krampus and maenad, oh the plight of the Southeast Asian stick figure! I am not Asian but I live in South Asia right now and I used to live in Cambodia. I was the only Westerner in my office in Phnom Penh and so I got a little leeway for being curvy, but I still was definitely laughed at when I was trying to pick out a dress to wear for our bosses wedding (girls in the office: "no, you can't wear these cambodian dresses, you are too thick!")

That said, I also gained a lot of insight into the- ok yes I'm going to generalize like crazy here- Southeast Asian female mind though. Girls would pick through no more than two or three spoonfuls of rice and a few sips of broth at lunch. They were amazed I exercised at all ("Aren't you afraid of getting fat?"- as in, not being a twig and having muscle definition) and constantly wearing the tightest clothes to show off their tiny figures (maenad, you know this all too well with the áo dài!).

I would like to lose a bit of weight, but I wouldn't give up a healthy body for the complete paralyzing these women face from peers, mothers, aunts, etc to be anything but underweight. Not that every Cambodian, Burmese, Vietnamese girl has this mindset, but the pressure they face socially is incredible, far beyond what we face in the US in my opinion. krampus, I imagine the same is true in Japan as well.

It's so hard to keep mentally healthy amongst this mindset, but my best wishes to you guys to keep sight of what is actual important! We can do it!

Thanks to you guys for sharing your experiences in Asia. I'm sorry that you're feeling the pressure to live up to a certain body type. Sometimes I wonder where we'd all like to settle physical if social pressure weren't an issue, you know? I'm not sure I know the answer for myself. I'd actually probably gain some weight.

Have any of you guys noticed that your tastes have changed throughout this process? I don't meant the whole "wow, I don't even crave any more junk food!!11" because I know that doesn't happen for everyone. I just feel like personally, I don't even know what I like to eat anymore. I've mainly been subsisting off of ham and cheese toast and cucumber salad with balsamic vinegar lately. (And sometimes bacon-flavoured chips or salami sandwiches.) I keep trying different things, but there's not a broad spectrum of stuff that appeals anymore. Maybe it's related to the funk I've been feeling lately. Some days I can barely get out of bed. I'm on a new depression med (not associated with weight gain, thank goodness) so maybe it will help soon. I still make myself exercise, though, so that helps, I think.

A couple of my friends have gotten on me about my size lately. One was particularly amusing because she's convinced that I weight like 100 pounds. Like, I weigh more than that, I swear. I guess it's hard to have a good concept of actual weights... I know everybody would win a prize off me if I had to work in the "Guess your weight" booth in the state fair; I am that bad at guesstimating. Maybe most other people are, too.

indiblue - Thanks for your insight. I guess I have made myself believe that the Vietnamese women are naturally that thin, and it really isn't true. They have sometimes even more social pressures to remain thin. Just last night I saw a pregnant woman (about 8 months) who still had small sticks for legs and arms. Every woman gains at least some weight when they are pregnant...how thin was she before?

I am also a white woman here, so I really don't think that women look at me and judge my weight the same way they do to each other because my whole bone structure is so different (wide hips, huge but, thicker legs). However, they are quick to ask me if I am pregnant, a question that I get almost everyday here, usually by total starngers.

I'm Chinese-American, and actually petrified to go back to China because of this -- I know I'll feet like a fat cow next to 100-lb girls my height. I can accept from a distance that I'll never fit into cute Asian clothes but it's harder to accept when I'm actually faced with shopping in Shanghai... I didn't know it was so bad in Southeast Asia, but apparently so.

Trying to stay positive in the face of awful menstrual weight gain: I think my tummy is slightly more toned than it was last week! ... Today marks the third week I've been on this plan, and it has been HARD so far, and I am terrified that the next few days will be even harder. My chocolate cravings are so bad that I've had two brownies in two days (luckily allotted for in my calorie count, esp w the running I've done).

