Lick The Lard

Today’s weight: 74.7kg

Relief that I’m back to the 74’s today. Seeing my weight break through the 76kg barrier was not nice! Unfortunately, I’m not sure whether it will last until tomorrow: Tonight I have a long standing appointment to go for Korean BBQ. Never the healthiest food fried fatty meat (but it does taste delicious!)

Today’s weight: 75.5kg

For various reasons, I’ve ended up eating very very late every night this week, hence my weight registering shockingly high when I got up the next days. However that’s clearly not the only thing going on. I broke the 76kg barrier this week, which means that even taking into account the late nights and early weighings, I am definitely on the up.

Part of the issue is the routine I have dropped into the last few weeks. Not only did I have the irregularity of the vacation days, but my lunch routine changed, and I started leaving work later in the evenings, so my evening routine changed. My whole daily routine now is a shadow of what it was a month ago.

I recognised this today and decided to take immediate action.

A few weeks ago, when I was near goal, I discovered a place near my work that has a kimchi, pork, and rice lunch set. I adore kimchi, having lived in Korea for some time, so I started buying it - and, as expected, it was delicious. Since then I’ve been buying it daily. That’s OK when the rest of my routine can support such a lunch, but at the moment it clearly cannot.

Last week I recognised that I need to go into Emergency Mode. Despite that, the thought of giving up my lovely hot kimchi lunch and returning to the healthier (dressing free) salads was something that my mind didn’t want to consider - which is strange, because I love the salads also. I guess I just love the kimchi more.

Since it wasn’t working for me to go out and buy salads without coming back with the kimchi set, I decided to change my lunch routine completely: from today, I’m going out to a cafe for lunch and studying Japanese while I eat.

Cafe culture is something I adore, so this will make it easy to stay away from the fatty kimchi pork option - and anything that makes the good choices easier is very welcome.

I still need to make a change to my evening routine, but at the moment, I haven’t worked out how. The change I did make - starting to walk the hour home from work to my house - is a good change, but it is meaning that I get home late and eat late. Something different is needed. I need to think what that will be.

Today’s weight: 75.2kg

Today I got up late - but I also ate very late last night, which is why my weight is still over 75kg.

It’s looks like it’s going to be raining this weekend in Tokyo, so I wont get out and about like I usually do. I’m not really a gym person, so that’s rather unfortunate. Let’s hope the rain clears later today.

Today’s weight: 75.4kg

This week I missed a weighing for the first time. After the holiday on Monday and Tuesday, I completely forgot to set my alarm clock for Wednesday morning. Waking late, I had to scamble out the door as quickly as possible - weighing myself just went out my mind.

What’s been happening with my weight? Well, it’s clear from the numbers over the past two weeks that my weight is bouncing between 74.7kg and 75.6kg. What’s not clear from the figures is why.

Monday this week illustrates the reason perfectly. I woke up early, about the time I usually do when working, and weighed myself. I was 75.6kg. I went back to bed and slept some more, and when I weighed myself again at lunchtime when I got up (it was a holiday after all!), I was 74.8kg.

When I don’t forget, I always weigh myself as soon as I get up. It’s not perfect since the time I ate the night before and the time I get up means my weight can vary significantly, but it’s as consistent as I can be. If I was to weigh myself at lunchtime, I’d have my clothes adding to my weight - and I wear different clothes at weekend (casual) from during the week (work). I’d also need to bring my scales to work and carry them home again, or have two sets - which is not ideal.

So weighing myself in the morning is the most consistent I can be. I just have to know the variance is there and try to work out when my weight is varying due to the times of my weighing, and when it’s due to other reasons.

Today’s weight: 75.6kg
Yesterday’s weight: 74.9kg
The day before’s weight: 74.7kg

I was having a good few days, and the wham! Last night.

But I enjoyed last night - I did something I haven’t done since leaving Britain: I went to an Indian curry house after going to the pub. A traditional British thing to do! Since it’s something I’ve not done for 7+ years, I allowed myself to do it last night.

Most of the reason my weight is up today, then, is because I ate late - I didn’t get home until after 3am. With any luck, the weight will start to drop off tomorrow… though whether it will stay off or not is another question.

This week is “Golden Week” in Japan, with Monday and Tuesday being holidays. On Monday there’s a Japanese Microbrewery Festival, and I’ll be going along. While it’s going to be drinking beer all day, Microbrewery beer is something I really enjoy, and it’ll be my first time to go to such a festival. I want a lifestyle where I can cope with events like this, so I’m not going to “ban” myself from going. Instead, I’m going to go and if there are any negative effects to my weight, I’ll work them off.

After Golden Week is over and my schedule becomes more regular again, I intend to go back into temporary “Emergency Mode” to ensure my weight returns to 74kg.