Weight Gain and Europe

During my Sr year abroad in high school I lose 40 lbs (I was chubby to begin with) without trying. I just ate what my host parents fed me and walked everywhere because it was the only way.

I didn't gain or lose freshman year of college. Then I went to Scandinavia for a few weeks and spend a month on a Norwegian dairy farm where we ate mostly venison, bread, strawberry jam, cheese, milk and chocolate. However, thanks to the farm work, I gained about 5 lbs of pure muscle. Then I headed down to Spain for a few months and lost a little fat weight and leaned out a bit.

I lose weight in Spain every time, and if I am there for a month or more I can count on at least 6 lbs gone without trying. I didn't gain in Italy this summer despite 10 days of extravagant meals with my mom (probably because I was running on hyper and walking/running everywhere), nor did I gain in Paris with my cousin. Oddly enough, I gained in Morocco where the activities include sluggishly walking around under a beating hot sun, eating cous cous and veggies, then some sweets, then drinking really sweet tea. It was all sugar all the time.

As I am not a huge drinker, I don't gain alcohol weight, but I have been known to show my chocolate consumption around the middle if I am not careful. Darn that nutella!

Strangely enough, every single time I have returned from Europe, whether I stayed five days or four months, I have either (a) lost weight, or (b) maintained weight but lost significant inches. I always eat what I want when I'm traveling, as I consider it gastronomic touristry and essential to my experience, but I think I am so much more active when I'm on the road that it balances out. It may also be that European portion sizes are much more modest and there is much less emphasis on snack food.

Just so you know the extreme to which caused me to gain 15 pounds in 9 weeks, I would say on average I would drink 2 liters of beer a day, plus 1.5 liters of "wine and coke" (ah, the memories). Our food except dinner was included in our program and we generally ate pork and noodles and tons of bread. No walking in the world probably will burn off the 4500 calories a day I estimate I was taking in!

Live and learn I suppose... another interesting thing was the guys in CR seemed to like the girls in our group a lot, even though some were quite heavy. I think they liked our larger breasts... I am 5 foot 2 average weight but a 34C and that was like a miracle to them. Despite my weight gain and the fact beautiful Czech girls were everywhere I got hit on all the time. I suppose they were enabling my naughty ways! I did meet and get romanced by one of the most beautiful men on the planet there but decided not to contact him this trip as my new b/f will be there

I always lost weight on european trips - the average is about 5 lbs for a 2-week trip. And this is despsite eating and drinking substantially more than at home.

It's just the constant walking - it really wears the pounds away - much better than an hour at the gym.

We walk so much that I've never gained weight on any of our Europe trips (4 in all), despite doing my best to get in those 10,000 calories per day!

My problem is I keep up the eating when I get back, so that I usually gain about 10 pounds in the month after my trip!

Lizzy- I'm going to CR in September - maybe I'll get some attention there. I'm of medium weight with larger than average chest. I feel like I'm pretty much invisible here at home (except to married men, whom I avoid like the plague) so it would be nice to have some male attention. (Although you were/are probably young and cute and I'm in my early 40s. Cute - well that's subjective. )

I will say that a lot of the girls that got hit on were NOT CUTE at all. They were quite heavy, tons of make-up, but they did have large boobs. So even if you are a little older I don't think that is a problem. We would joke about our big boobs making the rest of us not matter. Of course these guys didn't want to marry us or anything, but it was fun to have some Euro flings! And my guy kept in touch with me for quite some time, and he seriously was male-modelesque (never dated that caliber or looks in the States)

Tom's Theory of Italian Vacation Weight Relativity

Pasta + Vino - Stairs + Limoncello - Hill Town Walking + Gelato - Even More Stairs + A Lot More Vino = No Weight Differential.

Although the variables differ from country to country, I always end up with the same conclusion.

Everytime I've gone to Europe, I've lost weight too. I think it's all the walking during my waking hours, something I don't have a chance to do with my desk job. Bah!

This is true even when I'm on a cruise in Europe. As I need to lose a little weight, I think I need to go to Europe more often!

