I would like to go to China, the land of my ancestors, without feeling like a freak. Seriously, if you think walking around South Beach in Miami is bad when you're on the pudgy side, imagine being on a crowded Shanghai street where 95% of the population are skinny. It's okay if you're not Asian, because they expect non-Asians to be "bigger". But all bets are off if you look like one of them, and you start getting random advice from fruit stall lady about what not to eat... it's quite unsettling. So next time I set foot in Shanghai, I would like to just blend in without getting singled out by well meaning but annoying grandmotherly types who feels compelled to tell you you're fat and need to lose weight.
I noticed most of my relatives in China are on the slim side while a number of my relatives in the U.S. all have problems controlling their weight. It's especially evident when you compare the immigrant parents and their U.S. born kids. The older generation prefer eating traditional Chinese food, which is usually a bowl of rice served with a couple accompanying dishes. Meat is usually diced or chopped and cooked with lots of vegetables. So an average piece of steak or pork chop for one is turned into a dish for a family. In an average meal, the ratio of rice to veggies to meat is something along the lines of 5:3:2. Dessert is not a part of a meal and hot tea (no milk or sugar) is the beverage of choice for most meals. Most foods are steamed, stir fried or slow cooked in soups. Fried things and sugary treats are usually only consumed during special occasions. Butter is a foreign novelty and most people wouldn't know what to do with it. Same goes for cheese. Now for us ABC (stands for American Born Chinese) kids, we have a much harder time following that diet. Most of us are fine in our childhood years, because you eat what your mom cooks. When I was a little kid, I used to get one Happy Meal a year, on my birthday as a special treat. It's not that my parents don't love me or can't afford it, but they just see it as a novelty rather than a regular food option. But once we get to college, it's American food 24/7 at dorm dining halls or those cheap student friendly eateries around campus. When we live on our own, we either don't know how to prepare most of the Chinese food or have time to do, so we eat what's readily available. Before we know it, we have doubled our clothing sizes (I was a size 6 before college, now have to do the one legged hopping dance to get into my size 12 jeans).
I visited my aunt a few summers ago and I marveled at how different their lifestyle is compared to the one I'm used to. A key difference is that my Chinese relatives don't drive or own a car. So your only options are walking, biking or taking public transportation, which involves a lot of walking as well. My aunt would go to the supermarket about every other day to shop for groceries. Because she has to walk about 7 blocks each way, she buys stuff in moderation so it can be comfortably carried back in shopping bags. Produce is usually purchased and consumed within a couple days due to small apartment refrigerators and storage spaces. I offered to carry the watermelon for her, and by the end of the third block, I was sweating profusely and my arms were screaming for mercy. It was a miracle that I walked about a mile and up five flights of stairs without dropping it. Heck, I probably burned more calories than I would consume from that darn melon. That gave me quite a bit of insight on how different our lives are. I wouldn't even blink at the thought of filling up my car trunk with Costco sized packages of food stuff. My aunt, on the other hand, has to feed a family of five with whatever she bring back from the store or market, on foot! Plus, no cars means no drive throughs, so a trip to McDonalds or KFC is an occasion in itself, rather than a quick option for dinner. My uncle bike to work, about 30 minutes each way, every day. Just by going to school, work, shopping, etc. they are already getting enough exercise without ever having to step foot in a gym. In fact, I don't think I saw any gyms the whole time I was there. I did notice every morning at the neighborhood park across the street, there are large groups of people exercising by doing group tai chi, various forms of martial arts, even a group of grandmotherly ladies kicking this feather topped thing back an forth, like a hacky sack. It was all very informal and open, anyone can just walk up and join the group. I gave it a try, but it's a lot harder than it looks, especially for the eye-foot coordination challenged people like me.
Oh wow, I have no idea I wrote this much stuff! Sorry if you're bored by my rambling, but I hope some of you find this stuff interesting.
Have a nice day!
Oh and it probably is corny but I would love to be a disney world can't post a pic cause I'm technology challenged
I'm making a leap and thinking it might have been me Dawn was referring to, so I thought I'd chime in. 
And I didn't get to 157 eating only veggies, either!
I think it's great that you went to WW on vacation! My weight goes up and down as I am more and less "strict" with my calories, and I am okay with that. I am still 75 pounds down from my heaviest, and 50 up from my lightest. All my doing in both directions, and I'm okay with it. If I weren't okay with it, I'd eat myself right back all the way up again from being mad at myself. Right now I'm on my way back down, but if I maintain or gain 1 or 2 pounds next week that will be okay too. I'll be at Disney! I'm more concerned with the fact that my foot still hurts more than I would like it to (I broke my toe last week).
I must say that you did give me something to think about and it totally makes sense. Sometimes it makes more sense to think of food/dieting in terms of something completely different to not focus on that one thing (my 2 best friends again). You are such a great inspiration to me, I love your logical approach to everything and the fact that you are a real person having real issues just like me and can understand and relate to our "slip ups". 
