"asian thin" vs. "american thin"?

Options
2456

Replies

  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    Options
    Compared to Asians, Americans are fat. Very fat. That's regardless of ethnicity or gender.

    People will compare you to what they are used to seeing. If you see something everyday, it becomes normal. Hence, Americans generally find that being overweight is normal, and therefore healthy.

    Asians are much thinner, so being much thinner is normal to them.

    I have a few Asian friends who used to be very active and in great shape. When they moved here, they started complaining about how fat they were getting. They're still skinnier than almost all the white/Asian-American friends I have.

    It's all about perspective.

    Oh, and those are general observations. Obviously not ALL Americans are fat and not ALL Asians are thin.
  • lacaro1
    lacaro1 Posts: 81 Member
    Options
    Actually there is even a difference betweeen Americans and Europeans, at least according to my experience we Europeans tend to have a different body image and consider some people "fat" that are totally normal or even thin for Americans..
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
    Options
    asians do everything better.... except for porn

    I'd like to disagree on that last one... LOL!

    I was going to disagree but he's right. The stuff you and I are thinking of is American. It just stars Asian "actresses". The Asian stuff is awful. DO NOT WATCH.

    You have been warned

    LOL. Agreed.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    Options
    Americans of any race/culture tend to be really fat. I read somewhere that more than half of American adults are obese or overweight.

    I am an American who is black and among black people here, black women especially, there is a propensity to be really fat. I have talked to plenty of black Americans who really believe we are naturally fat; that it has nothing to do with overeating and lack of exercise. This is not true.

    I have met quite a few actual Africans who are quite slender, not fat at all, and when you look at pictures of people who are from Africa most seem to be fit and trim. And no, I'm not talking about Africans from areas/countries where getting enough food is an issue. I'm talking about people who are well fed.

    So I understand what you mean...
  • markpmc
    markpmc Posts: 240 Member
    Options
    The the whole obesity 'thing' has skewed our perception of what exactly FAT looks like. I suspect there's a happy medium between where you are right now and the asian norm.

    I take crap every week for bring skinny and my BF is about 15%.
  • ImperfectedBeauty
    ImperfectedBeauty Posts: 124 Member
    Options
    You don't look massively thin to me (sorry!)

    I think perceptions are skewed by context. Many, many Americans are grossly overweight, in comparison to the average American you are thin.

    Asians (I think) currently have less of an obesity issue, and average a more normal healthy weight.

    I have to agree with this. But on the same note, you are beautiful and I would say a lot of people probably aspire to have your body type.
  • AnnaMaus
    AnnaMaus Posts: 167 Member
    Options
    Try not to listen too much to what some of the Asians may say. Many of them can be a bit..... Tactless? Lacking in diplomacy? And then again, many just may not know what they're talking about, especially fobbers who are just basing it on how you look (no offense fobbers - i love you!) I only speak from experience with relatives and friends. They may be thin, but many are just skinny fat. Unless they're working out, of course --- which I know the majority of my tiny relatives are not. But on the opposite end of that, many Americans can sometimes be too proper or politically correct and would never dream of telling you you're overweight, even if you are. So basically you gotta figure it out. Easy peasy, right? :)

    On the cultural question (and not to the OP's issue) this is something I've always loved about visiting my best friend's home. She's from Thailand and has a very large family. If someone was fat, they'd say so, if they were doing well in school, they'd say so, if they were doing poorly in school, they'd say so. It was so refreshing. Some people may not like hearing the truth, but there's nothing inherently more polite about ignoring or not acknowledging important facts.

    If anything, being silent or "meekly polite" encourages sweeping problems under the rug... which my grandmother did with her husband and her kids, who ended up with a lot of serious problems, including obesity, drug and alcohol addiction and jail time. (Hi Dad! Love you!!)
  • Zangpakto
    Zangpakto Posts: 336 Member
    Options
    I will 100% disagree here... at least in Thailand in a nice "bar" they are very attentive lol... ;) know what I mean :P
  • OMGeeeHorses
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    Options
    um you need to be eating more than 800 calories!! your going to go no were but burning muscles away with fat which is horrible!! Let MFP calculate for you and do it their way.
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
    Options
    i just wanted to add in that i had seen several white doctors who had never commented on my weight (back when i was over 200) but the very first asian doctor i saw looked me up and down and said flat out "you need to lose weight. you are obese for your height"

    within a year i'd begun losing weight! damn that woman, but also i need to go back and thank her.
  • JezzD1
    JezzD1 Posts: 431
    Options
    Do NOT listen to this person. Always follow the wisdom of crowds. ALWAYS.

    Before going to visit family in Asia, go on a cleanse to lose those 9 pounds to fit in. Then before you fly back to the States, eat a bunch of lasagna. This is only reasonable solution.

    And while in Asia, definitely keep muttering how poor they are that they can't afford food... definitely bound to get you attention.

    Solid advice ;-)
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Options
    I do some cross-cultural research on this.

    First, yes, Asian- (and French and Scandanavian) standards are thinner than US standards. And US standards have gotten 'fatter' over the years.