It gets worse: I just talked my parents into ordering Protein Bakery cookies for me because they looked SO DELICIOUS. Any other day, the promise of 5g of protein per 130 cal cookie would not have been a good reason at all... I mean, the same 130 cals in egg whites = 28g of protein, so.... Anyway, I'm just being ridiculous and PMS-y... tomorrow is another day. Hopefully one without brownies...

maenad, like you, I thought SE Asian women were just small-framed and didn't realize how much of it was social pressure until I lived in Cambodia and saw it day to day with my petite coworkers. I think it's a combination of both naturally small-framed women AND a lot of social pressure. I did have some Cambodian friends who were 20-something females, small framed, and a little curvy- probably about my size when I lived there- 120-125/5'0-5'2- but that was definitely considered 'bigger'. It's terrible seeing the health risks they take (no exercise/very low calorie intake) due to social pressures to conform, but then again i'm sure people say the same thing when they come to the States.

fivestone I hear you on the junk food thing! I used to love candy (Twizzlers, Sour Punch Straws, etc, mmm) but I find myself not craving it as much since I've been watching even more strictly what I eat. I also like you got into a funny food funk a few months ago where I holed up in my room and ate the same dinner every night: fruit smoothie and popcorn. Not really the most well-rounded meal, and definitely not good night after night. It was weird. I'm sorry to hear it's been what sounds like a difficult time. I hope your meds help. And good for you for continuing to exercise, one of the most important boosts to mental health.

lackadaisy, does something like a small piece of dark chocolate or a cup of homemade hot chocolate (skim milk, a few scoops of sugar, a few scoops of unsweetened cocoa powder) curb your chocolate cravings? I am a huge chocolate (esp brownies!) fan and I find sometimes one of the above lower calorie and lower fat options sometimes does the trick.


An update on my end... so my boyfriend and I hosted a poolside brunch today with some friends so I was snacking on lots of savory cheese things alllllllll day! 133 right now, which means hopefully if I can just have water and a salad for dinner I'll still wake up tomorrow at 131... No weight drop expected but at least I won't gain. Urg, hopefully the next pound will come this week. Such a slow process!

This is such an interesting discussion -- it's making me thankful for being allowed to exercise! I love the muscles I'm developing. I don't love that my 'fat pants' fit again from the swelling in my thighs, but hopefully that will go away.

indiblue, your suggestion of dark chocolate / light hot chocolate is definitely smart. I used to eat whatever I wanted during my period so I never really thought of these prevention techniques -- but I tended to eat to much dark chocolated when I had it around back then, so I'm a little worried about that. Then again, I now keep TONS of snacks in my room and the logging thing is still keeping me fairly accountable despite it.

I bought running tights and a sports bra today -- pricey at $80 together, even on sale, but it was my 125lb reward and I'll be darned if I let this bloat keep me from celebrating what I've accomplished so far. Even if it's only 3.5 lbs, that's still 1 lb/week. I'll take it.

133 today!!
My friend texted me asking if I wanted to run with her, so I ran for 30 minutes and did the elliptical for 30 minutes. I feel great now! My muscles have been so sore this week from the mix of zumba, running, and starting up weights again. Eh, pain is gain and it'll wear off soon! The beginning is always rough.

I bought valentines day cookies for the girls in my program. I love having 28 girls to bake for. I love baking, but I hate being the only one eating the food, so this is a nice change! I got chocolate chip cookie dough and the cute sugar cookies that have hearts in the middle.

No valentines celebrations for me, just studying for a test. Nothing beats a hot date with a larynx on a sunday night. Blech! I am going home next weekend for my best friend's first fitting of her wedding dress, so I'll get to see my boyfriend then. He says he's going to plan something romantic but I bet he's forgotten about that by now hahah!

lackadaisy: woo hoo for celebrations! Who cares if it was 80 dollars, it's a reward that means something to you and that's absolutely priceless!! congrats on the progress!! Also, Extra has this mint chocolate chip gum..it tastes just like the real deal! that always curbs my chocolate cravings.

