The number of overweight people is growing in my country as well. Obesity among children is becoming a matter of concern.

My parents were born in the 40s, they were children during the war and were constantly hungry: overfeeding us, persuading us to clean our plates at meals was one of their way to express their love.
I am 47 today, and still argue with my mother when we eat at her… she can’t understand why we don’t eat it all, I cant understand why she doesn’t cook less…!!!!!
The idea of eat-it-all is still very strong, as is the idea that a fat child will lose weight when he/she will develop.

Nutritionists have started to visit schools and try and teach children the importance of a healthy diet, but fighting against a mentality is the worst battle ever.
“why should I give my kid a piece of fruit as a snack if he/she does not like fruit? He/she is hungry and wants a croissant, he/she needs to grow”.

I try not to make the same mistake with my daughter, but surely I make others: when I was a kid and a teenager I used to walk to school (and my mother was a housewife); now I drive her and go straight to work. Of course its more practical, but funny enough I drive her also to the gym where she plays volleyball… (I don’t want her to walk alone when it’s dark but still, I used to go by myself when I was her age).

Smokers or drinkers are tolerated and forgiven. Fat people aren’t.
Yet, we all rationally know none of the above is healthy.
The triumph of appearance.

My boyfriend's parents (germans) are much more interested in making sure I eat tons than my parents ever were (americans). When I go over there, it is a constant attempt by them to feed us - as if we don't get enough. I definitely think it has something to do with the post WWII situation - something the Americans never went through.

While Europe doesn't have the oily fast food problem, they have the Bakery problem! That means ever block has a baker with fresh bread and pastries and cakes of ALL sorts, ready to be taken in the hand and eaten as you walk. I find that much more tempting than Taco Bell. Sugar high!

There are also ice cream parlors everywhere!

Anyway, give them 10 years and they will have caught up with the Ami's if nothing changes.

Ah... yes, i can relate. I lived in Germany for many, many years. People there can be quite blunt and I've definitely received comments about my weight (at the time I was about 185lbs so 30lbs overweight). I was there at my highest post-pregnancy weight too (225lbs) and that's actually where I started this journey. I was only there for about 3 months during that time and I can't remember any specific comments about my weight (beyond one OB/Gyn who commented on it). Everyone sat next to me on the bus, etc.

I do think, though, that the Germans are definitely in denial about their size. They pride themselves on being thin and healthy. Certainly, some of them are but like you said the smoking and drinking is a definite issue. I have many friend there who smoke and drink in excess and, sure, they probably have a healthy BMI (or are just slightly in the overweight category) but a lot of that is because they are getting more exercise due to the walking AND because smoking is an appetite suppressant. It is NOT because they are eating healthier foods (although it might be in somewhat smaller portions due to the smoking). I can guarantee you that.

Now, here in Brazil, it's just insane. Lots and lots of issues. I'd say the population looks pretty close to American sizes, especially when you get to the poor neighborhoods. The foods, if anything, have more sugar and less veggies than American food. Some habits are better than Americans due to more walking and most do eat beans with pretty much every meal but I've also run into lots and lots of misconceptions when it comes to diet and exercise (just read some of my complaints on my blog for that! ). I've also seen people be much more openly discriminating against the obese, much more so than in the US or Germany. DH has had comments made to his face by strangers about his size, I've been laughed at while exercising, and yesterday a doctor told me to just "stop eating" when I asked him what sort of exercise I could do after he diagnosed me with scoliosis. It doesn't help matters that the clothing industry has not caught up AT ALL and clothes run much smaller than even in Germany. Additionally, bras are all B cups and they just make the band bigger so I can't even tell you how many women have got to be in a lot of pain because of that!

Oh, and don't even get me started on the inlaws...

Wow, great to know somebody gets it! The thing that I find hardest is that the Koreans don't really put in a lot of effort to be thin, it seems to be genetic! Although the younger generation is just starting to face obesity, maybe if our children try teaching over here they will be the thin ones??

runningfromfat: I find it fascninating that you've lived in Europe and now South America. The Germans do pride themselve on their size! They also pride themselves on not being in debt like the other countries (Greece, Spain, etc.)

I've heard the Brazilians are extremely worried about their outward appearance - even more so than the Americans. I can also imagine that the food quality in Brazil for the poor is wretched - filled with preservatives and sugar. That is one thing that Germany has helping them a bit - the selling of super cheap junk food isn't an issue. They also have tons of fruits and veggies at affordable prices.

Someone needs to make a documentary that really shows how obesity is an increasing global problem (except where they are starving).

One more thing, I've never met one single German who has ever said they were on a diet. I've never heard any of them talk about low carb, etc.

Ha, well, it's definitely been an experience! Quite a big different in terms of culture too, wow.

