For those of you who are worried about gaining weight during the coronavirus pandemic
~The story of the oatmeal diet that helps you lose 1kg per month~

I did it... I gained 8kg in just one year.
This is the equivalent weight of four 2-liter plastic bottles.

Even though I exercise on a daily basis, my metabolism is slowing down as I approach 40, and the more I eat the more I like, the more I gain weight. I'm starting to feel heavy, and if I don't put a stop to it now, I'll never get back to normal... I'm overcome with a vague sense of anxiety, and one thought strikes me.

"Oh, I want to lose weight."

And since I started dieting in April this year (still going as of September when I am writing this article), the food I chose as my strongest support is oatmeal . In this article, I would like to frankly write about my oatmeal diet over the course of about five months and the changes in my weight that have come with it.

I would be happy if you read it with a feeling of, "Huh?"

A fateful encounter with the fascinating ingredient, oatmeal

I'll start off by saying that muscle training is part of my daily routine. I train about three times a week, pushing every part of my body - chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs - to their limits. I've been doing this for over 10 years, battling the constant muscle pain.

So I want to lose only fat while maintaining the muscles I've worked so hard to build. Unfortunately, I don't have a stoic mentality when it comes to dieting, so I want to lose weight easily and healthily, even if it takes time.

So the theme of my diet was decided to be "healthy," "easy," and "no need to endure." I decided to look for a way to lose weight while eating in an easy and healthy way.

"There's no way there's such an easy diet method!"

For those of you who think so, please wait just a little longer. I have really found it. A wonderful ingredient that will help me achieve my dream diet... It's the star of this article, oatmeal .

Oatmeal is a type of grain made by processing oats to make them easier to eat.

Originally known as a breakfast food, in recent years it has become a popular diet food among athletes and Hollywood celebrities. When I saw Nakayama Kinniku-kun introducing oatmeal dishes on a TV program, calling it a "delicious food that helps you lose weight," my expectations were skyrocketed.

To learn more about oatmeal, let's first compare its nutritional value with white rice and brown rice.

Although it is higher in calories than white rice or brown rice, it is slightly lower in carbohydrates.
What dieters should pay attention to is the low GI value .

The GI value is a number that indicates how easily blood sugar levels rise, and if it is high, "insulin (a hormone that promotes fat and inhibits its breakdown)" is secreted to lower blood sugar levels. It is said that the more insulin is secreted, the more likely it is that you will gain weight. It is a misunderstanding that "high calorie = easy to gain weight."

In short , oatmeal has a low GI value, so it is less likely to make you gain weight than white or brown rice, making it an ideal food for dieters .

Since good things come to those who act quickly, I decided to try the following method right away.

1. Replace staple foods such as white rice, brown rice, and bread with oatmeal (you can continue to eat side dishes as usual)
2. Incorporate moderate aerobic exercise into your daily routine (30-60 minutes of walking 3-4 times a week)
3. Low in fat, high in protein
4. Eat what you want in moderation without holding back

Find your favorite oatmeal recipe

The basic way to prepare oatmeal is to soak it in water and let it soften before eating. The texture is like porridge. And because it has a unique grain aroma, if you eat it after just soaking it in hot water, you'll feel like you're eating bird food.

Try different arrangements and find the way that suits you best. That's the secret to continuing to eat delicious porridge without getting bored. By the way, I like milk porridge with protein the most, so I'd like to introduce it to you.

Protein Oatmeal Porridge (Cocoa Flavor)

*At first glance, the amount is small, but the oatmeal expands three times in size, so it keeps you full longer than you would expect.

Energy: approx. 320kcal
Cooking time: 3 to 5 minutes Ingredients (1 serving)

• Oatmeal...about 30g
• Protein: approx. 30g
• Almond milk (unsweetened)...150ml
• Mixed nuts...appropriate amount

procedure

1. Add almond milk to the protein mix and mix well.
   *Mixing with a milk frother will give it a smoother, more delicious texture.
2. Stir in the oatmeal and leave to soften for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add mixed nuts and it's done (be careful not to add too many as it will increase the calories).

If you eat it with protein, it becomes a low-fat, high-protein meal, which is a very welcome menu for those who want to maintain muscle mass. However, it has almost no texture, so I decided to add mixed nuts. It increases the number of times you chew and makes you feel full, but if you want to keep your calories down, you don't need to add them.

