Fat Girl Going to China.

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2

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  • thatsmymilkshake
    thatsmymilkshake Posts: 13
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    maggiet63 - Thank you. I'll definitely do that. The idea of visualizing sounds helpful, definitely, especially in those cute Chinese clothes! :D

    You keep it up, too! You're doing great! :)
  • Nutella91
    Nutella91 Posts: 624 Member
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    for another 3 years. I go to Beijing Language and Culture Uni, where are you gonna be at??
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    I can relate. I have lost and regained the same 20 lbs for 2 years now. Last September I found out I was moving to Okinawa Japan. Everyone is sooo thin here that most of the stores with cute stores don't even carry sizes I can wear at my final goal weight. Even though I'm on a military base with a lot of overweight wives...most of them have 3 or 4 kids hanging off of them...what is my excuse? From September-December I gained back 10 of the 20 lbs I had lost over the summer due to stress and telling myself that I wouldn't be able to enjoy my favorite bad foods while I was here. Of course, they still have everything so I ate a lot of crap my first few weeks here as well. I Have now been on track most of the time since January. I've had a few bad weeks and I couldn't exercise at all in February due to injury, but managed to lose just under 4 lbs anyway. I want to lose 20ish lbs by June for the summer and my last 20 before the new year. It is hard seeing the tiny girls everywhere in their cute clothes and knowing my body cannot get that small...it makes me want to binge, but I know I have to do this for me and my health and even at 140-145, I know a lot of them might look at me and envy my curves.

    Just keep focused and do what you can for exercise. I just walk as often as possible because I hate workout dvds and even though the gym is free, I can't afford a trainer to help me with the weights. Feel free to add me for mutual support and keep your chin up.
  • tegantheaverage
    tegantheaverage Posts: 142 Member
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    Nutella91 - Wow! I'm excited, but of course I'm scared and a little bit anxious to be so far from my family and friends for an entire year! Not to mention the culture shock! How long will you/ have you been in China? :)

    I honestly don't know any Chinese... I've studied Japanese a good 7 years, so the written isn't AS hard, but spoken? No way!

    It'll be okay. If you're in Beijing or Shanghai you can probably survive without it but it's also not too difficult (as far as languages go) to pick up.. The grammar is very simple and there's a set number of pronunciations. I found too that the tones come naturally as you learn words. In my experience, if you're surrounded by it you'll pick it up pretty easily; 4 months living with a Taiwanese family did more for my Chinese than 4 years of university did. Good luck!
  • sam308lbs
    sam308lbs Posts: 1,936 Member
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    on another note,get your hands on this book "Foreign babes in Beijing".It might help you prepare better for your stay
  • thatsmymilkshake
    thatsmymilkshake Posts: 13
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    Lupercalia - Haha, muscular? Thanks! I just want to get rid of the terrible fat rolls, my wide arms, and my legs. :/

    I hope to be able to work out a lot more and eat a lot less.

    Good luck to you! :D
  • thatsmymilkshake
    thatsmymilkshake Posts: 13
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    Capt_Apollo - Thank you for the nice comment. :) Haha, I like how it's "nerd fitness". Fits me perfectly.

    Thank you so much! And good luck!
  • thatsmymilkshake
    thatsmymilkshake Posts: 13
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    Nutella91 - I'm not sure yet. I just got accepted, so they haven't decided yet. Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou. No matter where it is, I'm excited! ...and scared.

    Wow! Haha. You're lucky! How have you adjusted?
  • thatsmymilkshake
    thatsmymilkshake Posts: 13
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    ashlinmarie - Wow. That's really inspirational! Not to mention you're living in the country I've dreamed about my entire life! Haha. How is it there? Also, I know, Asian clothes are so cute! But even their XXXL is 2 sizes too small. :(

    We can get through this together! :D I know you'll be able to wear those adorable clothes someday, just keep it up! I'll do it too!
  • hailzp
    hailzp Posts: 903 Member
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    http://www.xojane.com/it-happened-to-me/the-joys-and-sorrows-of-being-a-fat-foreign-girl-in-china


    'Well, sort of. I’m sure everyone is well aware that I’m a human, but I’m an oddity, and I’ve made the choice to be here and I need to put up with that. Now instead of getting angry or internalizing every negative thing I hear, I talk to people more. Engaging people in conversation means I’m more than just some blubberous anomaly walking down the street, and they’re friends rather than obstacles on my path to self-acceptance.'



    Read this a few weeks a go. No dieting advice except eat at a deficit and go for a walk. Oh and don't be too hard on yourself. x
  • thatsmymilkshake
    thatsmymilkshake Posts: 13
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    hailzp - I've actually read this. It was really inspirational and beautiful, as is the girl who wrote it. It definitely opens my eyes a bit to how I should be thinking of myself. It's just the road to getting to that stage is a bit... bumpy. I'm not sure how to go about it. I won't even let myself have a boyfriend because I'm afraid of what he might think of me.

    But thank you.
  • GaiaGirl1992
    GaiaGirl1992 Posts: 459 Member
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    Zuzkalight.com. Some of her work out videos include alot of bouncing around, but they can be modified.

