To Be Thin In Japan

[Xanaphia]

Just out of curiosity, what is the average weight of a Japanese teen now?
I mean, they are really thin, but how much does it compare to the rest of the world?

[bELyVIS]

Originally Posted by Barone1551

Yes the portions are smaller, but the food is still radically different than what they are used to. And this could cause sudden weight gain. Fast food will affect them. Just how much is the question. We will see in 10 to 20 years.

Have you seen "The Mega Mac"? It's a double Big Mac. Those McDonald portions are the same if not bigger.

[Barone1551]

They are definitely not bigger by any means. Most of the portions are smaller. Maybe one thing is bigger. And one thing is for certain the pop sizes and drink sizes are drastically smaller. And pop is one of the major problems.

[lself]

Yeah, the french fries packets are at least half the size. The hamburgers seemed smaller to me too.

[Xanaphia]

Wait, so if the portions are so much smaller, how many calories do you think are consumed on an average daily basis? At least compared to ours.

[lself]

This was the data I found for average weight and height. anyone know what it is in pounds?
The Average Height of 16 year-olds in 2002
Japanese Men 169.9cm / Japanese Women 157.7cm

The Average Weight of 16 year-olds in 2002
Japanese Men 61.9kg / Japanese Women 53.3kg

I also read this crazy article that said Japanese research shows that teens who skip breakfast in the morning are more likely to have sex at an earlier age!

[MMM]

Originally Posted by bELyVIS

Have you seen "The Mega Mac"? It's a double Big Mac. Those McDonald portions are the same if not bigger.

Not only did they introduce the Quarter Pounder in Japan, but the Double Quarter Pounder was the sponsoring burger of the World Baseball Classic

[xYinniex]

thought this might be interesting, an article about japan's slimming obsession. [only the female pov featured]

-shit 150cm and 77kg? DAMN thats unhealthy. I'm 150cm. >.<

I wrote about dieting in Japan before and after noticing how obsessed we Japanese women are with dieting I have continued to do my research in recent weeks. I have some very interesting and revealing findings about the trends in weight loss and dieting in Japan.
The fitness boom is becoming a "lifestyle" in Japan. Some stores that sell clothing for young women have introduced smaller sizes for their slim customers since the number of such women is steadily growing in Japan. Popular diet pills sold at stores are beginning to be cheaper. Have you ever heard of BMI or Body Mass Index – the hottest term right now that is as talked about as the body weight or height or age or ‘san-saizu’ for women in Japan. You take your weight in kilograms, divide it by your height in meters, and then divide it again by your height. Doctors say the healthiest number for BMI is around 22. BMI rates of 18 and under are said to indicate "underweight" or "anorexic" conditions. The average BMI of the Japanese women is around 16 to 20, which makes them really slim compared to women in other parts of the world. What is shocking in Japan is that we are so obsessed with slim bodies that even if Japanese women are medically underweight, many of them will try to go on a diet. So if you look at the Japanese magazines showing a diet method, a lot of the cases cited seem to show girls that do not appear to be obese at all. In fact some people might even be tempted to suggest to these women to just take it easy and have some fun.

Photo of a girl measuring her waistA woman in an advertisement about diet pills said that her height is 158cm (about 5'3). She used to weigh 53 kg (about 116 lbs) before she took the pills, but the pills have made her lose weight and now she is only 44 kg (about 96 lbs). That means her BMI is 17.6, which is clearly a medical condition. Most young Japanese women admire foreign supermodels and celebrities and their style. Women who have watched "Ally McBeal" (it's on TV here in Japan too) say that Calista Flockhart is so cute and really pretty. Others say that Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell are pretty. The common theme here is that bone-skinny women are considered role models by Japanese women these days. (Related: Slimming jeans)

Unexpected problems for slim women

The slimming craze, however, is not without its problems. Japanese companies have already introduced new lines for extra-slim women, but many young women say that when they travel to Western countries, it's hard to find their size because all the sizes are too big for them. Now as you might have guessed, we are obsessed with shopping and even more so, when we travel overseas where the prices are lower than Japan. Thus, we are disappointed whenever we travel. Here's my case. When I was traveling in the US, I met a friend who I hadn't seen for a long while. She said to me when we were shopping, "You're the skinniest person I've ever seen!" Also, when I was at the shopping mall, I went to a store that sells jeans. I found a pair of flared jeans, but it was a size 1. I tried it on, but it was too big for me. I asked the salesclerk if they had a smaller size. She said the smallest size they have is size 0. It fitted me, so I bought it. I went to an Old Navy store too. I found a nice pair of jeans, but the smallest size they had in that design was size 2. I went to the kid's area and found a pair of flared jeans that were kid's size 12. I tried on both a size 10 and size 12 for kids and believe it or not, I actually could wear a size 10 for kids, but it would shrink when I wash it, so I bought a size 12 for kids. I'm quite short for an Asian-American female - only 150 cm tall (about 5 feet tall). My weight used to be 38 kg (about 84 lbs). Now I'm 36 kg (about 79 lbs). My goal is to be 35 kg (about 77 lbs). My BMI is therefore 16 and technically I should not be this skinny – and maybe should even visit a doctor or the nearest fast food restaurant. Of course, don't forget, my height is only 150 cm so I better be skinny!

[nomvegannom]

i think that a person has a right to their own body and should do what they please with it.

[beepblue]

Originally Posted by Gerard

I don't care if girls through food up or whatever after they ate... if it makes them look better then they should do it
but if it dosn't make them look better... well then.. Nevermind'

i know.. that's not what a doctor would say.. well im not a doctor.

Eating disorders are never positive. People should not be so obsessed with outer appearance that they would starve or poison themselves. It's disgusting that society would drive people to that. If people are unhappy with their lives, they should seek help; not commit suicide. Similarly, if people are unhappy with their appearance, they shouldn't do harmful things to their body to change it.