When I was overweight, I was always afraid of other people. “The day before I met someone for the first time, I always had a stomach ache…”
[Yuuka] I succeeded in losing 23 kg in about two and a half years from the third year of junior high school to the second year of high school. The main thing I was doing was light exercise, sugar restriction, and fat restriction, and I made my own original diet menu by combining these according to my physical condition and mood.
Did you feel embarrassed about sharing your diet on social media?
[Yuka] The first time I posted before and after dieting was on TikTok. Thankfully, it got 130,000 views overnight, and I still remember how surprised I was. I received words of encouragement from many people, such as “It was motivating!”, which gave me confidence. I no longer feel reluctance to reveal my body shape on SNS, but rather I want to tell people that if they work hard, they can change so much!
[Yuuka-san] Since finishing my diet, I have tried various things such as scuba diving, snowboarding, video editing, and obtaining qualifications. I’m still a student, so from now on, I want to focus on my studies, which is my main job. I’m attending a language university, but I’m also planning to study abroad. I think it would be nice if I could grow not only in language skills but also in other areas. I want to challenge various things, so I’m still exploring.
Sometimes it is said that it is difficult to lose weight, but it is easy to gain weight. How was it?
[Yuuka] I really felt that way. It takes time to build muscle, but if you don’t do muscle training for a few days, you’ll lose it immediately, so I felt it was really hard.
When you were fat, what kind of complex did you feel?
[Yuuka-san] I was always thinking about things like, “What do people think of me?” Meeting someone for the first time was terrifying. So the day before I met someone for the first time, I always had a stomach ache…
I thought it was presumptuous to fall in love with someone. “After losing weight, I became more active in dating.’
You said you decided to go on a diet because you wanted to be popular. Was it?
[Yuuka-san] It wasn’t popular after all… (laughs). Before I went on a diet, I thought it was presumptuous to fall in love with someone. But after finishing my diet, I was able to find someone I liked and a partner, and I was able to be more active in dating, so that was good.
What kind of changes did your diet succeed?
[Yuuka] Of course, her appearance has changed a lot. After all, I personally feel that the inner things have changed greatly. By losing weight and gaining self-confidence, I was less stressed about comparing myself to others and about my appearance, and I was able to have more leeway in my mind and life. If you have a relaxed mind, you can be kind to people around you, and if you have a relaxed lifestyle, your life will be enriched.
The diet is successful, and what will happen in the future?
[Yuuka] I plan to continue exercising and stretching to maintain my figure and increase my muscles. I don’t have any plans to go to the gym at the moment, but if I have the time, I’d like to start going by the end of the year.
Is there anything you can say to people who are trying their best on a diet based on your own experience?
[Yuuka] There are a lot of diet methods on social media, but I don’t think there is a diet method that works for everyone and says, “If you do this, you will definitely lose weight! Isn’t it better to find a diet method that suits you and lose weight in a healthy way without being misled by various information? Let’s work hard together!
