I know--you'll think I'm crazy, but I just lost 15 lb. through Weight Watchers in preparation for my trip to Italy next month..and I'm afraid I'll gain half of it back eating pasta and gelato! Any suggestions? Do you think walking around all day for a week will cancel out my pasta splurges?<BR>

I think the walking will definitely help. Also, you'll find that the portions you'll be given at restaurants are reasonable, so the only way you'll splurge is if you order a lot of food. So long as you don't overdo it, you should be fine.

Dieter: I'm concerned about the exact same thing -- I actually just got off the WW community board re: that topic! I lost 11 lbs recently, another 10 or so to go -- and I leave for Italy tomorrow. Of course, I've been thinking about the food there a LOT -- but I think as long as I make decent choices (limit gelato to once a day... not too much pasta in cream sauce, which I'm not that big on anyway)... should be fine. I'm doing a 5-day bike tour in Tuscany, later doing some hiking in Cinque Terre, hoping that will level things out a bit. <BR><BR>Who knows -- maybe we'll even lose more weight over there! Feel free to e-mail me directly if you have any other questions or concerns. I'm returning Memorial day, will be happy to post details. <BR>Buon viaggio e buon appetito!

Also drink lots of water and watch the snacks and desserts.

In Italy for 2 wks. last May, and my husband lost 8lbs., I, around 4. Walking from morning 'til nite helps. Also, we had pasta for dinner many evenings as our main course, not as the Italians do; for them it is the "primo", to be followed by meat, etc. The portions were just the right size for us. Some may say that we missed out by doing this, but it suited us fine, and it was great to come home a bit thinner, as opposed to gaining the usual weight on trips. We ate in nice restaurants, too. Skipped desserts most nites, but had gelato in the afternoons. Have a wonderful time; the food is great!

I have been to Italy twice in the past year and lost weight both times! I walked A LOT! The portions are smaller (just the right size in my opinion). I would often order the Caprese salad and ravioli for my dinner...it was just the right amount of food. I also found myself drinking a lot of their yummy coffees, which tend to fill me up quite a bit...and then I wouldn't be hungry for the next meal. I hadn't intended on (or was even trying to) lose weight in Italy, but it happened both times!

You are visiting Italy when the culinary spotlight there is on produce, not pasta; you will find imaginative fresh vegetable dishes outweigh the rich<BR>cream pastas in restaurants and trattorias throughout the country this time of year. <BR><BR>There is also an accent on fresh simple meat dishes (lamb and chicken) and fish this time of year which, as has already been mentioned above, come in smaller portions than many North American restuarants would serve...Add your walking and you will maintain, if not lose weight...Buon appetito and happy travelling!

Dieter: Absolutely, you'll find that the amount of walking you do every day will cancel out the pasta & gelato. Been to Italy 4 times, NEVER gained any weight. In fact, usually find that I loose a pound or two. As Vita said, the restaurants in Italy don't "supersize" as is done in US. And although gelato doesn't qualify as diet food, but it does have less calories than American premium ice creams (Ben & Jerry's, Haagen Daz, for example). Gelato is milk based, not creamed based. <BR><BR>If you feel that just walking around isn't enough, then hit the stairs. Make it a point to go up to the cupola in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome --- take an elevator up to first level, that's up by statutes overlooking square, AND THEN you walk up 300-something steps to have a wonderful view of the city. If you'll be visiting Florence, then can take opportunity to hike up stairs of the bell tower (Campanile). Let's see --- if you'll be in Siena, well the trekking around the city itself can be a workout. Siena is very hilly. Lucca? A pleasant Tuscan town & one of the few that's flat. Even in Lucca, there's a tower to be climbed that'll give your glutes a workout. Positano? My favorite! Several days in Positano is like being on a non-stop stairmaster. This Amalfi coast town is built vertical, overlooking the bay. Cinque Terre? Major reason why visitor's go there is to explore the trails between each of the five towns. Now that I think of it, I can easily argue a case that a visit to Italy is great for weight loss. <BR>BUON VIAGGIO !

You can try melon and ham (prosciutto) as a starter - it is delicious and might help you resist pasta and go straight on to meat and vegtables!<BR>

Thanks for easing my mind. It was hard enough to lose those 15--don't want to blow it all in 10 days. We will be doing Rome for a few days so will take advantage of the climb in St. Peters. Also going to Cinque Terre for some hiking and to a few hill towns. We're renting a villa near Lucca, and plan to eat lunches out and cook dinner at the villa most of the time, using fresh veggies from the markets, so I guess I'll be okay... Will post an update on my weight LOSS when I return!

I have this feeling/intuition that mixing cultures is not a good idea. Each culture's parts and pieces sort of fit together like a jigsaw puzzle; trying to remove one or two pieces and substitute others makes a the picture a mess. In the U.S., a big breakfast fits with a small lunch, large dinner. In Europe, a small breakfast, a medium/large lunch and large/medium dinner fit together. If you try to do big breakfast, medium lunch, large dinner...well, you get the picture. Stick to your way, or change to their way - don't mix the patterns.<BR><BR>Your body also has a pattern - I've seen people who don't usually eat sweets scarf down pastries by the dozen and then blame the water when they feel lousy. <BR><BR>Weight Watchers was one of the first organizations to recommend life-long sensible eating (like, if you want a gelato, you don't need the GIANT one); I don't think you'll have any problem following their precepts in Italy.

I like travelling in other places. Eating delicious food in any restaurant their. It can helps me lost my weight by walking and exercising in other places their and I like mountain climbing in higher hills this can exercise my muscle and it helps maintain my everyday diet.

Others may dispute this, but I happen to think Italy is the food capital of the world. Italians, I think, would back me up on this. And really, whether or not you agree doesn’t change the fact that millions of people visit Italy every year to satisfy a hunger for more than just Renaissance art.

This thread is nearly 10 years old!

This is a post from 2002. If you want to stay slim in Italy, don't eat pasta. Carbs make you fat; it's that simple. Eat fresh vegetables, fruits in moderation, protein, and keep the sugary stuff like gelato (which everyone seems to go nuts over when in Italy, but is just a cream and sugar high) to a minimum. The fact that you are (or should be )walking miles every day should help with the weight issue. Have a caprese salad and some grilled octopus...eating well in Italy is a breeze. It doesn't have to be pasta.

Honestly, it's not any more difficult to stay slim traveling in Italy than at home or anywhere else. Calories in, calories out....keep moving.

Hey D,

Congratulations on losing 15 lb.

>I'm afraid I'll gain half of it back eating pasta and gelato! <

Then you will only have to lose 7.5 lbs.

Enjoy your visit.

That website pushes drugs, including ones banned in the US.

If you want to calculate your BMI etc, there are zillions of websites that have those height/weight charts, there is nothing special about that Italian drug website in that regard (and they are in English).