The Difference Between Diet and Weight Loss

You can lose weight by walking wearing a steam suit or using a sauna. However, these methods only work by removing water from you body and do not reduce your fat. Burning fat is different from losing water weight.

Water consists of 50-60% of our total body weight. 8-10% of our water weight is found in our blood.

Reducing water weight only leads to temporary weight loss. However, dieting burns fat. Water has zero calories and therefore you will not gain fat no matter how much water you drink. In addition, if you lose too much water weight you run the risk of dehydration. While dieting, you intake less water from food so it becomes very important to drink more water than usual.

Special recipes that help you lose weight

I sometimes see people who are eager to lose weight aggressively. They study various diet methods deeply and take pills or receive medical treatments that pumps out inner fat. As a result, they sometimes experience terrible health situations.

One weight loss method is to follow the Japanese prison meal system. While no one wants to go to prison, we cannot ignore the benefits of eating 3 balanced meals at a lower calorie count. For men it's 1500 kcal a day, and for women it's 1200 kcal a day. These figures are in line with the average basal
metabolism and do not account for calories consumed
for activities such as exercise. Because of this, most
people lose about 12 to 13 kcal after a year of prison in
Japan. However, longer than one year will start to
damage a person's health.

You may be interested in this method if you don't actually have to be put in prison. The Japan Diet Academy has DVDs and a 300 menu recipe book that offers the same dishes served in Japanese prisons which were recreated by the famous nutritionist in Japan, Dr. Asako Aramaki. Currently we have a 2 week, 14 day menu available in English.

If you are interested, please contact us for more information.

Basics of Dieting

The basic method for dieting is to keep the balance between calorie usage and calorie intake in mind. By doing so, fat, which is accumulated in white adipose tissue, can be used up for energy.
The human body is composed of about 80% pure fat and 20% water and other materials.

Fat contains about 9kcal per gram, therefore 9kcal x 1,000g x .8 = 72,000kcal which is the amount of calories needed to lose 1kg of fat. In the case of an average Japanese man who consumes 2,000kcal a day can subtract 1,000kcal for his daily activities a day to lose about 1kg a week (1,000kcal x 7 days = 7,000kcal). If he continues to do this for a month, he will be able to reduce his weight by 4kg a month. This is just a hypothetical situation and does not always go this smoothly in real life.
The basic method of DietMaster is to burn fat effectively by controlling food intake with aerobic exercise to reduce to create a negative calorie intake. However, the fact is a real effort is needed from this point. We do not need a great deal of effort to reduce weight. Most importantly, we have to be careful of weight rebound after losing weight. The real success to dieting is to get over plateaus and prevent rebound. Let’s eat only until we feel 80% full every time we eat a meal!

Learning Helps You Lose Weight

The other day, a Japanese TV program reported that learning about dieting helps to reduce weight. Many people may doubt this; however, it is true that just learning about it works because you will know the following:

1. When are good times and bad times to eat when controlling weight
2. Which works better to reduce weight, two meals or three meals a day
3. What kinds of food cause us to gain weight
4. How many calories we should consume a day when dieting
5. How much is the proper amount of calories for each person

When you learn the above points, you will start making more effort. Without the proper knowledge, people are prone to adapt the wrong diet methods that are advertised on TV and magazines.

Weight Loss Plateau

We can clearly see our weight drop during the 1st or 2nd week of a diet. The main reason is that we lose a lot of water weight during this period. However, after the 3rd of 4th week, our pace starts to slow or stop.

During this time, the human body starts to consume calories more effectively to prevent our fat storage from being used, regardless of reducing calorie intake. This results in a cease of weight reduction and is called the plateau period.

A plateau is caused by the splendid ability our bodies have to survive starvation. The plateau period usually lasts for 1-2 weeks. Most of us who fail at a diet do so during this period. They give up dieting and return to their usual eating habits and sometimes become so frustrated they end up eating too much. Then, rebound begins.

It is important not to give up even when you feel your weight reduction stops. This is the period in which you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The theory is that as long as we reduce our calorie intake by a few hundred calories less than those needed to maintain our size, we are sure to lose weight.

