Losing Weight the Okinawan Way

There are three times in a woman’s life when she’s most likely to gain weight…

 1)   First year of college (freshman fifteen)

 2)   Immediately following her wedding (honeymoon muffin-top)

 3) During pregnancy (nine months of “eating for two”)

For me, it was right after I got married. I mean, the minute the reception started I was stuffing my face with pasta, meatballs, garlic bread… not to mention, Italian crème wedding cake and decadent butter cookies. Like most brides, I spent my entire engagement trying to lose weight (and look perfect in my form-fitting lace gown), only to gain it all back within the first few weeks of my marriage. And ever since then, I’ve found it very difficult to lose those extra pounds.

Crab cakes, coleslaw, hush puppies and Blue Moon... Dinner on Okaloosa Island, FL.

When I got the news we’d be living in Okinawa, I was ecstatic. First, I’ve always wanted to live on an island and second, I knew that the people who are from here are among the healthiest in the world. The average life expectancy of an Okinawan woman is 86 and a man’s is 78. Here, it’s not uncommon to meet someone over the age of 100.

From what I understand, it’s primarily attributed to their lifestyles, especially their eating habits. Unlike Americans who eat a large amount of processed foods, Okinawans stick with fish, rice and vegetables.

So I knew moving here would ultimately change my perspective on food and give me a new incentive to drop down to my pre-wedding weight (& stop eating junk food!). And that’s where I am now, three weeks into our stay, working out and trying to eat as healthy as possible.

I’ve been running at least four days a week, practicing yoga, trying new aerobic classes and eating the freshest food I can find.

I downloaded an app on my iphone called MyFitnessPal to track my calories, exercise and water consumption---and it’s helped me lose about a pound a week (and that’s even with splurging on the weekends, too)!

Fortunately, I’ve met a few new friends who like working out as much as I do. Monday, I went running along the Sunabe Seawall with Maria and Tamara, and today I took a Zumba class with Katie. I also met a girl named Allison who’s super athletic and loves running half-marathons, so I already know who I’ll be training with while I’m here!

I know it seems like taboo to talk openly about my weight but we all know as women, it can be one of the most frustrating aspects of our lives, trying to balance our love for food with our desire to be thin. I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t work REALLY hard to stay in shape.  So, that’s one of my goals on this island… to be the healthiest I’ve ever been & ultimately, the happiest I’ve ever been.

Now come visit! :)