I’m reacting to what a lot of you Di1’s asked for, which was the Japanese health secrets that help people struggling with weight loss.
Now this was done by a wellness writer/ illustrator, her name is Kaki Okumura She was interviewed by Reenah Koh who is a lifestyle and culture fellow at Insider’s Singapore bureau, where she covers Asia’s latest trends and cultural news.
So I’m going to go through it and just react, to what I’m reading & give you my thoughts, too.
Reena has made some bullet points, which says that Kaki use to live in the US until she was 12.
She then use to struggle with her being overweight, tried many diets tactics, but none of them work.
She also has a book launch called “Wa:The Art Of Balance” UH OHHHHHHHHH!
When i typically hear this, it’s a bad sign, if you add the fact that she just said she struggled with her weight in the past, but even without this, it tends to lean towards, I want health, but I won’t my junk food too, let me find a way to have both, and call it balance, but I’ve not read it yet so let’s see, but just off that and my experience with others who say this, uh ohhhhhhhhhh!
“I remember looking down at a family photo and feeling my heart sink. I couldn’t help it. I was clearly the only one who was overweight”.
“I’m Japanese, but because I was raised in the US until I was 12, I had found myself facing a health challenge that a lot of other Americans faced: being overweight”.
“If my family had shared this trouble with me, I may not have felt so alone in my journey”.
“But my family just didn’t struggle in the way I did, perhaps because most of them lived in Japan — a country that’s a leader in longevity and has very low rates of obesity”.
“My parents were kind and never shamed me for my body, but I still couldn’t help but feel an intense amount of pressure to change the way I looked”.
“So I embarked on a number of dieting tactics. I tried everything from calorie restriction and intermittent fasting to low-carb meals”.
“Some worked, with varying levels of success, but none were sustainable — at least, not until I moved to Japan”.
“I always had an image in my mind that people in Japan ate very healthfully — that they didn’t eat fried foods, meat, or ice cream — and most of their meals were composed of rice, fish, and steamed vegetables”.
Ok, kaki parents fed her, no ?
They are from Japan, and raised there as she said no ?
They may not be able to have the food exactly like it is in Japan, however if she was eating that type of food often, she would not be obese, that is a fact.
She is making excuses saying that it was because she was in the US, and her parents did not because they were raised in Japan, but they raised you, if they had instilled in you, the way’s to eat, you would not have found it so hard, or she may have not wanted to, and argued back as teen or something, there is something missing here & it makes no sense, and I hear a lot of excuses, when the fault is with you Kaki, not the US lol.
It’s clear there were many issues as, she says that she felt the need to change the way she looked, could be bullying or seeing all the ads, with slim girls & she wanted that too, so that’s not out of the norm, for a young girl, at all.
She then said she embarked on a number of dieting tactics, which translates to… You never did what the diet said to do, gave up and did others.
Not that diets are a thing you should be on.. They suck & are for the short term & you should stay away from that and go for lifestyle change for everlasting results (Of course, you keep putting in the work daily).
All these things, intermittent fasting, low-carb meals, calorie restriction… Spells out, it’s not me, it’s you!
Quick fixing it, let this be a lesson to you reading this & thinking about going on a diet like these, the mindset was not right as what you eat & drink is adding up to your score for life, if you don’t eat you starve no ?
So why is that those that want to go on these diets think that, there is an end point ?
You’ll get slim and… Go back to the toxic eating you were doing before ?
Or just eat less of it ?
Was this the grand plan ?
In which case you’re not healthy & will carry on time and again, feeling like crap, as you fill your body up with crap, until you end up with a chronic disease & may end up in the skies, own up to what you do & change your mindset, if this had happened back then, Kaki would not have been in this mess..
I know there are many who have this poor mindset when it comes to food, if it hurt, then it applies.
“While living there, I started to realize that Japan was just like any other developed country: It had snacks and fast food, and its people certainly indulged in sweets”.
“It was clear that Japanese people enjoyed these foods regularly”.
“So what’s the secret? It’s in balance”.
“Since I’ve started following these four principles, I haven’t struggled or worried about the way I eat”.
Balance, again, here we goooooooooo!
Other than sounding like Mario lool, when I hear this, it’s a red flag.
Not that balance is wrong, it’s just preached, by those who don’t live by it.
For example, they eat more junk (Which is not food), and less of the real food, which is healthy for you, fresh & not from some lab 9.9 percent of the time (Living off sugar cane & that no good lol)
So when I hear this, it alerts me, and from what I’ve read before this, I don’t trust her to deliver on the facts one bit, I’m hearing feelings, not what is.
Nobody cares if you worried about what you eat, that don’t mean you’re eating right either, many don’t care what they eat, and they are in the ward, at end of life, because they did not worry & thought they were Captain Scarlet (Google it, if you don’t know who that is) …
So I don’t know where she is going with that, but let’s read on.
“Moderation”
“One of the first things that people who visit Japan will say about the food is how small the portions are.