Why Eating Fast Causes Us to Gain Weight

Our appetite is controlled by our satiety and feeding centers in our brain. Once food is in the stomach, glucose in the blood increases. Then, blood-sugar and insulin increase. This stimulates the satiety center which makes us feel full. At the same time, while we feel full, the feeding center becomes inactive which tells us to stop eating. When we become hungry, the feeding center becomes active again and we want to eat.

It takes us 15 to 20 minutes to start feeling full after we start eating. Therefore, those who eat fast eat too much before they feel full. When they continue this, they cannot exactly feel when they are full or hungry, causing them to eat food while they're not hungry.

Those who usually finish eating first should try to keep the same pace as others. This will work not only to stop overeating but also makes those eating with you feel more comfortable. It is also more polite this way. When you eat food alone, it is recommended to put the fork and knife down each time you put food in your mouth. Please bare in mind that fast eating should be avoided when dieting.

Alcohol & Dieting

The reason why alcoholic drinks cause people to gain weight is because they contain a lot of calories. Pure alcohol has 7kcal per gram and 5kcal of those 7 are used as energy in the body. Protein and saccharides, complex sugars, have 4kcal per gram. Alcohol is second to lipids, or fat which has 9kcal per gram, for highest calories per gram.

Some people think that beer and sake have high calorie amounts while whiskey and shochu do not have as much. While it is true that beer and sake do have a high calorie amount, only 3 shot glasses of whiskey (about 130cc) has about 400kcal. When you try to get the same amount of alcohol through beer, you would need to drink 3 medium sized bottles (1100cc). In the case of sake, you would consume 400kcal in about two and a half bottles (500cc). Also keep in mind that the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories will be.

As we can see, whiskey does include a high amount of calorie so we can’t say that whiskey does not contribute to weight gain. In short, any type of alcohol, if we consume too much, can easily lead to obesity.

CM Exercising

The main purpose of dieting is to reduce weight beautifully. This requires well balanced meals and proper exercise. However, meals tend to have priority over exercise. The Japan Diet Academy recommends CM (commercial) exercises which can be done at anytime, anywhere, for you. These are quick exercises that you can do during the commercial break of TV programs.

During CM time, you can do 10 push-ups, 20 sit-ups or 20 squats. By doing each exercise in short increments, we can gain muscle, increase metabolism, and as a result we can develop a body that does not gain weight easily.

The DietMaster method’s goal is for you to diet with beautiful skin and a shining smile. The main factors include:

1. The right theory of dieting
2. Well balanced meals
3. Proper exercise

These three should be the main factors people who want to diet should learn. The Japan Diet Academy offers DietMaster certificates for those who acquire full knowledge on proper dieting.

Please feel free to contact us for more information.

The Importance of Exercise

It is important to exercise as well as develop good eating habits when dieting. However, exercising does not work to reduce weight. For example, walking for 30 minutes is almost equal to burning the calories for one banana. Nevertheless, exercise is a very important element of any diet plan.

Some research was conducted on measuring the effects of dieting without exercise and dieting with exercise. It was found that those who dieted while exercising were able to reduce their body fat more easily. In other words, exercising reduces your body fat percentage.

In contrast, if you do not exercise while dieting, you might lose some of your muscle mass. If you regain your weight, you will end up with a higher body fat percentage.

Let’s work towards keeping a good figure! If you would like to learn more, please contact us.

Diet Communication

If you are in Japan, knowledge about dieting is very useful. Whether you are in Japan for business or even for personal travel, knowing basic topics that appeal to the Japanese are really useful to make your conversations go more smoothly.

Did you know about 70% of people in Japan are interested in dieting? If you have enough knowledge about proper dieting, you will gain popularity among the people you speak with. If you work in sales, gaining popularity and supports is very crucial in making your business successful. In order to get supporters, it is necessary to take these steps:

1. Gain supporters for yourself
2. Convert these supporters for your business
3. Get them to purchase your company’s products

These are the basic steps for a successful salesman. You may be wondering how knowledge on proper and healthy dieting techniques can help you. Dieting knowledge can work as a “break the ice” topic, something that is easy for everyone to understand and easy for you to learn as well. People will be especially impressed if you are an American outside of the US since Americans tend to have a bad reputation for poor eating habits. Not to say all Americans have poor eating habits, this is just how we are generally perceived outside of the US.