I'm jealous! The only time I ever lost weight in Europe was in Scandinavia (didn't love the food there). Everywhere else, I either maintain my weight or gain about a pound a week.

One of the many treats of going to Europe for me has been weight loss. Especially because when we are on holiday, I never think about eating, I eat whatever I want. with plenty of cheese courses and chocolate
And the weight loss is usually 3-5 lbs for 2 weeks.

Whenever we travel to Europe, we return with our clothing way roomier for all the walking. (And, my tummy disappeared on a recent week-long trip to Savannah...).

Some years ago, my assistant showed me photos of a six-week trip she and two friends enjoyed in Italy. She told me they ate themselves silly everywhere they went, and they were skinnier and skinnier in the photos...

I always lose weight too--about 2 to 3 lbs a week!!

It's insane, because I thought I work out a lot here..I usually work out about 10-15 hours a week. But walking does wonders...it must, considering I tend to eat ice cream and pastries every day and a whole bottle of wine every night (i'm so ashamed, lol)...

Europe is a weight loss program for me. I'm only 5'3" and 112 lbs to begin with, and I have to really work hard to maintain my weight when in Europe because I am active all day long...not uncommon for me to walk 12 miles a day. I can eat like a horse...and do...sandwiches with ham and butter, tartines in the morning, buttery croissants, chocolates, pommes de terre gratinées...I eat everything and anything I want...and still I don't gain weight...BUT, I'm 54 and when I was 35 if I'd done the same thing I think I would be in big trouble. I think my body's just settled at its "comfortable" weight and no matter what I do, it's going to stay that way. I do love the way I feel very fit after a trip to Europe, though, spending every day outdoors in the sunshine moving about all day long....don't have that luxury back home here in work-driven America...

On a brief visit to Europe, I'd expect most people to lose weight, simply because there's a lot of activity in short visits and there isn't much time to eat.

On my first trip to Paris, I lost a pound a day. I found that hard to believe until I actually did the calculations and discovered that I was indeed burning a pound of fat per day.

During longer stays (such as expat assignments), there's no guarantee of weight loss, although a weight change in one direction or the other is entirely possible, due to the change in lifestyle.

One significant factor that wasn't mentioned is that European food isn't "posioned" with High Fructose Corn Syrup.

I know quite a few Americans who have lost significant amounts of weight just by completely eliminating HFCS from their diets.

My first time in Europe I lost 18 pounds in three weeks and then maintained the loss by continuing the walking habits after returning. My daughter and I walked for at least an hour three times or more per week and managed to not put the weight back on until she went to college last fall and the holiday eating caught up with me. We walked everywhere, day and night but I also think the lack of snack food being around helped as well. We ate gelato in Italy and pastries in France, drank beer in Germany, wine in every country, and ate ravenously at dinner. I didn't eat much in the way of snacks during the day and didn't usually have anything sitting around the hotel room at night. On top of it, I had just quit smoking and most people gain weight then due to sublimating their oral habit. I am hoping to lose 15 pounds and keep it off this summer on a 29 day trip through several countries and regular use of neighborhood walks and a treadmill at home. I know it can be done.

Baldworth

"During longer stays (such as expat assignments), there's no guarantee of weight loss, although a weight change in one direction or the other is entirely possible, due to the change in lifestyle."

On my trips here (Paris), I could always count on a 6-lb loss on a 10-day trip. When I moved here in September, I thought it couldn't possibly continue in the long term. On visits, I walked everywhere. My schedule now is such that I am usually taking the Metro, and when I get where I am going, I sit (at least 5 hours a day). I eat all sorts of things I never ate in the States, so I expected the pounds to start piling on.

Now that spring is here, I have nothing to wear! Most of the clothes I brought with me are hanging on me. I have no idea how much I weigh (no scale), but it's obvious that I've lost.

I think part of it is the attitude towards food here.

Things I rarely see: People eating on the street (except around a crepe stand); people eating in their cars (never); snacking between meals. Most of the junk food I see in the grocery stores seems to come from Frito-Lay.

