TheodoraLogan
New Member
Hi!
It's my very first post, so I'm going to introduce myself first.
You can call me Teddy. I'll turn 20 in three weeks, I'm a philosophy and political science college student in Paris but right now, I'm an exchange student in Kyoto for one year.
I'm 5'2" and I was 97lbs the last time I weighed myself, in August (I don't have a scale, I probably should get one). I think I'm around 98-100lbs right now. Also, I'm Asian and my whole family is the very short-skinny type. Truth is, all my friends and some of my relatives tell me I should eat more / not be *that* skinny (although I just think I'm very lean), but my mom (whom I trust more than everybody because she knows all my habits) tells me that my weight isn't my problem, it's just my health in general. Actually, I don't practice any sports - I've tried many though: judo, gymnastic, boxing, aikido... the only sport I liked was archery but the location was way too far from home, so I had to stop after a semester.
So, I moved from Paris to Kyoto three months ago, and my whole lifestyle changed as a natural consequence. I've had a "fat belly" for a few months before arriving to Japan, but I feel it's getting "worse". Not considerably worse, but I'd rather change this before it becomes a real problem, for my appearance but firstly for my health. But truth is, I have no idea how to deal with this!
I think I have to change my diet, but I just don't know how wrong my eating/living habits are right now, so here's my typical day:
• Wake up at 7:50am, no breakfast, I leave my dormitory at 8:05 on my bicycle. Note: in Paris, I would just take the metro. So basically I've been from "10min of walking + 20min standing/sitting in the metro" to "3.11 miles uphill on a bicycle in 30-35min" (plus, I haven't cycled in 10 years before arriving in Japan). Also, due to my rather weak constitution, even though my legs are way stronger than before, my knees hurt a lot, but only when I crouch or bend, e.g to pick something on the floor, or when I climb high stairs. Otherwise, I'm perfectly okay when running or walking, though I get tired easily if I'm carrying a stuffed backpack.
• Arrive at 8:45am, and then have a latte (or two, but it doesn't happen often) (250ml, 120kcal, 2.3g protein, 1.8g fat, 23.6g carbohydrates, 78-165mg sodium) plus one or two small pastries.
• Classes until 12:15 or 4:30pm, then 3.11 miles downhill to get back home. And then homework, housework, etc. So cycling to and from school is my main and only workout for a day. I would sometimes do it twice a day, if I visit friends who live 4 miles away from my dorm (cycling is so cheaper than taking the Japanese subway)
• Sleep at midnight (sometimes earlier, but usually later, after a trip to Hiroshima three weeks ago I haven't been able to get proper sleep, it really is annoying because I would be sleepy in class and then nap at 3pm and then be unable to fall asleep quickly at night)
For lunch and dinner, I usually have white rice and chicken (it's the cheapest meat in Japan), sometimes beef. I would also cook pastas, make curry rice, but also ham/cheese sandwiches when I really can't be bothered to cook. But when I get too lazy I would buy bentos (ready-to-eat meals) at the nearest convenience store, or eat instant ramen. I try to eat as much vegetables as I can (I love them so it's not a question of motivation), but they are so expensive I can't afford them everyday (for instance, a single red pepper bell can cost 2.40$ and green vegetables are even more expensive for very little quantities), so I usually have carrots and broccolis. Also, I'm a good baker and have a (very) sweet tooth, so I'd rather get yogurts, pastries, puddings and chocolate treats than fresh fruits (which are as expensive as vegetables: 2$ for a single apple and close to 5$ for a peach). My belly is kind of bloated in the evening, but I'm not really sure what food causes this and this is kind of frustrating. I'm worried because I'm pretty sure I'm doing most of the things wrong, but at the same time I really want to improve my body shape and my habits. Most of my friends (back in France) don't really want to help me when I talk to them about this, because they tell me I'm overreacting, or that I'm just imagining that I have weight/shape problems and that I should stop complaining "because you're still wearing size 0, duh!" (well; I can wear size 0 jeans but then all my belly fat would be way to visible to be acceptable). They're the people who have never heard of the "skinny/fat belly girl"... So I hope you might have some answers or pieces of advice for the complete newbie that I am
.
This was a long message, now that I read it again! But I hope you'll read me and maybe help me?