    If it didn't come from the ground or an animal, stay away!
  • Laurlkat
    Laurlkat Posts: 16
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    Sometimes it is really difficult to stop the self-hate. I admire you for deciding you want to be healthier, but honestly and truly, you are not as big as you think you are.

    As far as exercise goes, any extra movement will help. I have bad knees, probably partly because at my largest I weighed 280 pounds. At that weight, I got myself a hand bike and some exercise bands, and started there. As I've gotten more fit, I've added things like walking. As soon as it warms up here, I'm going to start working with the C25k marathon training app on my phone, ey have it for both android and iPhone. But any movement will help.

    As far as diet goes, someone else posted this before me, but they are right....pre-logging all food the day before is incredibly helpful, and it does take discipline. And the good thing is, you can always adjust what you eat. I try to consume more protein than carbs, because my doctor said that will help me lose more fat and less muscle. According to her fancy body fat scale, I haven't lost any muscle mass, just fat, which is great.
  • leftybadeye
    leftybadeye Posts: 26
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    Hey! I also live in China, in a city in the North called Dalian. Feel free to add me or ask any questions about China. I've lived here for about a year and a half now.
  • Okapi42
    Okapi42 Posts: 495 Member
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    Also, watch out for MSG in *everything*. I've never lived in China, but my best friend at university was from Beijing and she actually had three shakers on her table - salt, pepper, and msg!
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
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    The reason they are skinny over there is because of the food that they eat. If you want to lose weight, start eating a fruit and vegetable based diet. Once you get there, you will lose weight without even trying, as long as you stay away from fast food.

    I lost 25 LBS in 5 weeks of traveling around Asia, even though i wasn't exercising at all, and i was eating at American restaurants whenever possible. When i was traveling back on the flight from Beijing to Chicago, you could tell simply by looking at people which country they were from. Most people on the flight were Chinese, but the fat Asians spoke English well and dressed in Amercan clothes, while the skinny Asians were speaking Chinese and dressed like Chinese. The food that people eat is the big factor here, not the genetics, the lifestyle, exercise or anything else.
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    ashlinmarie - Wow. That's really inspirational! Not to mention you're living in the country I've dreamed about my entire life! Haha. How is it there? Also, I know, Asian clothes are so cute! But even their XXXL is 2 sizes too small. :(

    We can get through this together! :D I know you'll be able to wear those adorable clothes someday, just keep it up! I'll do it too!

    It is wonderful here! I never thought I'd want to go to Japan but my husband wanted to get stationed here and by some miracle we did! Now, I never want to leave. The people are polite and everything is so clean and nice. I can't wait to start learning the language more, especially as we are going to try to extend our stay here and possibly retire here when he is out of the Air Force.

    I wish I could eat their healthier foods, but I'm allergic to fish. I love Japanese Curry, but I try to limit myself. Their sweets are super good too and their fast food has way less grease. I just try not to eat that crap more than once a week...if that even.

    I can go on and on and on and on.....it is the most amazing experience. Very glad this was my first trip out of the US.

    We definitely can get through this together! I'm not sure I'll ever be able to wear their clothes...I went to a few stores to browse today and their largest size of shorts were about 3 inches smaller than what my hips have ever been at a healthy weight. The only time I could have worn them was when I had an eating disorder in high school and still barely as I was a US size 4 (I have wide hips). I'm going to try though! Worst case scenario, I won't feel like a giant when I go out. Right now I only feel okay about my size when I see women on base that are twice my size eating fast food.
  • fredaro2002
    fredaro2002 Posts: 35 Member
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    I am going to Rome, Italy this summer and understand your feelings about your weight and being in another country. Personally, I would not diet persay, but instead, try to eat more foods in their unprocessed state and walking for exercise. When you travel across seas, you will find that people tend to rely on their two feet more often than utilizing a car. There are plenty of marketplaces within walking distance from your home, school, work, etc. to pick up fresh fruit and veggies, and deli sandwiches for lunch and snacking. Foreigners tend to eat less fast food than us Americans (but they do have it and the portions are smaller). Eating is thought to be a time for family and friends, not a fast break while hustling and bustling through the day. Don't worry, the extra walking and access to natural and organic foods (might I add are sometimes cheaper than eating out in some countries) will cause a great deal of weight loss while gone. Be aware, coming back to the US is usually the worry because those habits will be thrown out the window quickly and your weight loss will creep back on you sooner than you think!

    I hope this helps!
  • SwimFan1981
    SwimFan1981 Posts: 1,430 Member
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    SwimFan1981 - How did you like China? Oh wow, thanks! That really helps haha. I'll be sure to exercise as much as possible. Especially swimming - I love swimming! And I didn't know tailoring would be that cheap! Great! :D

    Hey! I loved it! Im British and I worked for an offshore investment and wealth management company. Loads to do and sights to see! If in Beijing check out Sanlitun bar street for fun nights out! :)
  • vlnalto
    vlnalto Posts: 64 Member
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