Asians trying to lose weight

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  • ParanSkies
    ParanSkies Posts: 59
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    I'm so happy I found this forum! I always felt like such a black sheep because of my chubbiness and even shorter-than-average height, even for an Asian -_- (I'm 4 feet 10 and 126 pounds. Was 140 in November at my heaviest.) It feels great to know that I'm not the only one that feels like this.

    My family immigrated to Canada very early on and they never acted very Asian in the first place so they never really bothered me too much about my weight. My paternal relatives in Korea went a step further: they might comment a little about it from time to time but never in a mean way. I found out from my mom that one of my older male cousins had actually told her that he was worried about my weight but it didn't bother me at all because I could tell he genuinely cared about how I would do in society (even though being overweight is very normal here in Canada, not that he knew that.)

    Then... I felt pretty depressed when I went to China last year and my maternal relatives would comment about my weight in a "joking" way (which totally felt more like bullying to me). It was also totally depressing to see all these beautiful, thin girls around me in China and Korea who could fit into pretty much any clothes at the stores. Many Korean stores that sell inexpensive clothes don't allow you to try anything on and that made me super cautious about what to buy. I also felt extremely self-conscious when talking to the shop keepers, wondering if they thought that I would be too fat to fit into any of their clothes.

    Strangely enough, I ended up wishing my family DID try to talk to me more about my weight. I think the reason why many Asians living in Asian countries stay thin is because there is so much pressure to look that way. It's not that I want my parents to give me so much unhelpful pressure by all means, but it became so easy for me to let go that it would have been nice if they pushed me a bit more when I was young to make healthy eating choices. My paternal relatives gave me just the right amount of push, yet in a way that made me feel like they actually care about my well-being. It's too bad that I didn't ever see them often enough.

    Anyway, I'm more determined than ever to lose enough weight now! I really want to be able to surprise my paternal relatives when they see the new, healthy me (my mean maternal relatives don't deserve that right LOL) because I know they'll be happy FOR me and super proud OF me. I'm going back to Korea this summer and I'm determined to be fit enough to not be self-conscious about shopping or standing out! (Sorry for the wall of text...)
  • BowaBowa
    BowaBowa Posts: 162
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    My husband is asian and every time I visited his country I used to get it all the time! They are people that don't mince their words they say it like it is.As we were going out of his auntys house one day instead of saying goodbye,she said lose some weight and slammed the door in my face! So although I am not asian myself I can feel for yas! I have full intentions though of going back to meet that woman and watch her mouth drip to the floor

    I can relate =] Chinese Cantonese here. When I was overweight a 2 years ago, my uncles/aunties had no mercy for me. Now, getting shredded and 60lbs later. I saw one of my aunties for the first time in 18months, she almost fainted and said i'm too skinny now -_-
  • asaxygirl
    asaxygirl Posts: 3 Member
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    Another Asian here... Half Japanese, half German. I grew up in Japan with all my cousins. I had curly hair and was fat with big feet! Common nicknames were debu (chubby), daikon ashi (radish legs), and dekka ashi (huge feet). Does a number on a growing girl's psyche. Well, I am chubby now and though I will never be the slender, petite, Japanese woman like my mother, her sisters, and my cousins... I can be fit and short! :)
  • iampheng
    iampheng Posts: 1
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    Oh now I feel compelled to reply.

    I hate it when I have traumatic flashbacks to when I lived in Asia. I distinctly recall an experience of a man who jokingly asked if I was related to Buddha because he thought I looked like Buddha--fat happy face, fat round body. Ironically, the speaker looked more like Buddha than I did.

    I am glad I live in America. Even if lots of people still incorrectly think Asians are "genetically thin." ::typed while eating late night snack::

    I struggle with my weight mainly because others do.
  • bloodraynegatito
    bloodraynegatito Posts: 14 Member
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    i'm not Asian but i'm 5'4 and trying to lose pregnancy weight and currently 131 but my adopted family are so fat and see me and say..oh you used to be soo skinny.
  • panda2727
    panda2727 Posts: 22 Member
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    This forum is great I feel ya sistas! I've never been skinny in comparison to the people that live in the motherland when I was younger. Now it's even worse when age hits and you lose your metabolism. I used to probably be considered chubby in their eyes now I am probably considered obese.

