whoa... the whole country is thin...

Traveling again. I’m in a skinny country. Seriously, people here are really slim. (It’s a developed nation; we’re not talking malnutrition.) On the street I keep thinking people are young until I see their wrinkly faces. It’s made me realize that where I am in the US – and I think in most of the country – it’s very rare to see a trim senior. Well, I want to be like these people when I grow up. They’re living proof that old≠fat and gaining weight as we age is certainly not fait accompli.

Things I’ve noticed:

1. Eating is a formal activity, done at a table with silverware and other people. You don’t snack between meals and you don’t eat while walking around. The meal ritual is very important. I think sharing the meal makes it more satisfying and social pressure to not have a fourth serving may help too.
2. Now that I think of it, drinking alcohol is ritualized here too. Almost everyone drinks but it’s generally done in a group, with much laughter, and even on nights out I haven’t seen anybody really drunk. (Speaking for my own circle of acquaintances. Not to say everything is perfect here and somebody is surely getting smashed somewhere in the country.)
3. Serving sizes are modest. Restaurant servings are so small compared to what I’m used to that when the plate arrives I wonder if I should order a second one. Sometimes I do, but usually I realize I’m full after the first plate.
4. Fresh fruit & vegetable stands are on every corner because most everyone picks up fresh groceries every day. These are then used for actual cooking, not just heating up processed things from boxes.
5. People walk. For miles. I get worn out trying to keep up with little old ladies; a quick errand of “just a few blocks” might mean 20 minutes there and 20 back. And this isn’t considered special exercise time, it’s just doing errands.
6. The dark side: social pressure to be thin is intense, especially for women, and size discrimination is common. I feel like I get a free pass for being American but if I lived here I would sort of be expected to get with the (thin) program to fit in.

I think it’s the social rituals around eating that help keep weight down. Maybe I need some of those rituals. Because it’ s not just about willpower. It’s about creating an environment where it’s easy to eat well and exercise as part of daily life.

P.S. I just looked up average BMI’s for women – in the country where I am now it is 24.4, the high end of normal. In the US it’s 28.1, in the overweight range and closer to obese than to normal.

(Body Mass Index: under 18 is underweight, 18-25 is normal, 25-30 is overweight, 30 or over is obese.)