The only weakness of this recipe is that the taste is monotonous and easy to get bored of. If you have the time, prepare two types of protein and change the flavor depending on the day, so you won't get bored.

Apart from sweet seasoning, there are many other ways to cook it. The basic method is to use a liquid, but the variations vary depending on the soup and ingredients used. For detailed recipes, please refer to the huge number of videos available on YouTube.

By the way, there are some cooking techniques that you should never try.
That is, mixing it with your staple food, such as white rice or brown rice, and eating it. If you do this, you will consume too much carbohydrate, and your blood sugar level will rise rapidly... far from helping you lose weight, it will have the opposite effect.

Please be careful, as one mistake in cooking it can be disastrous.

Monthly food expenses and recommendations (oatmeal, protein only)

• Nisshoku Premium Pure Oatmeal 340g x 12 pack ¥5,120 (tax included)
  120 meals at 30g per meal. If you eat it three times a day, the cost will be about 5,120 yen per month .
• B-Legend Protein Caramel Coffee Flavor 1kg ¥3,980 (tax included) *Prices vary depending on the type
  30g per meal, 33 meals. If you eat one meal per day, the cost will be about 3,980 yen per month .
  It's good value for money compared to other brands. There are a wide variety of flavors to choose from, so it's fun to choose.

Losing 1kg per month. Slow results.

Eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner.
As shown in Table 2, I have a light meal of oatmeal porridge for lunch on weekdays. If I get hungry during the day, I drink protein to recharge my energy. For breakfast and dinner, I eat my favorite side dishes.

By the way, on weekends, I don't eat oatmeal, but I often eat rice, noodles, or whatever I like. I also eat potato chips and cake. The important thing is not to get stressed out. Don't hold back on what you want to eat, just control the amount you eat.

After continuing to eat oatmeal, I began to see changes in my body around the third week.

My constipation was relieved, and at the same time, I started to lose weight gradually. With a good intestinal environment, my metabolism became more active, and my body became easier to lose weight. And every time I lost 1kg per month, I grinned to myself. When this happened, I started to look forward to stepping on the scale every time.

When she started the diet in April, her weight was 78kg, and by September, she had lost 5kg to 73kg. Because she was also careful about her nutrition, she hadn't lost much muscle, which was a concern.

My goal weight is 70kg (3kg more to lose). If I keep going at this rate, I'll be able to reach 70kg by December of this year.

Oatmeal is not a "slimming food"

The phrase "dieting with oatmeal" may lead to the misunderstanding that "What, if I eat oatmeal, will I lose weight?" However, the truth is that you can't rely on "eating oatmeal will make you lose weight." Oatmeal is highly nutritious and is a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates turn into sugar when eaten, and eating too much of them will make you fat.

So why is it said that oatmeal helps you lose weight?

The story goes that if a chubby person who always eats two bowls of rice were to change their diet to one in which they replaced their staple food with oatmeal, they could lose weight. I think that's probably why I fell into that category, and that's what led to my diet. Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that it would have any effect on people who are of average build and eat small amounts of rice.

However, there is one great benefit that people of all body types can expect: beautiful skin.

Oatmeal is rich in dietary fiber and minerals, which helps to improve intestinal flora. Although the scientific evidence is unclear, it is said that a healthy intestinal flora can also increase the moisture content of the skin. ( Reference )
Come to think of it, I haven't had any pimples lately and my skin seems to have more firmness ...

lastly

Fortunately, we live in an age where we can quickly find the information we want to know by searching the internet. However, this also means that there is a good chance that we will be misled by incorrect information.

As mentioned above, simply eating oatmeal will not help you lose weight.
For me, who had an unhealthy diet and intestinal environment, oatmeal helped me to build a body that was more likely to lose weight, and by combining this with moderate exercise (60 minutes of walking about three times a week), I was able to lose weight.

In fact, I have tried a low-carb diet in the past, but it didn't work because I had to refrain from eating what I wanted and I ended up regaining the weight. So I came up with the themes for this diet: "healthy," "easy," and "no need to refrain."

Are you thinking about losing weight? Dieting is something you will have to do for the rest of your life. If you are going to try it, you want to lose weight easily and healthily, rather than enduring it and feeling the pain. What is your favorite taste? How can you keep going without getting bored? What do you do when you get hungry? ... Get to know yourself thoroughly and find a method that suits you. If you can do that, dieting can be surprisingly easy and healthy without having to endure it .