When you go out to eat in Japan, you’ll probably be able to finish your food in one sitting”.
“In the US, you’re more likely to ask for a take-out box”.
“These moderate portions are one of the key reasons people in Japan often eat whatever they want — many without rigorous exercise routines”.
“When you eat in moderation, nothing has to be off limits, and you can relax about eating cake at birthdays or steak to celebrate a job promotion”.
“Consequently, we feel less stressed about food”. “I came to realize that sustainable healthy eating was not about willpower or self-discipline, but about being able to incorporate the foods we love, in moderation”.
That’s very true, the portions in Japan are very small, in the US they are well known for putting out big portions, to the point of a takeout box facts!
What Kaki is missing is that, it’s not just about the portions, that’s just at meal times, no ?
What about the snacks in-between, are they eating any old rubbish, let’s say candy, where the portions are the same, or bag of crisps ?
Chocolate bars & so on, the fact is, in Japan, they don’t eat like that as a whole, more of them eat healthy food, then not, and you don’t need rigorous exercise routines, you could just be walking every day vs using a car…
They are more active than in the US, and many countries, they work out more, look after themselves & have a better mindset towards fruit and veg, that is a fact, not a feeling, so it’s more than just we eat everything but in small portions, that’s a myth, the most eat well & workout, it doesn’t have to be rigorous, this smells like someone that don’t work out or don’t like to lol.
Oh boyyy, this girl man.. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!
Who feels stressed over eating a steak ?
Ones that don’t eat steaks, are called vegans, or vegetarian’s and so on.
Even someone that wants to get slimmer, is not eating no steak, if they feel this stress you’re talking about.
Cake is also not food, so I was right what I was saying before, this is just someone that, in her own words, wants her cake & eats it too, what a joke!
LOOOOL!
Sustainable healthy eating, what eating cake ? The word lack springs to mind, oh my days, lol.
You’re lacking the willpower & self-discipline & are projecting this onto the reader, you were the one that was greedy & hiding behind a whole country for the reason you got big LOL!
Yet in the US just over 40 percent of them are obese (Read that again) that’s not good, but even with all that is wrong with the US foods, they’re still more that are not obese than are, it has nothing to do with where you were born, you’re just greedy & had no self-control, you’re on the same thing as when you were bigger, you’re just eating less of it, coming out with rubbish, as you can’t hack it, this is toxic.
“Variety”
“When you go to a Japanese restaurant in Japan, you often come across a meal composed of rice, Miso soup, a protein dish, and a few vegetable side dishes. The dishes vary from grilled fish and steamed spinach to deep-fried chicken and a salad.”
“The key is not so much the dish itself, but that there is such a wide variety of dishes in one meal.
This way, people can easily get several nutrients without having too much of any one thing”.
“We need carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and protein, but instead of overthinking how to incorporate them together, the Japanese style embeds balance into each meal by having various small dishes”.
“The variety also keeps meals interesting, so you don’t feel restricted or deprived of anything, while eating everything your body requires”.
True, this is a big reason why they’re so healthy as a nation, so like I said before they’re more of them doing this, than not, you notice how in this description there is no junk food mentioned, what happened to the cake lol, she was lying before.
“Simplicity”
“I’ve found that vegetables are often treated as a necessary evil in the US”.
“There is no shortage of recipes and articles that are worded like, How to make vegetables taste good, or, Vegetable dishes you’ll actually want to eat.”
“With the assumption that vegetables don’t taste good, we end up with recipes that will do anything to mask the flavour — often with heavy amounts of salt, oil, or sugar”.
She is right, and you see what I was saying before, they view fruit and veg in a good way, and look what she says now.
Which means your parents were more likely on this path, and you choose to eat badly, stop putting it on the US, you had parents from Japan that knew better, and had you eating crazy, own up to it.
The last part I agree with too, so she knows something then!
“Self-Compassion”
“This was the most difficult principle for me to adopt, but it was the most important”.
“When I would overeat, I would end up feeling bad about myself. Occasionally, I might feel guilty, ashamed, or weak-willed”.
“An idea that helped me during moments like this was the Japanese phrase “kuchisabishii.”
It’s a commonly used phrase that directly translates to “lonely mouth,” but it refers to boredom snacking, or when we eat without intention”.
“But kuchisabishii is less critical in nature than phrases like binge eating, or compulsive overeating, because it recognizes that like loneliness, eating out of boredom is a natural emotion”.
In a nutshell, she just snitched on herself, what happened to the same energy?
So you know what you were just preaching about cake and all that was wrong, you overate, you felt bad, as you knew you did wrong no ?
Was it the US fault that you could not put down the junk, when your belly was telling you to stop ?
You felt these feelings, as you knew the truth, you felt weak-willed as you were a fiend to the trash, you’re saying what we all thought reading this (With sense anyway lol).
I love this Japanese phrase, that was cold still, see once again though you snitch on yourself, boredom snacking, or eat without intention! Was it the US fault you ate without intention ?