Things I do see: People in restaurants, taking the time to really enjoy a meal, and taking advantage of the time to have long conversations with their dinner partner.

I think, also, that there are fewer additives in the food. I hear numerous stories of people who come to France or Italy, deciding they'll eat whatever they want, and coming home thinner. The inverse is the number of Europeans who go to the States and come back heavier.

Just a few thoughts. I'm sure everyone has theories on the subject.

On additives in food; what is it with Americans and food colouring? I'm just back from a trip to Florida and I can't believe the colours of some of the foods and drinks. Bright blue frozen drinks, fruit loops, weird coloured icing on cakes. I'm sure that sort of thing would not sell here (I live in Belgium). Do you think the additives in food contribute to the obesity problem?

Another difference between the way Europeans and Americans eat is portion sizes, and snacking in between meals. People seem to be eating something all the time there.

Certain additives and food coloring are known to cause behavioral/psychological problems, especially in children.

It's the HFCS that is probably a leading contributor to the obesity problem. It's in almost everything in the US! The partially-hydrogenated fats don't make things any better either...

Tulips -

Or the green apple martini - neon green, sticky sweet, and maraschino cherries!

There is no snacking between meals, it's just one day-long meal. In many offices, people have one door in their desks stockpiled with food. It looks like they're ready for a disaster.

Or worse... in my office, there is a central 'table' that people bring food in and leave there all the time -- bagels some mornings, or doughnuts, chips, pretzels, cake, or whatever. Of course, it's directly in my line of sight as I sit at my desk, so every time I look up, there it is!

I usually lose a couple pounds on vacation with all the walking. I try to eat native, and not excessively (though I do consider any trip to Europe as a gastro vacation as well!)

Nothing drastic, yet, but I'm always hoping. I sure would love to lose 20 pounds on a vacation! (I'm very overweight)

My friend's 16 yo daughter spent several months in Paris last year as an exchange student. She lived with a woman in an apartment in the 6th with several other students.

She said that other than meals, there was essentially no snacking in between. There was very little food stockpiled in the house - refrigerator had only drinks and a few essentials for meals. Totally different from the way many of us stock up each week and pack our shelves and freezers to the gills.

I do think all of the additives here in our "processed" foods leads to health issues. Food coloring in the meat is one that scares me. Like the book, "Fast Food Nation", you get sort of freaked out when you learn about whats in our food.

I also maintain or lose a few pounds in Europe. All the walking ...and maybe less stress..

Princess of Penguins, I agree with you! I have friends who moved here from Europe, who are more active here than they were there, and they have gained weight here. They said the food tasted too sweet for them when they first arrived, even things like lunch meat. I try not to eat too much processed food, but you wonder what's in our meat etc, that we can't avoid.

I agree a problem with food here is additives, etc. I remember going to my first dorm breakfast in Prague and being intrigued by the "giant" grapes. Honestly, I hadn't seen a grape with seeds in it since I was 4! The crunching into the seed was a rude awakening genetically modified our food is... but I still love seedless grapes.

It is hard in the USA to eat tasty, healthy, non modified food unless you have a lot of time to devote to it or money for help. However, I will still try my best or possibly move to Europe since you all have assured me that is the way to stay slim

I never gain or lose on vacations, I usually come home the exact same weight I left.

I noticed right away that there simply isn't the enormous selection of empty-calorie junk food in Europe as there is here in the U.S. Our snack food is our downfall, in my opinion. Plus, they seem to serve portions that make sense. Go to any "trendy" Italian restuarant here, and you get your spaghetti served in a dish the size of a hubcap. There's no such think as an 8 oz filet anymore, and a even a lunch salad is entire head of lettuce. It's ridiculous.

I gained nearly 8 pounds on my bike tour of Tuscany last May. I attribute it to not eating healthy like I do at home (completely throwing caution and common sense to the wind) and also eating a lot out of the support van along the route that was high carb. I also took the liberty of extra gelato, etc. because of course, I was on the bike all day, so it has to even out, right?

