The Monday Read

Cheat day edition

I’m on a (so far pretty successful) diet at the moment, but today kind of turned into a spontaneous cheat day as we all had the day off, lots of amazing food was cooked at home, and I happened to walk past one of our favourite cake shops. It’s all good though, the diet resumes tomorrow 🙂

My wife went to an English teaching workshop the other day, and the lecturer (a very successful teacher/writer/entrepreneur) advised the participants to “save money, as you will then find it much easier to pursue your dreams”.

I competely agree.

Here are this week’s links

  1. This hightlights the need to prepare for natural disasters: 73,000 households still without power in Chiba 1 week after typhoon
  2. I’m just going to keep buying the world and try not to pay much attention: A market of stocks
  3. I’ve glimpsed this through practicing jiu-jitsu: Feel the air fully
  4. Don’t understand why you’d need 30,000 yen ‘just in case’: 10 things you should know when going out in Tokyo
  5. Pensions and inflation: DB pension options – an object lesson in the power of inflation
  6. This doesn’t seem as bad in Japan as it is in the US or UK: The powder keg of comparison
  7. Mister Money Mustache says ‘no problem’: Michael Burry Trashes Index Funds – Are We Screwed?
  8. Also makes sense: Will you survive the passive investing bubble?
  9. Knowing what enough is leads to contentment: Fat, Happy, And In Over Your Head
  10. You keep using that word: Abe vows to improve social welfare amid graying population
  11. Great interview with a great man: Edward Snowden – “Permanent Record” & Life as an Exiled NSA Whistleblower | The Daily Show
  12. I would do this if I were braver: Travel without a phone to be in the moment
  13. Nice simple explanation, without losing the nuance: Explaining the Stock Market to Big Cat

Forum posts and discussions:

  1. Buying a cottage
  2. iDeCo performance
  3. Getting started with Nisa advise
  4. Selecting Funds for an SBI Select iDeCO
  5. FIRE in Japan
  6. Question regarding getting your Japanese pension at retirement age
  7. The tax consumption refund through digital wallets
  8. 個人事業 (Sole Proprietorship) as a side business
  9. Real Estate Investment Success
  10. [Tax] Declare negative miscellaneous income?

11 Responses

  1. Eat anything, but only half of it at most. Want a greasy Big Mac? Eat half. Toss the rest. Often at junk food places in Japan you can select the size of fries and drinks you want. If you want to be a chubby baribari taberu sumo boy, choose the big for both…I choose the small and only consume half. Same price..who cares. I am as thin as I was when I graduated college.

  2. Throwing away perfectly good food? Not acceptable from a moral standpoint with millions starving around the world. Not environmentally responsible either.

    1. Sorry Cybil. So if they serve me too much I am suppose to eat it all? No way. And I am sure not going to take a doggy bag of fries and a half Big Mac home.

      Portion sizes are an issue throughout much of America, Europe, and somewhat in Japan. In Japan the small plates and dishes make this a wonderful place to stay trim, and not cause much waste.

      I understand and agree morally with you.

  3. I remember stopping at a macdonald’s once about 20 years ago. It was on my daily commute, and I tried an egg mcmuffin.

    I never went back.

  4. When it comes to food, my willpower is lacking. But, about 4 years ago, I decided that Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays were “no sweets” days. Before that, I had usually eaten some sort of sweet after every dinner and often lunch… I also committed to never drinking soft drinks at restaurants, home or work again. Now I am completely sated drinking flavored (non-sweetened) tea. I have been overweight ever since my second year of Uni… and am still overweight by a couple of kilos. My point is that losing weight is more of a lifestyle change than diet. I sometimes have to restart my improved lifestyle tomorrow but it is no biggie. My new lifestyle is set and I believe in it. Any exercise is icing on the cake.

    1. Sounds familiar! My diet this time is just to skip breakfast, cut out all snacks, and try to eat less bread and rice. It’s going well.

      Once I get to my target weight I’m going to relax a bit, but go back into diet mode if I gain the weight again 🙂

  5. Not eating breakfast is not a good idea. Consider a small amount of oatmeal, by the way cheap at Gyoumu Super with raisins an a t-spoon of Kirkland Maple Syrup from Costco. Great price. Will keep your cholesterol down as well.

      1. The intermittent fasting crowd fast for a few days at a time. They don’t randomly skip meals. That is not fasting silly man.
        Fasting and purging the body of wastes is healthy if you take in fluids and be mellow at the same time. Skipping breakfast is not good. But, breakfast does not have to be a full meal. Personally I eat small amounts all day long and never sit down for one big heavy meal at anytime. Been doing it for 26 years and almost as trim as Iwas when I graduated college in ‘76.

        Lots of walking as well.

          1. I guess I am sort of like intermittent fasting, but I don’t take long breaks between. I nosh (nice Yiddish word) all day long.