Dear Green,

Hello, this is Natsuko, a MUJ finalist from 2005. Ines contacted me a few days ago and asked me to give advice to you in response to your message.
First of all, are you healthy now?
Do you wake up every morning by 7am and go to bed before midnight?
And are you able to love yourself?

When I was a finalist I was skinny, at 171 cm tall and 46kg. Hardly a world class glamour. But I would eat a lot. I didn’t really worry about it since I had always skinny ever since I was little. After being chosen as a finalist, Ines would tell me over and over again, like a chant “gain weight, gain weight…” but I couldn’t. The stress would make me loose weight. The advice I got at that time was to do weight training and eat a well balanced diet (see Erica’s book) at set times during the day (while I was a finalist it was 5 times a day). The weight training I started at 20 minutes a day, every other day. I got a personal trainer and started the weight training. I didn’t do much in the way of cardio exercise. It takes at least 3 months for you to see a difference in your body yourself. This is how I made my body more well balanced and healthy looking. I advise you to got a personal trainer when you first start.

However, for me, the most important thing was to be positive happy and love myself. Even if I couldn’t gain weight while I was a finalist, I didn’t beat myself up over it. Because I was able to stay positive, I was able to gain 5 kg in 4 months.
If you are at a healthy place right now, then I don’t think you have to worry.
Although as Ines says in her message, there may be a hidden cause for not being able to gain weight such as an over active thyroid gland, a psychosomatic issue, or depression. You should get tested for these just in case. If this is not an issue, I think for women like us who have trouble gaining weigh have a very sensitive body where our psychological state and the rhythm of our daily lives are very closely connected.

I think some people would say that this is a lucky problem to have, but if you are too skinny you don’t have much energy. Even if you are not up to average weight, if you can gain a little weight, your body will feel better, your skin healthier and your smile brighter.

Don’t over think it and live a happy daily life.
I actually gained 20kg when I was pregnant. When you gain weight, you gain weight….

Natsuko Saito, 2005 MUJ finalist

Works at 済生会宇都宮病院 ;

Studied at 帝京大学

Lives in Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi, Japan

In response to my previous post:

http://inesligron.com/blogroll/answering-my-comments-i-cannot-gain-weight-help.html

Dear Green,

はじめまして。2005muj finalistのNatsukoです。先程、Inesより連絡があり『あなたのmessageについてアドバイスを』とのことでした。

まず、いまGreenさんは健康ですか？
朝7時には起床して夜0時頃には就寝するという規則正しい生活を送れていますか？
そして自分を愛せていますか？

私がfinalistのころは171cm 46kgというとても世界基準のGlamorousとはいえないやせっぽちでした。けれど、本当によく食べるんです。幼いころからのことなので気にしてい ませんでした。finalistに選ばれてからInesに散々gain weight,gain weightと呪文のように唱えられ（笑）、でも唱えられても無理なんです。ストレスで痩せてしまう。そこで得たアドバイスは筋力トレーニングをしながら バランスのとれた食事（see Erica’s book）を規則正しい時間に（といってもfinalist中は1日5食）食べること。筋トレは1日20分から始めて1日置きでいいんです。私はパーソナ ルトレーナーをつけて筋トレを始めました。マラソンなどの有酸素運動は控えました。身体に変化が目に見えて分かってくるのは最短でも3ヵ月かかります。こ れで均整のとれた体型を作って、健康的に見えるようになりました。始めるときはパーソナルトレーナーをつけることをお勧めします。
しかし私の場合は食べることと筋トレよりも効果があったのは自分を愛して前向きに、happyでいることでした。finalistの期間中に太れなくても自分を責めることはありませんでした。おかげで4ヵ月で5kg増えました。
Greenさんが今の状態でも健康にすごしていらっしゃるなら、さほど悩まなくてもいいと思います。
Inesのmessageのように太れないような内分泌代謝系の疾患や心身症、うつなど治療の適応がある精神疾患が隠れていないどうかは調べた方がよいかとは思います。
それがないならば私たちのような食べても太れない女性は日々の精神状態、生活リズムと身体のバランスが密接に関係していると思うんです。

なにを贅沢な悩みを・・・と思う人たちがたくさんいますが、痩せすぎていると体力が持ちません。標準までいかなくても少し脂肪をつけることで身体もすこし楽になりますし、肌もきれいに、健康的な笑顔になりますよ。

あまり考え込まずにhappyな毎日を送ってくださいね。
私は妊娠中20kg増えました。増えるときは増えるんです・・・・。

Natsuko Saito, 2005 muj finalist

Natsuko was a top-10 finalist in 2005, and was already studying to become a medical doctor. She then graduated and is now specialized in breast cancer for women in a major hospital in Japan. She said that being a finalist and working with me, has opened her interest in specializing in breast cancer. I am very happy about it, as it is a cause i always introduced to the finalists during my 13 years in Japan, and because of a total lack of information among Japanese women.

Natusko definitely represents Miss Universe Japan at its best, she has the brain, the looks, the heart and the personality all together, she is a super women!

I will post the English translation soon after it is done. Thank you Natsuko! I love you sweetheart.