Lose weight without trying

by Margie Jesson
(Nagasaki Japan)

Margie and Rob in Japan

I did not want to lose weight - I am 5'7" and normally weigh 128 pounds. I'm 53 years old, been through the menopause and healthy. But I am flabby as my only exercise is walking 30 minutes a day.

My husband normally cooks for me (I teach English to children in Japan) but has had to go to New Zealand for 2 months so I have had to cook for myself.

I get home from work at 9pm so don't have time or energy to make a big meal, instead I have been making lots of soups. In the past 4 weeks I have lost 7lbs and am now 121 pounds.

So I need to put on weight! I just found your exercise site on you tube, and love it - did the arm exercises straight away (yes, the weights had been sitting in a corner since I bought them 6 months ago!)

So, my advice for losing weight is to make lots of soup - it fills you up without the calories - is healthy, easy (just put in whatever you have), cheap, and takes only minutes to make. I have still been eating pastries, potato chips and drinking alcohol.

EVERYONE who comes to Japan loses weight. Sure, there is lots of delicious fried food, but servings are much smaller than in the west. Meat is expensive but very good quality, so only a little is eaten in a meal.

The idea is to savor food - the appearance, the dishes it is served in, the contrasting colors and textures. The ideal is to have many small dishes of food rather than a big steak with 2 vegetables.

For my soups, I use a base of water with a little soy sauce, (no extra salt is needed), some sweet sake (or a touch of sherry), some powdered seaweed (or chicken stock).

Then add whatever you wish - in small quantities so each item is individual, you don't want a mush. Small shrimp, potato, carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, celery, thin slices of pork or beef and chopped spinach or cabbage or garlic chives, spring onions etc added at the last minute.

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