My No. 1 papa (a male supporter) insists he would never be friends with someone overweight.

I’m in Seattle. I step on a digital scale every day. If my weight goes over 76 kilos, I gradually cut back on how much I eat. My weight hasn’t changed in 30 years thanks to this. Other than that, I’m the same as Mr. Maezawa. Being overweight isn’t ideal, but I think a little plumpness can be cute.

I’m Taro, a male member. There was a time when people used to say that overweight people lacked self-discipline. That idea faded because it wasn’t particularly rational, but this gentleman seems to be a survivor of that era. I manage my weight normally. About two years ago, I got back down to the weight I had in my early twenties, and I’ve kept it off ever since. There are countless diet books out there, but in my experience, it ultimately comes down to calories: either reduce your intake or increase what you burn through exercise. If you cut about 400 calories a day from your usual routine and keep it up for a month, you’ll lose around 2 kg. That’s really all there is to it. When people gain weight, it’s often because they’re eating more fat and carbohydrates, which increases their calorie intake. So during a diet, focus on getting plenty of protein. It takes about two weeks for your taste buds and stomach to adjust, but once they do, it becomes fairly easy. You don’t need to spend money on exercise, either—jogging or walking for one to two hours is perfectly fine. Once you establish a routine, it’s a breeze. Everyone has a different body type, so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being pleasantly plump. Look for a man who accepts you just as you are. That said, being seriously overweight is unhealthy, so it’s better to manage your weight—for your own sake.

I’m Aya, one of the female members. One of my papas also prefers slim women. His tastes seem very consistent: he likes girls who are slender, under 160 cm tall, petite and refined, and he prefers smaller breasts. Whenever he sees someone overweight, he insults them by calling them “a fatty,” so I absolutely can’t afford to gain weight. I spend quite a bit of money and time trying to stay at 43 kg and keep my body fat under 20%. First of all, I try to follow what’s called an “autophagy diet,” leaving 16 hours between meals whenever possible. If I eat dinner at 7 p.m., I don’t eat anything until around lunchtime the next day. Apparently, this helps the body’s metabolism function properly, gives the internal organs a rest, and even has anti-aging benefits. On days when I want to lose weight intensively, I fast while taking diet medication prescribed by a cosmetic clinic. I sometimes get diet IV drips there as well. I also take herbal medicine to reduce swelling. Normally, I eat small portions and adjust things with supplements, but sometimes I have a day when I eat as much of whatever I like as I want. It’s called a cheat day, and about once every ten days I eat a lot so my body doesn’t go into starvation mode. I used to go to the gym and work out very rigorously, but that actually became stressful, and I gained weight because of the stress hormone cortisol. So now I only do light strength training. However, I do want to work on my waist and butt, so I focus on my squat form, which I learned at personal training sessions before. By my own standards, my butt has become a shape I can be proud of. I’m actually pretty happy when people compliment me by saying, “You’re so slim,” so I’m managing to enjoy dieting to some extent. I used to feel insecure around curvy women like glamour models, but after receiving lots of offers at the dating club from men who said they liked slim, petite girls, I became more positive about myself. Being curvy isn’t everything. If anything, there are actually so many men who see value in someone like me, who’s slim! (Haha.) Since then, I’ve been able to approach maintaining my slim figure more positively too. So although it costs money for things like cosmetic clinics and supplements, I’m doing my best to maintain my figure. Sorry for making this all about me. I hope dieting doesn’t become a source of stress for you. I suppose it depends on how you look at it, but I hope you won’t worry too much and that you’re able to continue your relationship.

I use a somewhat expensive scale—or rather, a body composition analyzer. With ordinary body composition analyzers from brands like Tanita and Omron, the results are calculated with adjustments based on your age and sex. The InBody one I use, however, gives you unadjusted figures. It may not seem like a big deal, but I feel like the numbers are more accurate that way. As for things besides diet and exercise, a personal gym is probably what costs the most. Marika

I’m Flag Maker, a columnist. I don’t pay for it. I just quietly stick to bodyweight training at home. That said, I don’t think I’m particularly high-spec at all. If anything, I simply try to work on the things I can make up for through effort, precisely because I’m not especially impressive on paper.

I’m だて◎ゆめ, a male member. You said you were asking whether someone had been obese as a child. Personally, I tend to view being chubby as a child positively. I believe having a healthy appetite helps provide the nutrition needed to build a strong body, and curiosity about food, along with the willingness and motivation to try eating different things, is a good sign. That said, your current body shape is important. I see it as showing that you’re capable of maintaining an average figure through self-control. Rather than pushing yourself to the point of developing an eating disorder, I think it’s better to make an effort to maintain a healthy, average body shape.

Maezawa from the President’s Office here as well. If you’re in your 20s, your metabolism is generally pretty active, so as long as you’re moving around normally—even just commuting to work or school—maintaining your weight shouldn’t be too difficult with only a little restraint when it comes to food. Losing weight takes effort, of course. So I think you’ll be fine as long as you pay just a little attention to your habits. Things like not eating right before bed, or getting some exercise after having something sweet, should be enough. A lot of men say they don’t like women who are overweight, so I think maintaining your weight is important. If that feels too difficult, another option is to stop worrying about your weight and find a man who likes plus-size women. As for personality, it really depends on the individual. If a woman is easygoing because she’s overweight, she may often have a good personality. On the other hand, someone who was bullied for being overweight may have developed a bad personality. I don’t think you can make a blanket assumption that being overweight means someone is a certain way. But if the women you’ve happened to meet in the past were like that, it’s understandable that you might start to think so. Of course, the reverse can be true as well, so male members should keep that in mind.