    Second, most Asians are not naturally thin, just as most Americans aren't. Asians, on average, eat better and less than people in the US do. This is also true of Asian-Americans until enough generations after immigration has passed so that they have fully enculturated. So first generation Asian-Americans tend to be thinner than second who are thinner than third.

    Some cultural eating practices that help Asians (and anyone) stay thin are things like filling up on soup before a meal, eating very little bread (though rice is, of course calorie-dense), eating lots of veggies and little meat (lower fat), and eating very little dairy.

    Things some Asian-Americans do that are bad - especially new immigrants - is taking advantage of the cheap sugar and high fat meats to make 'luxury' goods like meats soaked in sugar that were normally treats into deaily meals. Bad for your waistline and your teeth.

    There is some research that says there's a 'thin gene' that's more common in Asians and less common, for example, among Inuit or Northern Europeans. But that's just a bit of it and it wouldn't explain why Asian-Americans are much heavier than Asians who live in Japan or Korea or China, for example.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Options
    I think many Asians (of course not all) have generally smaller frames. So, if the healthy BMI range is 120 to 145 for a certain height (like mine LOL), Asians may need to be on the smaller side of that range vs the larger side. My frame is quite large, so I'm aiming for the top half of that range.

    My children are Asian. My daughter has a pretty delicate frame is is less than the 20% for height. My older son has a heavier frame and a MUCH higher muscle mass, but is still short (19%). My youngest son is too small to tell for sure, but he seems to have a smaller frame, but should be quite tall (at least 6'1").
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Options
    And US standards have gotten 'fatter' over the years.

    I disagree with that actually. The US changed their BMI standards maybe 10ish years ago to be lower. A BMI of 27 used to be considered healthy and now the top of that range is a BMI of 25. US averages have certainly gone up, but I don't believe the standards have.
  • MrsPong
    MrsPong Posts: 580 Member
    Options
    My husband is Thai.
    When I lost 20 lbs his family commented on it but then said "oh you should lose 20 more and you'll be good".
    I was also 135 size 3-4 visiting Japan in 2011 and I was HUGE!

    His family also told his mom she was "fat" when pregnant. So I'm always scared to see them when I've gained weight. There is a difference between what they think is thin and what we think thin is.
  • Feed_the_Bears
    Feed_the_Bears Posts: 275 Member
    Options
    In psychology classes I read about a study where guys had to rate "beauty" when shown a full-body picture of several ladies. The results showed that proportions were more the key element, not overall size. What these are I can't remember but it was something along the typical hourglass figure, whether it's a big hourglass or a small one.

    You can't compare yourself to people with totally different bone structures and muscle mass. You'll get no where but sad. Check out your body fat percentage with someone who's qualified to measure it accurately like a trainer or a doctor. A healthy body fat % is the only thing that will tell you if you're thin or fat. Not even your friends who may or may not be honest. I would never even try to pass judgment like that on my friends or strangers.

    Body fat % baby, that's the only truth. Perceptions are fickle and change with everyone you ask. You have to be happy with who you are, and your health needs a good body fat %.

    Good luck.
  • Feed_the_Bears
    Feed_the_Bears Posts: 275 Member
    Options
    My husband is Thai.
    When I lost 20 lbs his family commented on it but then said "oh you should lose 20 more and you'll be good".
    I was also 135 size 3-4 visiting Japan in 2011 and I was HUGE!

    His family also told his mom she was "fat" when pregnant. So I'm always scared to see them when I've gained weight. There is a difference between what they think is thin and what we think thin is.
    Asians don't hand out compliments easily. They're all about humility. (yes I'm aware that's a generalization that isn't true about everyone).
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Options
    I lived in Japan for several years and the way we were able to spot people from English speaking "Western" countries (Australia, U.S., U.K.) regardless of race was their general body make up. Not all were overweight but with very few exceptions, had significantly more muscle build. The overweight were obvious. That said, many of the Japanese are skinny fat so I don't really hold that out as an ideal either.
  • YaGigi
    YaGigi Posts: 817 Member
    Options
    I'm not sure if it is cultural or if it is physiological, but lately i've been having the conflict between what "thin" means in america vs. asia.

    According to my non-asian friends, I am thin, and should be happy with my weight. however, when I compare to my naturally thin asian relatives and friends, I definitely need to lose weight. Especially when I visit asia, I feel huge over there!

    I am all for being happy with who you are no matter what and just choosing to better yourself, but it doesn't help my motivation when I live in the US and am surrounded by people who make me feel thin, when in all actuality, I am 9 lbs above a healthy bmi and even when I was in the healthy bmi range a few months ago, I still was too heavy.

    does anyone else identify with this?

    Girl, I feel you...

    In France, Italy or Russia if you're size 40, you're fat (it's 4 in American).
    But in the USA I feel normal.
    In Qatar I feel gorgeous, lmao!
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    Options
    In Asia, I think they are more upfront about one's appearance and weight, whereas in America it is considered rude to comment on something like that. That being said, the views of what's normal also varies due to the drastic differences on what is average - America is much "fatter" than Asia, generally speaking.

    Perceptions vary depending on the normality. Focus on you and how YOU feel about the mirror, forget about others. Nothing is ever perfectly ideal.

Categories