Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

As a woman growing up in the US, I faced a constant pressure to be skinny. I used to think it was mostly an American phenomenon. When I told my girlfriends in the US that I was moving to China, one theme that seemed to come up the most was I would probably lose a lot of weight living in China.

I remember my best friend gushing about how lucky I was. She said I wouldn't even have to try because "everything they eat is healthy." This is something I believed as well, and it was one of the most exciting things about my move to Asia though I am not overweight.

American women believe that all Asian women are so lucky to be so thin. They have this idea that all Asian people eat are vegetables, tofu, and fish. I am embarrassed to say I shared this belief before moving to China.

During my first few months, I discovered that losing weight was not going to just happen.

I thought moving to China would shield me from American temptations and that I would only be able to get vegetables and tofu. While vegetables and tofu are widely available, I have found eating out to be a major struggle because all the "healthy" vegetables seem to be slathered in heavy oils. Chinese people seem to love oily and saucy foods. I spent my first few months gaining weight - even while eating vegetables.

I do feel healthier though. I walk a lot more in China. The subway connections seem to be forever apart. A night in the city can quickly put me over my daily walking goal.

But working out in Beijing is a challenge with the air pollution. I question my desire to be skinnier on days when the air is heavily polluted. I don't think the workout is worth it when I have to decide if I want to risk the health of my lungs, and I hate having that debate in my head.

Another thing I am noticing in my struggle to lose weight in China is the influence of Western foods around the city. McDonald's seems to be on every street corner in Beijing. Also, it seems to be perfectly acceptable for adults to walk around with ice cream cones here. In America, although I saw many more overweight people, I never noticed as many adults walking around eating ice cream.

I believe in the future, China may face more struggles with obesity, like Americans. For now, I remain jealous of the naturally tiny frames of Asian women. 

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.