.

by . (guest) rate this post as useful

Wrinkles & menopause 2009/7/16 16:09
Sira pointed out, people who don't follow well balanced diet usually age poorly. Wrinkles, dull skin and skin color, big waist.....you get the picture. I don't want to scare you, but you will start seeing the signs of aging in a couple of years.

I am somewhat scared of wrinkles. I have seen people under 25 with fine lines.

My mum told me if I lack veggies, I will experience early menopause. I don't know whether that is true? I have always thought that the main factor of a woman's menopausal age (like menarche age) is her mum's age at menopause. But I shouldn't be worrying about menopause as that occurs around 50.
by Jenny (guest) rate this post as useful

balance 2009/7/16 23:21
This is something I always find interesting, the 'Japanese eat so healthy' issue. I do agree that they don't seem to overeat, and not too many people ate tons of junk food, which is important.

I'd say from when I was there that on average Japanese people aren't overweight because of all the walking and biking more than what they eat. None of the people from my work cooked for themselves and for the most part ate a lot of crap. I'm not so sure how healthy they eat; all I saw was tons of rice and noodles and a severe lack of fruits and vegetables. When we went out to restaurants for work functions the food was pretty disgusting. Sushi is good once and a while, but I don't think it's healthy as a regular part of a diet.

Being on a diet doesn't mean you don't eat a lot; it means you a careful about what you eat. Staying active is very important, so if you can start walking everywhere as much as possible, that's almost all you need.

For food, eating a lot of fish is a good choice; I do this too. Cooking at home instead of buying take out is always the best choice because you know what you putting into your food. There's tons of different kinds of fish to eat, and takes probably 20 - 30 minutes at the most to cook.

Any good diet should have several servings of fruits and vegetables. Having fruit for breakfast is a great choice.

Probably the best thing to do for anyone that's concerned about eating healthy is to talk to a doctor or some other health professional.
by Dr Bob rate this post as useful

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