This whole article has shown not one bit of accountability, this is what you were doing, because you had a poor mindset/ your views upon eating fruit and veg were as evil as the US boys and girls you were talking about, that is fact.. OWN IT!
So the word kuchisabishii knows that like loneliness, eating out of boredom is a natural emotion LOOOL!!!!
So if you were eating out of boredom, fruit and veg, would you get fat ?
No, so why is she skirting around the fact that, you made poor choices, even though was born with parents who knew better, you thought you knew better, found out you did not, changed your ways & now living better.
That’s all that needed to be said, everyone would be inspired, but the truth is, Kaki has not changed her ways, she just eats less, of the trash, and eats her veg, plus you seem lost like, you have no clue on how you got in the mess other than it was United States fault, rather than your own, with the head start that you had in life, via your parents as you said yourself how they move in Japan.
What this reminds me of, is an out of shape doctor telling you to be healthy, but have some red wine and some chocolate, it’s good for you!
When in fact, you’re a fiend, who cannot stop his addiction, if my doctor ever told me that, he would no longer be my doctor, he would get the big boot, or an RKO out of nowhere through his desk XD.
As far as that book goes, I would not read it, if it’s anything like how she has been speaking in this interview, it would be very poor indeed.
That’s It!
I enjoyed sharing my reaction with you, let me know
your thoughts about what I had to say.
Until next time ciao 🙂
𝐖𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐔𝐩 大
This is really good, thanks for breaking this down.
🙂
Np at all
This was very good, as I can see somethings I would have agreed with her on, if I had read it, without your reactions to it, which are on point.
🙂
I really like that you said that, as I often think that would be the case, then I speak and then they like.. Oh, I get it, or it makes sense lol!
Can’t agruge with what you’re saying here, It’s really a level I want to get to.. JUST WOW!
Keep going and you can get here too 🙂
I really enjoyed your reaction to this, I’m learning so much that I never thought of here, thanks for doing this.
You’re welcome, I’m glad I can help you 🙂
Love it!
I’m glad you love it.
I need to start eating like they do over there.
You won’t regret it.
Truth spoken here, even if I don’t eat like perfect, I know it’s the truth.
There is always room to improve, even the Healthy one is still learning and applying everyday, I am not perfect.. But I am healither than everybody else 😉
Thanks for doing this 🙂
You’re welcome.
Thanks for the reaction article 🙂
It’s really cool to read this, I agree with you too!
Thanks 🙂
She is very wrong about how we eat, it’s bad message she adopts from the USA.
Exactly
We eat very well here in Japan, we have the oldest humans alive in our country, your reaction was very good to her.
Yes, This is why when I was reacting, I was like whattttttttt? LOL.. but thank you.
Very good to talk about my country.
Thank you.
🙂
Thanks for the share.
You’re welcome.
This is very nice 🙂
🙂
Thank you.
We are very healthy in Japan, we don’t enjoy junk food like this Kaki say’s at all.
Yeah, I can see from the comments, that you lot are not happy with her at all XD
You’re welcome to Japan anytime!
Thanks
🙂
We would love to see you in Japan 🙂
I would love to come 🙂
Have you been to Japan before?
Not yet, but it’s a country I want to vist for sure!
You’re right!
You’re weclome.
I have a sweet tooth myself, but as a whole I would say Kaki is wrong and we enjoy fruit and vegetables a lot more, many of my family do not even eat junk food.
I’ve watched many shows, spoken to y’all & read many books about Japan and it’s food etc & I know
Kaki is not telling the truth, I could care less if she was from Holland, most of what she is saying is hiding behind
nations, when infact it’s her feelings & lack that is on show.. All I did was shine a light to it.
Thank you for talking about my country 🙂
Np 🙂
Doing my very best to translate everything, but I agree with what you’re saying about Kaki, she really does not blame anything, only other silly things like a country.
Facts
You have brought my honour to Japan than this woman!
Lol, respect Nara, that was just my honest reaction to what I was reading.. Japan or any other country, if it’s unhealthy and you preaching it.. I’m coming for you.
love this!!!
Thanks for the love.
They eat so healthy, this girl must be capping.
Lol.
I mean, it’s threw her own POV you know, but then starts projecting her own limits on to us, and then blames whole country for
her own issue, which is still on going but in smaller doses, I like some of things that Japan do when it comes to eating as she said, but her own exp
what she is saying, for the country of Japan is cap & if you read what the native are saying, they agree too 🙂
She got cooked!
Lol, she way off the mark with what she said about others to do, so I had to get the pan out lool.
You reactions are so to the point lol.
Lol I’m just in the moment.. What can I say hahaha!
Thank you for rating it hahah.
big boot or an RKO to your doctor Lmaoo Whaaaat?!
XD
It’s pure reaction to what I was reading at the time, it came to mind.. My doctor IRL is such a good doctor so it could never be him LOL!