Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Why Japanese are Skinny

                                      This is a typical Japanese breakfast: Natto, rice, miso soup. 


And that's exactly what I had: natto, rice and salmon for breakfast!


I just got back from a 12 day trip to Japan and if there was one thing that resignated with me it was the fact that the vast majority of Japanese people are much, much, thinner than their American counterparts. This should be of interest to us, as we are a country growing in obesity and are unable to get it under control. Amazingly, many “rules of the skinny” seem to not apply toJapanese, I guess they are right about everything being backwards in Japan. For example, rice is a major staple in the Japanese diet, they love pastries, and it's almost a tradition for them to drink beer after work, even the women; and still a majority of the population is skinny. Below I've listed 3 reasons why I feel Japanese people eat what they want and are still as a whole, a thin population.

  1. Portion control: their portions are much, smaller than the portions of their American counterparts. Basicly, they just eat less of everything they want as opposed to Americans who eat more of everything, and then more to top it off. They eat rice, but they eat tiny rice balls, sometimes just that for a full meal. They eat pastries, but not boxes of doughnuts, they have one and their one pastry is not huge and they are satisfied with that. When we were in Japan my husbands friend ordered a hotdog while we were sitting at a cafe. The hotdog literally came with 5 chips. Not a bag of chips, just 5 pieces and he was ok with it (he's Japanese). It's quite common to see 1 family sharing a meal, including the father. They would order a beef curry plate with rice and the mom, dad and child would share that whole meal. I've even seen a bowl of ramen split, not because they are trying to save money, just because they don't live to eat, they eat to live.
  2. Farming practices: In Japan they give much care to their farming practices. Unlike the American food manufacturing industry, the Japanese people practice a more organic approach to farming food. They understand that while American type manufacturing practices may yield more food in a shorter amount of time, they also know that in the long run, the people and the environment will be adversely effected, therefore they try to keep they farming as organic as possible. This is the opposite in America. Unless marked and certified organic, you can almost assume that the food you are eating is the worst version of it's self. Basicly, the food in Japan will be in a more natural state than food produced in America. This enables the body to use the food as fuel much more efficiently than food that is genetically modified and laced in herbicides and pesticides.
  3. They walk everywhere. They walk, walk, walk. Because most people use the train system, they are on a time table. Even though in America we live busy lives we still make time to drive to a resturaunt, sit, order appitizers, drinks and a full meal with bread on the side. Not in Japan. They have just enough time to eat and make their train, so even if they eat a full dinner, immeadiately after, they are walking. From the morning, till they get home at night they are walking, they are moving.

We can learn much from the Japanese in the way they look at food. They to socilize while eating, but they do not make food the main subject of the socilizing. They make the company and conversation the main focus. They are all about portion control, so they are able to have what they want but they just don't have too much of it. They deffinately do not live to eat. While they do enjoy their food, they rarely over do it. Their farming practices are organic. They walk everywhere and are very weight conscious, did I forget to mention that? They actually care if they are overweight. While many Americans feel that weight gain is inevitable, Japanese will try to avoid it at all means. 

Saturday, October 1, 2011

The Vein & Skin Center of Hawaii

Today I bumped into Dr. Chung from the Vein & Skin Center of Hawaii. The Vein & Skin Center is located in the Pan-am Building in Honolulu, Hawaii. The last time I saw Dr. Chung I was actually a patient of his at his clinic. They opened their clinic in 2008 and was one of the first to bring in new technology in the treatment of varicose veins. Being a hula dancer my whole life, I've constantly been on my feet. I danced at Tokyo Disney Land where we did 4 shows a day, 6 days a week and my legs took a beating. I put myself through school dancing hula in Waikiki! Then one day when I was looking at my legs in the mirror, I could visibly see veins popping out around my calf area. I was pretty bummed to say the least, but understood that there was nothing I could do about it. I stopped wearing shorts and only wore long skirts that hid my legs. Then, I saw an on-line ad showing a new clinic that had an in and out procedure, brand new to the islands, with cutting edge technology that could easily treat and practically get rid of any visible varicose veins.  It was the Vein & Skin Center of Hawaii.  I called so quickly, they said I was the first person to respond to the ad. I laughed, but I wasn't surprised. Shortly thereafter I met with the Doctors and made my appointment for the procedure.  I was so excited to get the treatment done, I could finally wear shorts and not feel self conscious. It was the first time that I ever had any kind of procedure done (other than getting my wisdoms removed) and I was a bit nervous. They took good care of me. The staff was very friendly, from the receptionist to the tech who assisted during the procedure. They did their magic and I was able to walk out that very day. It's been 3 years since the procedure and I've recommended them to a number of friends and family members who all suffered from the same "leg vein" issue. My legs no longer hurt when I walk or when I dance and I'm pretty stoked that I can wear shorts and not feel so self conscious. They offer free consultations, if you've ever had any leg vein issues, give them a call and tell them Brandy sent you. 


