It was bad enough when climbing the stairs to her fourth floor apartment left her heaving. But the embarrassment she suffered after family members had to help her tie her shoelaces because shecouldn't bend over prompted Cuomoq to buy diet pills and start working out every morning in a local park.

"This extra weight is so inconvenient," she said woefully.

Tibetans used to consider plumpness as a sign of living the good life, but obesity has now become a serious health problem on the "roof of the world."

According to a medical survey, the autonomous region's rate of heart disease stemming from surplus weight has climbed to 16 percent, ranking first in China's provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

Cen Weijun, a doctor with the People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region, said that the high rate of heart disease is theresult of the ethnic group's traditional diet of greasy food and lots of meat.

Statistics from the regional government show that Tibet's output volume of meat and milk reached 150,000 and 200,000 tons respectively last year, with an average consumption rate of 57 kilograms of meat and 78 kilograms of milk per person.

Cen said it is vital for the Tibetan people to break their former food habits and get more exercise to ward off weight-related illness.

Liu Qin, an aerobics instructor, said that many Tibetans have joined the worldwide fitness craze.

In July 1998, Liu came from inland area to open aerobics classes at a gym alongside the city's central square, which faces the famous Potala Palace.

"As soon as I started, hundreds of local people registered to receive fitness training programs, more and more are following," Liu said.

Tibetan women are also reported to be snapping up boxes of the many various brands of tea said to aid in weight-reduction.

And more people are opting for dinners of fruit and vegetables instead of meat and milk.

With a population of 130,000, the autonomous regional capital Lhasa has developed a total vegetable field area of 2,000 hectares. Last year, the field reported a yield of 66 million kilograms of vegetables.

At the same time, an abundance of vegetables produced in southwest China are transported to Tibet via air and train daily.

Even in the northern herding areas, Tibetans are becoming more diet-conscious. And at local markets there are now more vendors offruit and vegetables than meat sellers.

The latest statistics show that urban residents in Tibet annually spend an average of 557 yuan (US$ 67) on meat; 301 yuan (US$ 36) on vegetables; 275 yuan (US$ 33) on fruit; and 169 yuan (US$ 20) on milk.

(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2001)