I overdid it in Seoul. Had an amazing time but it was ridiculous, probably ate around 5000-6000 calories a day, and went to bed stuffed and feeling a bit poisoned every day. My weight is up something like 7 lbs since Thursday. Just ridiculous.

krampus, I'm both jealous and appalled. But you know, hard to avoid that around good food. Totally fair. At least half of that has to be water weight, so you'll be back down to your true gain of maybe 2-3 lbs soon, don't worry. All-day elliptical marathon time?

I did a yoga class today that I thought would be basic relaxation stuff and turned into something like flow yoga halfway through. It was a little scary but also great -- suddenly my 100-calorie "workout" became a real 300-calorie workout, almost as good as a slow jog. At least that's how I'm logging it, because, as they say, daammmmnnn. I'm SORE.

I'm more appalled than jealous. Everything that seems like a good idea at the time doesn't seem like such a good idea when you can't button your suit jacket. Oh well, nothing I can do now other than not keep doing it. I've caught a gross cold and it's raining and snowing outside so I won't be running today, but I'm planning on having modest meals (since I can't taste anything, why bother eating any more than I need for sustenance?) and doing Tae Bo/body weight exercises after I get home tonight.

Krampus: Isn't Korean food fairly salty? Maybe much more sodium than you're used to is part of the culprit... if so, a tonne of water with your exercise could be helpful.

Otherwise, sorry you're having scale woes, but at least you're able to kick back and have a fun time... and ultimately that's more important than seeing a specific number on a scale.

It's 11 pm and I feel... no chocolate cravings! Weird.

On the other hand, I really want that second Boca burger. This is a weird hunger that feels like real hunger, but to be fair I've eaten a roll and another Boca already since dinner... hmm.

I think I'm going to listen to my body on this one and assume it needs the extra protein. We'll see?

Good morning from the eastern hemisphere! Hope you are all well and had a good Valentine's day. My boyfriend and I have been on a Top Chef kick lately so he tried to make a creative dish that he conceptualized without a recipe. ("Don't come, in, I'm plating right now!" hahah). It turned out tasty, but more importantly, it was super low-fat with lots of fruits and protein, which he knew I would like. It was really, really sweet! Yay for all the supportive family and friends out there.

Lackadaisy, good your body was craving boca burgers instead of Hersheys kisses, haha. One boca is what... 90 calories or something? Certainly a good size for an evening snack. Hope it did the trick and curbed the cravings.

How is everyone's week going?

indiblue, Bocas are 70 cal each -- I ate two. Haha.

I'm so glad you had a great Valentine's day! That meal sounds so yummy. What a great way to celebrate responsibly.

My day started off well, and ended up... well.. a bit disastrous, to be honest. I had an excellent morning: went for a run, bought amazing snacks at Trader Joe's, ran up 12 flights of stairs, stayed on-plan eating whole foods ALL DAY. And then I sprained my ankle badly walking to class, and in one second, all was lost. I spent the evening mopily eating carbs (cake, cereal, tangerine, dark chocolate, frosting) -- about 500 calories worth or more. I won't be able to run for more than a week, and walking will be tiring and difficult. Cardio will be near impossible. My fantastic friends came with me to the university health center, but of course that was a disaster -- it took THREE HOURS and the visit didn't help me at all.

At least I'm now wearing an air cast (brace) and have crutches. I'm going to be crutching around to try to keep up my cardio and weight loss. I'm mostly just horrified that I may not be able to run as a burger after all... going to work really hard on core strength & other non-running things for now, but it's such a huge setback.

Oh noooooooo! I'm so sorry! I have had a hip injury for the past year and haven't really been able to run more than once a month so I feel your pain. Running is one of the most effective weight-loss exercises for me so it's really frustrating for me to not be able to do it. I always talk about yoga on this site, but that really has been what I do to keep fit and it works well. I hope you aren't in too much pain and that you have a really quick recovery.

And yes, student health centers suck!