Thursday, September 29, 2011

Prepare For Success

Weight loss is not easy and surely does not just "happen." If you have ever tried to lose weight or if you are currently caught in the weight loss - weight gain cycle, then you know exactly what I am talking about. You would think that with the amount of money that America spends on weight loss, we would have gotten it right by now but this is not the case. America as a country is fatter and sicker than it's ever been and if we don't start making some major changes in the way we've been approaching the problem, we may find ourselves in a losing battle. 

If you are thinking about losing weight, if you want to lose weight, if you NEED to lose weight, you must prepare yourself. As a wegith loss coach, I teach my clients that in order for them to achieve weight loss success, preparation is key. Believe it or not, your preparation should start even BEFORE you've started the actual weight loss program. When my cilents start my program, I put them through a phase of preparation... and then we begin dropping the weight. I've found that the more you prepare prior to starting a program, the more chances of success you have. I've listed 5 steps below that can help you get closer to your weight loss goals.
  1. Set a weight loss goal, write it on paper. We set goals for things we want to accomplish but may have some difficulty doing. You must have your weight loss goal fixed firmly in your mind. This is a very important aspect of successful weight loss. If you have a goal and you work towards that goal, your chances of reaching that goal will be much greater. Choose a goal weight and write it down on paper.
  2. Set a time limit for you to reach your weight loss goal, write it on paper. Putting yourself on a time frame will ad a healthy sense of urgency to your program. Giving yourself a reasonable amount of time will ensure that you do not put it off. Set a date that you are working towards and write it down on paper.
  3. Think of the top 3 reasons why you want that weight loss goal, write it on paper. You MUST know why you are working to lose weight. Yes- for your health, yes- for your appearance, yes- for your family. NOW, stop and really think about what blessings losing weight will bring you. When you can put your finger on the emotions, feelings and motivations behind your weight loss goals, then you've found your glue to stick to your program. Write it down on paper.
  4. Make a plan for you to follow to get to your weight loss goal, write it on paper. Whatever weight loss program you choose, you must follow a plan. Whatever the plan is, you need to write it down on paper so you, yourself understands what it is you are doing. You need to know the plan that's going to take you to your goal. How are you planning to lose the weight? Write it down on paper.
  5. Take everything you've written on paper and compose a weight loss statement and read it every day. You must constantly keep your mission in your mind at all times. People wonder why they don't reach their goals, it's because they get sidetracked. Keeping focused daily will help you keep right on track!

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Group Effort


       Weight loss is not a destination, it's a journey. Anyone that has been on my weight loss program knows that losing weight is not easy but it's much easier when you have support. The above picture is an example of a true group of like minded individuals who worked towards a goal and got there.
       Mapu Dilliner, an amazing success story of my Wellnessbridge weight loss program, got a group of her close friends together and encouraged them to do the program as well. She like many of her friends, had tried to lose weight over and over, just to face disappointment. It was different with this program that had brought her from a size 16 to a size 4 in a matter of months. "This program taught me how to make the lifestyle changes I needed so could keep the weight off," says Mapu.
       After achieving amazing success on this weight loss program, she set out to help other's who were in search of a system that would give them the best chances at weight loss too. They set their mind to their goal, followed strict instructions and they all finished the program with an average of 25 pounds lost in 30 days, for a grand total of 350 pounds!
       People always ask me, what's the magic behind weight loss... I believe that weight loss is 85% mental; once you have your goal fixed firmly in mind, the plan to get there and the belief that "you can," the other 15% is just doing it.

Below, I've listed 3 things to consider when choosing a weight loss program:
  1. Does it work? The program you choose to take you closer to your weight loss goals should have a proven track record of success, at least the success that it promises. 
  2. Do you have support? You need support when you are on a weight loss regimen. Weight loss is not easy, don't try to do it yourself.
  3. Does the program not only support weight loss, but also weight maintenance? Weight maintenance is just as important was weight loss. Find a system that teaches you how to maintain your weight.

To sign up for a free consultation: Register here