Thanks a lot,
T•
It's my very first post, so I'm going to introduce myself first.
You can call me Teddy. I'll turn 20 in three weeks, I'm a philosophy and political science college student in Paris but right now, I'm an exchange student in Kyoto for one year.
I'm 5'2" and I was 97lbs the last time I weighed myself, in August (I don't have a scale, I probably should get one). I think I'm around 98-100lbs right now. Also, I'm Asian and my whole family is the very short-skinny type. Truth is, all my friends and some of my relatives tell me I should eat more / not be *that* skinny (although I just think I'm very lean), but my mom (whom I trust more than everybody because she knows all my habits) tells me that my weight isn't my problem, it's just my health in general. Actually, I don't practice any sports - I've tried many though: judo, gymnastic, boxing, aikido... the only sport I liked was archery but the location was way too far from home, so I had to stop after a semester.
So, I moved from Paris to Kyoto three months ago, and my whole lifestyle changed as a natural consequence. I've had a "fat belly" for a few months before arriving to Japan, but I feel it's getting "worse". Not considerably worse, but I'd rather change this before it becomes a real problem, for my appearance but firstly for my health. But truth is, I have no idea how to deal with this!
I think I have to change my diet, but I just don't know how wrong my eating/living habits are right now, so here's my typical day:
• Wake up at 7:50am, no breakfast, I leave my dormitory at 8:05 on my bicycle. Note: in Paris, I would just take the metro. So basically I've been from "10min of walking + 20min standing/sitting in the metro" to "3.11 miles uphill on a bicycle in 30-35min" (plus, I haven't cycled in 10 years before arriving in Japan). Also, due to my rather weak constitution, even though my legs are way stronger than before, my knees hurt a lot, but only when I crouch or bend, e.g to pick something on the floor, or when I climb high stairs. Otherwise, I'm perfectly okay when running or walking, though I get tired easily if I'm carrying a stuffed backpack.
• Arrive at 8:45am, and then have a latte (or two, but it doesn't happen often) (250ml, 120kcal, 2.3g protein, 1.8g fat, 23.6g carbohydrates, 78-165mg sodium) plus one or two small pastries.
• Classes until 12:15 or 4:30pm, then 3.11 miles downhill to get back home. And then homework, housework, etc. So cycling to and from school is my main and only workout for a day. I would sometimes do it twice a day, if I visit friends who live 4 miles away from my dorm (cycling is so cheaper than taking the Japanese subway)
• Sleep at midnight (sometimes earlier, but usually later, after a trip to Hiroshima three weeks ago I haven't been able to get proper sleep, it really is annoying because I would be sleepy in class and then nap at 3pm and then be unable to fall asleep quickly at night)
For lunch and dinner, I usually have white rice and chicken (it's the cheapest meat in Japan), sometimes beef. I would also cook pastas, make curry rice, but also ham/cheese sandwiches when I really can't be bothered to cook. But when I get too lazy I would buy bentos (ready-to-eat meals) at the nearest convenience store, or eat instant ramen. I try to eat as much vegetables as I can (I love them so it's not a question of motivation), but they are so expensive I can't afford them everyday (for instance, a single red pepper bell can cost 2.40$ and green vegetables are even more expensive for very little quantities), so I usually have carrots and broccolis. Also, I'm a good baker and have a (very) sweet tooth, so I'd rather get yogurts, pastries, puddings and chocolate treats than fresh fruits (which are as expensive as vegetables: 2$ for a single apple and close to 5$ for a peach). My belly is kind of bloated in the evening, but I'm not really sure what food causes this and this is kind of frustrating. I'm worried because I'm pretty sure I'm doing most of the things wrong, but at the same time I really want to improve my body shape and my habits. Most of my friends (back in France) don't really want to help me when I talk to them about this, because they tell me I'm overreacting, or that I'm just imagining that I have weight/shape problems and that I should stop complaining "because you're still wearing size 0, duh!" (well; I can wear size 0 jeans but then all my belly fat would be way to visible to be acceptable). They're the people who have never heard of the "skinny/fat belly girl"... So I hope you might have some answers or pieces of advice for the complete newbie that I am
.This was a long message, now that I read it again! But I hope you'll read me and maybe help me?
Thanks a lot,
T•
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