    People don't get to me but I do. I don't feel good about myself anymore. With age and my job I've gained about 50-60lbs.
    It's really hard losing it considering I never used to have to go on any diets or exercise. It's a constant struggle!
  • sayorinaka
    sayorinaka Posts: 2 Member
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    Hey=) I totally know what you mean with the whole "skinny asian" stereotype. I was 128lbs as a 5'2.5" asian girl in highschool. And now im around 103lbs and in college. I still have my parents trying to get me to lose weight. Its so hard, especially since all my asian friends are smaller than me (or maybe they wear their weight differently. Since I tend to hold my weight in my thighs). I cant say I lost the 25lbs in a healthy manner exaxtly. But it did take me like 2yrs to lose the weight and keep it off. I also exercised a lot. Like 4-6 times a week when on school break. I have to say I am happier at my lower weight. But its hard with my parents being so health crazy and weight focused. In short I think I mainly cut carbs out of my diet. And drank more liquids. But thats just my two cents=) hope everyone looses however much weight they want to! Peace=D
  • leenbeanw
    leenbeanw Posts: 4
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    Omg I totally can relate! My Asian friends are all so tiny and I remember one of my friends being asked how much she weighed (she's a little taller than 5'3") and she was like "Oh, 95lbs" as if it were normal! Even though I'm not overweight, I'd still like to lose weight just because I do think I'm a bit flabby/chubby in general. My mom used to comment every single day about how fat I was, and it made me lose my self-esteem for quite a little bit. Right now I think losing weight not only will make me a little more confident on the outside, but it'll also help me feel better about myself.
  • californiabella
    californiabella Posts: 152
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    filipina trying to lose weight here.. I think the stereotype goes hand in hand with the fact many asians have smaller frames.. I dunno though.. I just know I don't like being an overweight asian. lol. :)
  • quellybelly
    quellybelly Posts: 827 Member
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    Filipina checking in! I was never really overweight, but I'm not "Asian skinny" either. Once I walked into an Asian clothing store in our city's Chinatown. I saw a top I liked and went to ask one of the super slim Asian sales ladies if I could try it on. She eyed me up and down and told me that I wouldn't fit in any clothes in their store :(
  • Rosieannaxo
    Rosieannaxo Posts: 129
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    How did I just come across this thread? I can completely relate to this!

    I've always had a very different body type than all my friends. For starters, I love food and I love to indulge. I'm Korean man, we have amazing food and limitations and portion control aren't really my thing. So I was the fat one in the group. Also, I'm 5'9 which makes me abnormally tall for an Asian girl. Most of my friends are standard 5'4 and shorter. If you need a visual on how I looked next to all my friends, imagine a whale next to a school of small fishes. Because that's exactly what I looked like.

    Growing up, I've always been told how fat I was by my parents, grandparents, parent's friends, etc etc etc. It still happens to this day because my body shape is not exactly the ideal Asian girl body stereotype. I'm pear shaped, my weight goes straight to my *kitten* and hip. I have a small upper body and that's the only thing that somewhat resembles the Asian girl body stereotype. I will never have that stick thin body and I'm fine with it haha as long as I'm healthy, mabruk!

    I never tried to change my body when I was fat (well fatter than current weight). You know, we Asians tend to have strict parents. One wrong move and you "dishonah our famry". So I guess my rebellious teenage self found escape in food. So when someone told me I was fat, my mindset was "WELL LEMME SHOW YOU HOW FAT I CAN BE MOTHER****ER NOM NOM NOM". Yep, wild rebellious teen right hurrr. But the more I ate, the less clothes fit, the stranger I looked next to my friends, and the unhappier I became. So I decided to loose weight. I think being Asian, you're expected to fulfill this stereotypical childlike body because that's what's considered beautiful. For some reason, realistic body types is omitted from the Asian perception of beauty. But I think ignoring that stereotype and just focusing on health and fitness is the way to go. Sorry for the long *kitten* post, I'm on winter break man. I'm bored.
  • catbender
    catbender Posts: 16
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    As a former overweight Asian kid, I want to add my two cents to this old thread:

    The pressure to be thin can be very intense in an Asian family. One of the reasons that even brought me to this website is because of the constant body scrutiny parents and relatives have put on me through the years. My parents tightly abide by the idea of "family unit mentality" and "saving face in public." If your grades and body are not in tip-top shape, your mediocrity drags the entire family down. My grades were always good, but because I was overweight, I knew I was being talked about by relatives and family friends as the lesser sibling (in comparison to my athletic brother). It's very common for fellow Asian parents to gossip about their children's weight in public (and the comments certainly get meaner behind backs).

    Although I'm slender now, my parents still talk about how to improve my figure. The trauma of being berated about my appearance runs deep. Personally, I no longer have qualms about this since the struggle to overcome my weight has taught me significant life lessons. Sometimes I really appreciate the pressure, but it's hard to distinguish when the advice is for my own health benefit or for more artificial reasons.
  • annazhang96343
    annazhang96343 Posts: 7
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    I'm so happy that I'm not the only one. Growing up I was obese but now after a year... I'm 123 at 5'5 ...it's still kind of big since my sister is 5'8 at like 108lbs but I can never be like her with a thigh gap...she's trying to gain weight...but I was always told that I was fat. My mom was ashamed of taking me out bc her friends would see me and be in so much shock...now I have abs amd crap they said I'm to buff....there is never a good medium...the happy point is that my waist is smaller and firmer than most asians

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