how do people react to being overweight in your country?

I don't know about how people react in other countries, especially China, but the obesity rates for America are apalling. Check out this page from the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html. We have an abundance of stores for clothing for overweight people, wider tables and chairs in restaurants to accommodate us, etc. I have always found it comforting because I have been large, but find it a frightening complacency with being unhealthy.

And a lot of your banter with the med guy - both sides of the story are true. However, it is lifelong eating patterns that make the difference. A diet rich in fish and fresh vegetables is bound to be healthier than one heavy in comfort foods like fried chicken and lots of beef. A lot of foreign diets are more healthy than what we usually are exposed to in the US, such as a Mediteranean diet, a true Chinese diet, etc. where fat content is a lot lower.

Body image is, I think, a reflection of what is available in society. While it is true that the people who come from the poor provinces of china are thin because of a lack of food availability, it is also probably true that the girls in the cities obsess with thinness. In the US, it is grossly acceptable to be quite large.

I mean hell even when I was at my thinnest (128lbs) I fit into a Large or XL over there.

And me at 120lbs & 34-26-35 (aka size 2), I can only fit in a size M or L clothes (mostly M) over here but usually I'm S in international clothing standards. The size S here is the equivalent of the ones in the kid's section in stores in the US, Canada, UK etc.

In Britain its becoming the norm and almost acceptable to be obese.

I definitely think British people are getting fatter in general but I don't think it has become anywhere near acceptable to be obese.

Certainly in London there seems to be a perceived general link between weight and social status. If you are generally in shape or slim then you are given a higher social status. Being fat is still looked down upon.

I disagree. I think people just have differing views on what is considered 'obese'. Many people are obese but only consider themselves overweight. This relaxed attitude to weight has come about because it is more acceptable to be big.

In Britain its becoming the norm and almost acceptable to be obese.

I definitely think British people are getting fatter in general but I don't think it has become anywhere near acceptable to be obese.

Certainly in London there seems to be a perceived general link between weight and social status. If you are generally in shape or slim then you are given a higher social status. Being fat is still looked down upon.

I agree that weight seems to be link to social status though ageing has some credence too!!! It is ok to be an older male with a paunch as that suggests a life time of not too bad living/eating, especially if you play golf! but not ok for a young female! FAt still = lazy, low status, no education here even though clearly that is not the case. There is still quite a bad attitude to weight for either size with an obession at one end with being thin (too thin) especially young girls and then being pretty overweight at the other end. According to recent research the average body shape for British people has really changed and now includes a well rounded belly (beer belly)

i know right, they are so judging here.

Yeah, I'm afraid it's a cultral thing. Traditional Chinese (like in Asia vs living and accultrated elsewhere) think that starring and telling you that your fat is perfectly acceptable. Afterall, if someone just pointed it out to you, then you can do something about it right!?! *eye roll*. Keep in mind that WHO has placed different BMI strandards on Asians as opposed to other races due to bone structure/norms. Also keep in mind that in most Asian countries it's just as bad to be athletic/muscular as fat so I'm not sure getting pulled into these health norms are not necessarily the best for you. However, it IS perfectly normal to get caught up in the expectations and norms of your environment. Just don't lose yourself too much...

As for me, I live in the US where overweight is the norm. However, being in the military, my weight is closely regulated... lol. And in this particular environment, most people are athletic and a healthy weight. Personally, weight is an interesting concept as my Chinese family is constantly trying to get me to lose weight while my Hispanic fiance is constantly trying to fatten me up! I try to stay out of it and maintain a comfortable weight for me. And because I like being athletic and fit, I maintain that type of lifestyle and frame. Though I am sheading a few pounds for my upcoming nuptuals (now THAT might be falling to the American standard... lol!).

Jamaican men loves them some thick women. They want the curves. big butts and hips are assets here :-p

Jamaican women dont care for thick men... well i dont anyway. dont need the muscles, but we dont need the big bellies and so on.

this thread is a joke, correct?

In the U.S. it is looked down upon but widely common. When I was in Okinawa the Okinawans' weren't AS obsessed with dieting but they still did it, they weren't AS thin as the girls I saw in Beijing, South Korea and mainland Japan. I always felt like I was massive over there even when i was at my thinnest. Now that I am quite big I am appalled by the idea of going back for fear of the reactions.

although I'm very interested in reading these posts, I just wanted to say i LOVE your nyan cat ticker

Everyone in the US is fat.

Pretty much this. Being overweight is honestly the norm.

I disagree- though perhaps it depends on what PART of the US you're in. I live in the Northeast, and although there's certainly an obseity problem, statistics tell me that we're not nearly as bad off as, say, Mississippi (sorry Mississippians, I know that's not the case for all of you!). I do see a lot of CHUBBY people around my community, but few morbidly obese. Yes, they're there, but there's no way they're the norm.

Plus, those who ARE chubbier don't especially like it, I'd imagine, and in general are trying to get smaller... or at least wishing...

Side note- in high school almost everyone was thin. Or at least not obese. There were few "fat" people- I think the social pressure was too much to (sorry for the phrase) let themselves go. After high school though, plenty of girls I run into that had killer bodies are now chubbier than myself. Drastically different from the way they were, but not necessarily "obese."