About one week should be enough for you to gain the knowledge and theories of healthy dieting. In Japan, such should be required teaching in Junior High School in a 5-6 hour lesson. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to impose such a requirement because it can create conflict with the food industry.

While discussing this topic in our office, we were talking about the differences in diet education in primary school in Japan and the US. How did your school treat nutrition and diet education? Let me know and feel free to discuss no matter what country you are from.

When I was in Junior High in the US, I took Home Economics which taught some diet and nutrition. Although, it was an elective and the only reason why I took it was because I had transferred schools and so was late in registering. It was the only course available so I had the impression it was not a very popular course. I wasn’t required to learn about nutrition until High School and it was something I could have taken at any time as long as it was before graduation. I’m not sure how the school systems are like now.

Global Poll: A Look at Weight Around the World

Last year, Reader’s Digest published an article detailing a global diet poll they commissioned. Such information is very valuable in letting us know how people in other countries think about dieting.

To summarize:

• Reader’s digest reported that Americans have the hardest time in dieting than any other country after surveying 16,000 people in 16 countries. In addition, Americans feel overweight women are stigmatized the most for their weight.
• Brazilians feel the biggest pressure to reduce their weight while people in Finland are the most aware of obesity risks due to previously having a high rate of heart disease.
• Hungarians are the most accepting of weight, even in spouses.
• People in Russia still tend to smoke to reduce weight and that that obesity mainly results from genetics.
• Almost 75% of Americans believe the American diet leads to obesity.
• There are more people in Mexico that know the proper and healthy way to diet. Most of them understand that the key to improving weight is a healthy diet and increasing physical activity.

No matter what country you live in, unless you’re from Hungary, people everywhere are feeling pressure to maintain their weight. In modern society, especially developed nations, food is very abundant and easily accessible, leading us to overeating and lowered activity. Let’s try to reduce our habits of eating too much food and eat until we feel 80% full. Practicing this also keeps us from feeling over-stuffed.

Japanese Diet vs. American Diet

Livestrong features a nice article outlining the key differences between the Japanese diet and the American diet. Some thing I want to point out is that many Japanese eat mostly white rice. For those who want to opt for a healthier meal, they should replace white rice with brown rice, pearl barley, or mix different grains into their white rice, also known as zakkokumai or kokumotsu gohan.

Another thing I want to mention is that after World War II, most Japanese are strictly taught not to waste food. It is considered good manners to completely finish your meal and not leave anything to be wasted. So, when the article mentions that Japanese tend to “stop eating before they’re full” this is not necessarily true. It is true, however, that portion sizes are much smaller in Japan than in the US, so it is much easier to finish a meal set.

One factor the article does not take into account is that the Japanese drink a lot of green tea. Green tea contains polyphenols, which helps in the breakdown of fat. Wine, especially red wine, also contains a lot of polyphenols and is a theory behind the French Paradox. There are other fruits and vegetables that contain polyphenols.

An Irregular Lifestyle Leads You to Obesity

According to statistics surveying when people began gaining weight, most people started to gain weight when the joined the work force after graduating from school. For some people, it began within 1-2 years and others noticed their body’s shape changing between 4-5 years after graduating. These people tend to become conscious of dieting just before reaching 30 and tried many times to reduce their weight but were struggling.

The major reasons for this change are:

1. They may have had more time for healthier lifestyle habits as a student.
2. They sometimes skipped meals.
3. Desk jobs do not require much activity.
4. They regularly drank alcohol which is high in calories.

Irregular meal times, frequent consumption of alcohol and lack of exercise all lead people to obesity. In this modern era, it does not take long for an individual to develop an unhealthy lifestyle.

At some point in our lives, we need to learn proper dieting in order to maintain our health as well as improve upon it.

For more information, feel free to contact us.

Japanese Prison Meals Treat Lifestyle Diseases

Recently in Yahoo Japan’s Science News, it has been reported that meals provided in Japanese prisons improve conditions of diabetes. Meals provided also promote liver health and are great for dieting.