The tragic post-script is that I have lost all but the last pound from that trip, only to leave in 2 weeks for Paris and Venice. On foot this time, but with the same temptation to over-indulge!

Ohhh St. Cirq how lucky you are! In just the past year I've noticed that all of the sudden exercise alone isn't enough to allow me to eat whatever I want and maintain my weight. I've always been in the sz 4 range and all of the sudden all of my pants were snug. I switched to a strictly organic diet and cut waaay back on my red meat and that has worked really well since I actually dropped a clothing size, but I am really curious as to what is going to happen on our upcoming 2 week trip since I cannot prevent myself from devouring mass quantities of pizza and gelato

I usually lose a few pounds with all the walking..I don't watch my diet when travelling abroad (If I'm at a nice restaurant I will certainly get dessert!), but I just don't snack because I'm usually too busy doing whatever it is I'm doing over there.

Certain additives and food coloring are known to cause behavioral/psychological problems,

Maybe they should do a Poll and see how colorful the food is that Fodorites eat/drink LOL

PrincessofPenguins: Your response prompts me to write. I read sometime this year on ABC.com (I believe) website that a study had been done with fructose. The mice who ate fructose held onto more weight than the mice who received no fructose. These mice all had the same caloric intake, the same exercise routine etc, but the fructose mice were decidedly fatter. This may be one reason why even diet soda is never recommended when trying to loose weight. Another reason would be that the sweetner used in diet sodas is SO sweet that it actually causes the body to crave more sugar. Therefore, people are more likely to grab a few cookies or whatever to satisfy the craving for sweets.

Lizzy911: In my 4 trips to Italy I have never gained or lost weight. (I'm 5'5 1/2" and used to hover between 125-128 pounds) Eating mass quantities of pizza, pasta and beer never caused me to gain weight because of the miles I'd walk. I'd climb to the top of every bell tower I could, and I'm convinced that helped me maintain my weight.

Lizzy, you ask for tips. I'd love to share the following with you. A couple of years ago I tipped 132 and couldn't get back down to 125. I started eating the "Zone Diet" way with organic food and everything changed in 2 months. I lost 12 pounds. I added walking 4 or 5 days a week to my twice a week Pilates classes and lost 3 more pounds. I'm down to 117 and have maintained it for 2 years!

The main keys to weight control IMHO is:

A. Avoiding all food that has any kind of preservative or additive. (Do you really think our bodies were made to process chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, artificial colorings, preservatives, etc. that is added to foods that come in most packages?)

B. Portion control. (I used to go to a Mexican restaurant and gorge on chips and salsa THEN eat an enchilada and a taco and rice and beans!-You can not stay trim eating that much food at one sitting. Now, when eating out at every lunch or dinner, I eat exactly half of my meal and take the rest home)

C. I slow down and chew each bite until it becomes like water. (Your stomach does not have teeth. You can start breaking down and processing the food with the enzymes that are in your saliva.)

I dig it that I have had control over my weight for 2 years. I no longer need to eat everything the perfect "Zone" way, but I always eat organic when at home and I no longer eat the garbage like Doritos and Oreos, etc, that I used to eat.

The reward is a size 2 pant and a hard body. At 48 years old, I look forward to my 50's.

Have a great time in Europe Lizzy. I think smaller portions and lots of walking will prove to be the best method for you.

I always gain weight while away....I thought that the amount of walking, etc would burn the calories, but unfortunately, my rate of exercise at home is much more vigorous. Three hours of walking while sightseeing doesn't compare to 2 hours of running at home. I just think of the weight gain as part of my trip--memories and pounds to have at home. Then I run faster and longer when I get home!

I am quite interested in PrincessOfPenquins comment about HFCS and also Wantagig's.

Several years ago I became very allergic to any kind of corn product I have not touched any food with any type of corn since (otherwise it is a trip to the ER).