Hmmm... I'll say that, yes, I think in general the middle-class on up worry about their appearances more than Americans. You do have extreme poverty here and middle-class here is still quite a bit lower than what you'd get in the states so there are some people that really don't have that option. That being said, the economy is booming here so you're getting an always increasing middle class and, yes, those individuals do seem to spend more time/effort/money on their appearance. Part of that, though, is that clothes are freaking EXPENSIVE here so it makes sense to buy something that's high quality and flattering vs something that's cheaply made (but still expensive!). I do think part of that too is that when Americans visit here they're visiting very touristy areas (read rich neighborhoods) so those Brazilians have a high disposable income and will certainly look more dressed up to our American eyes. If anything the Brazilians in those neighborhoods are going to be quite a bit richer (compared to the average Brazilian) than the visiting Americans, so it would be like comparing a middle-class American's investment in clothing and beauty to a rich American's investment in clothing and beauty.

Yes, I agree about the cheap junk food. Well, except for those amazingly delicious Lindt bars, sigh... but here you see junk food more often. They have quite a few convenience stores around that just sell prepacked junk food and they're always busy. I'm fairly surprised by this because that food is expensive compared to the fruits/veggies!

Personally, I'd love to see that documentary! It's been quite a switch to visit these different countries and since I've yo-yoed so much over the years I've visited them at a number of different weights too.

As for the Germans and diets... same here. But I have heard Germans of all sizes comment on their food choices in regards to health as in "I don't eat XYZ because it has too many preservatives" or "I try not to eat too much sugar" etc. Also, most Germans I know do at least some sort of exercise on a consistent basis.

I am Asian (born in the US) and I have to agree with this 100%. I was 110 before my first pregnancy and I was called fat by my entire generation. I was a fat a$$ (excuse my language) at 140 after my pregnancy. My family kept saying I need to stop eating my son's food and anything they could possibly think of to make me feel horrible about my weight. I felt like I was in hellwhen I went to Vietnam and China. I know what it's like to be the "big" girl.

The same goes for Guyana, South America and East Indian. Being thin and fair skin is VERY IMPORTANT. Growing up in this type of culture especially overweight can really scar you emotionally for life. My mother is a size 12 which is her highest she's ever been. Now that I'm in the same size as her she's freaking out. She always prided herself that she was under 90lbs (yup she was 85lbs) when she got married....In our culture if your dark and fat your ugly AND they have no problems telling you that!

When I was a size 5 I went to Guyana with my sister (who was a size 0) at the time. I'm much lighter than my sister and people we didn't even know (like my dad's friend) would say right out your much prettier then your sister, she's too dark, right in front of her! However when I gained the weight they also have no problem saying "your way too FAT!" "Hey FAT Gyal, whatcha eatin'" It's sooooo rude and upsetting, I can't go there while I'm overweight.

Inside me, in my area of the USA the older Indian ladies are ALL overweight.
Not to an extreme, just chubby. And they dress so nice in their native dress.
I wonder if people are rude to these elderly ladies when they visit India.

Food is cheap here in the USA, and we have a great variety all year long, so I guess that is why they become overweight.

I have friends whose parents went through the war years in the USA who pushed their children to clean their plates. Some of the kids were thin, but some were overweight and remain overweight to this day. Some of my neighbors came to this country straight from the European refugee camps, where food was basic and scarce. They really packed on the pounds here.

There was a shortage of food in the USA during the war because we were shipping tons of food to England. And half of the ships were sunk by U-boats.
We had rationing because half of our crops were being shipped abroad to feed our troops and the Brits. Most foods were difficult to get here and in England. Food rationing remained in effect in England for several years after the war was over. Recovery took a long time.

So people in both countries really focused in on the importance of not "wasting food." The governments published ads telling the people not to waste a crumb.
So some kids learned bad eating habits, which they have passed on to their children. I have neighbors that have large tins of homemade cookies on hand all the time, just because the ingredients were not available in wartime. And it is 60 years past the war now.

But food is plentiful and cheap here in relation to our incomes now.
So that's another reason why we become obese.

May your stuffing be tasty
And your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
Your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner
stay off of your thighs!
--Unknown--

I live in the US, and I cannot tell you how many times this has happened to me. I am overweight (size 22 to 24), but I do not spill onto other seats, I simply take up all of mine. No on will ever sit near me, as if I look like some kind of creep. On air planes, people move away from me as quickly as possible. When I was in high school (at size 18), my bus stop was the very last one on the route, so the bus was always packed. I always took the first available seat and had to squeeze in with two other people on a seat made only for two normal people period. Every single day I was laughed at and every single day people looked at me in terror when I tried to sit next to them. It was one of the most hurtful things I've experienced and I remember it any time I am sitting in public.