In the past, many people released from prison left with a better figure than when they entered. Currently a certain famous man appears to be dieting in a prison in Nagano prefecture. Most Japanese may know who I am talking about. During his two year sentence, he should lose about 20kg (44lb). This certain man has mentioned in his blog that his current weight is 91kg (200lb).

“Pearl barley [as a substitute for rice], one of the major prison meal components helps improve diabetes.” The doctor who monitors the health conditions of prisoners in the Fukushima prison analyzed the data of those who have diabetes and confirmed that eating pearl helped to improve their diabetes. It is speculated that this is a result of the high fiber contents of barley.

This doctor provides his report on this issue at conferences with nutritionists and doctors to facilitate prevention and improvement of diabetes. In his analysis, 92 people out of 109 were found to have improved conditions.


We at Diet Academy have recognized the health benefits of meals served in Japanese prisons five years ago. We received recipes of menus served in Japanese prisons from the Tokyo Regional Correction Headquarters and developed our own cookbook to share these benefits to those outside of prison. Our Prison Menu Cookbook is designed with a daily caloric intake of 1400-1500 Kcal for men and 1200 Kcal for women in mind. These figures are based on average basal caloric intake needed (the minimum our caloric intake our bodies need). Those with an active lifestyle need to consume addition calories (approx. 1000 kcal to keep your weight consistent) to balance their activities.


The Japanese version of our menu has over 300 single serving recipes which covers a 90 day meal plan. Currently we have 15 of these recipes translated into English which are available in both metric and volume based measurements. You can download a pdf of our translated recipes for free on our Prison Menu site. For those who understand Japanese, more sample recipes can be found on our Japanese site.

The Functions of Parasympathetic Nerves

Autonomic nerves are divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve. Mainly, the sympathetic nerve works during the daytime and facilitates energy consumption. When night comes, the parasympathetic nerves start working. Energy consumption slows and the body works on fixing damaged cells.

Dr. Shigeki Shibazaki, a Ph. D. of Nippon University has concluded after his investigations that BMAL-1, a sort of protein which takes part in our body's rhythmic clock (circadian rhythm), has a close relation with the accumulation of inner fat.

The BMAL-1 is hardly generated during the daytime but is produced during the night time. Based on this fact, researchers try to conclude that gaining weight can be avoided by not having meals late at night.
It is reported that BMAL-1 is generated most actively between 10pm and 2am, which is 15 to 20 times more than what is produced around 3am (Asahi Newspaper on September 2005).

The level of BMAL at different times 

based on a 24-hour clock. 

There are many areas that have yet to be researched in our body functions as well as diet theory. However, it is evident that going to bed right after eating contributes to gaining weight and more and more researchers tend to think the reason is because of BMAL-1.

For more information, please contact DietMaster New York Inc. We are open to International inquiries as well.

Let's make a proper diet schedule!

It's difficult to reduce your weight by 10-15kg (22-33lb) in a short time, but you will notice that it isn't difficult at all if you take 3-6 months or even a full year to accomplish it. Of course I understand how anxious most of us are to lose weight in a short time. However, skipping meals or taking diet pills will easily result in rebound. Also, it will cause our bodies to become unhealthy. Please remember that reducing your average calorie intake by 300kcal a day should be enough to reduce your weight by 1.25kg in one month.

300kcal × 30 days ÷7200kcal = 1.25kg (2.75lb)

The best way to achieve this is to set up a proper schedule for your diet. We need to expend 72,000kcal in order to reduce our weight by 1kg. Power walking for 20 minutes a day consumes 100kcal. Avoiding drinking one beer or not eating ice cream saves 200kcal. Not drinking 180ml of Japanese sake or not eating one rice ball (onigiri) also saves 200kcal.

Combining power walking for 20 minutes plus reducing the intake of one of the above items will save 300kcal. Continuing the practice for one month should lead to a reduction of your weight by 1.25kg (2.75lb). Three months leads to 3.75kg (8.25lb), six months to 7.5kg (16.5lb), and in one year to 15.2kg (33.5lb).

The calculation is based on someone with a BMI around 30. I hope this information helps you set up a schedule to reduce 2-3kg (4-6.5lb) of your weight.

For more information, please feel free to contact us.