Over the years it is almost impossible to buy any prepared food that does not have HFCS. Even so called "diet foods".
And yes diet sodas have HFCS also. The problem is that different words are used on different products so unless one goes to a good website to find out all the various word most people have no idea of how much HFCS they are ingesting per day. And if not HFCS than other various corn products.

The bad news, I can no longer eat yummy corn on the cob. The good news is that due to the way I now eat I can eat as much as I need without gaining weight.

I am sure all of the other "junk" in our foods is not helping people trying to lose of just maintain their currect weight.

BTW, I have a lovely/friend neighbor who has been trying to lose around 10 to 15 pounds for years. She finally listened to me about HFCS. In fact she likes me to go grocery shopping with her so I can help her with her food shopping.

Wow does she look fantastic now! After just a month of avoiding HFCS.

The website I used is www.cornallergens.com. I printed out all the products that have corn of some kind or another..it is 3 1/4 letter size, single spaced, long.

I so enjoy eating in Italy where for me it is so much easier to eat. And up to the last time I was there even Coke (bottled in Germany I believe) had sugar versus HFCS. I will be curious when I return if that is still true.

"Three hours of walking while sightseeing doesn't compare to 2 hours of running at home."

Of course not. But 4-5 hours compares.

Oh man, Lizzy, does your post bring back memories! My first "solo" trip to Europe (no parents) was a month in France the summer after I graduated high school - I gained the "freshman 15" (lbs) long before I arrived at college... I am convinced it's because I didn't know enough of the language! I stayed with a family who served the most delicious multi-course meals I'd ever tasted. While they were chatting and leisurely consuming their meal, I'd be scarfing down everything in front of me - of course mopping up any remaining sauce with bread! Someone would notice my clean plate and insist I have seconds, or thirds... I think too, because I was staying with a family, I didn't do the degree of walking that I do now on vacations.

At any rate, it sure was a wake-up call! I went back to Paris studying abroad for my junior year of college and didn't gain (or lose) any weight. Chalk it up to taking classes all over the city and living on a student's budget (lots of sandwichs jambons and crepes fromages, but that would be it for most of the day), plus feeling like an ungainly American in a sea of skinny French!

Now when I visit, I don't gain or lose any weight. I think with my metabolism, I'd have to forego more of that yummy French food than I am willing to part with - after all, I'm on vacation!

Wantagig, you are my hero. I wish I could have your discipline.

I have struggled all my life with my weight. At 16, I weighed 297 pounds and lost and gained 100 or so multiple times on various fad - with doctor supervision and without - diets.

I was an exchange student in Austria and 18 pounds of that all time high was directly related to beer and bread, cheap for a student and filling.

At 25 I took control of my life. I started running daily (could only do half a block in the beginning) elimimated all preservatives from my diet, and adopted a low fat approach to eating. I never "dieted" again, but have maintained this lifestyle for 24 years. It took me almost 2 years to get to 147 lbs and I have stayed within spittin' distance of that weight ever since. I turned 50 last week. While I would love to be ten pounds thinner, it just is not going to happen! I run daily, lift weights 3x week, do yoga and am generally active. My health is perfect.

I travel often and, even in Italy where I ADORE the food, I do not generally gain weight. I take my morning run most days while there, unless I am in a place that does not feel quite safe to me, but that is rare. I also find gyms whereever I go and keep up my 3-4 days a week weight lifting routine.

Add that to the additional walking I do and I am good for the trip! I often stay at places out of the city center so that I am forced to walk even more than I normally would to get to where I want to go.

I eat three meals a day, am not a snacker and stick to mostly lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and veggies. In Italy, I will indulge in pastas and risottos and will allow myself one gelato per trip, period.

As I get older, it gets harder and harder but I am going to stick with it. It was too hard to get here but I have learned to splurge occasionally along the way.

kfusto, good for you! And LoveItaly, thanks for that link.

I am really impressed by all of you guys! I am still relatively young, no kids, etc and don't have the discipline you all do, although I try my best.

I appreciate all your tips and antecdotes... and it all really makes me excited for the food/lifestyle/wine awaiting me on May 22!