Do You All Eat Yourselves Silly In Europe?
 

I have been on a very low-cal diet to prepare myself for a trip to the south of France and Italy this Fall. I haven't been to Europe since I have lost my high metabolism. Now I am getting afraid, like a lion being let out of a cage, I will eat everything in sight, well, maybe every dessert in sight. Does this happen to any of you? How do you stay on a reasonable diet? <BR>This is not a fat person troll by the way.

Hi Lane, I had the same worries when I recently went on my trip. Just try to balance protein, carbs and starches and substitute what you usually eat: such as croissant for bread and fat, pasta for rice, etc. It should all even out because you will probably do alot of walking.

Just remember everything in moderation should be a way of life.

Lane<BR><BR>Not to worry, you will walk so much, climb so much, do so much that you can eat at will and burn it all off. Enjoy.

I agree with Sue I normally get rid of a few pounds while I'm on vacation in Europe, it's the walking you do during the sightseeing. Remember you don't have that car to jump into everytime, so you must walk. You're on vacation enjoy every part of it that includes the various foods. I always try to loose a few pounds before I leave so I can eat what I want.

I'm not so certain you must remain on your diet. If your holiday is for two weeks or less and, very important, you know you must resume you schedule/routine after holiday then I don't see any harm in splurging. It's a vacation -- enjoy it to the fullest.<BR>As a corollary, I have friends who never smoke except for the time they are on holiday. End of holiday, end of smoking.

I eat more things that I don't usually eat,but I also don't eat breakfast in Paris,other than a great cup of coffee and with all of the walking and no in- between eating,I always come home thinner.This is one of the arguments that I use when trying to convince my husband that we should live in Paris;)

I doubt anyone eats themselves silly, remembering how pricy a good meal can cost. But part of the delight of travel is to taste the food, drink, of the area you are visiting. The cheese, wine, how amazingly different the taste from what you thought was the same product at home! like a bank account<BR>what you take out on your trip in Europe<BR>(calories) you will deduct when you get home. Enjoy, nothing like a good meal with fresh ingredients.

I have ,on occasion, been known to drink myself silly in Paris:)

I had lost some weight prior to my trip to Rome and returned from Rome a couple of pounds lighter. I didn't have "skim" cappucino in the morning, I ate gelato twice & tiramisu once and had a few really splendid meals. But I walked off a lot, I know, and actually the first couple of days there, I was too excited to really eat very much at all. (I know, what a goofball!)<BR><BR>BC

Not to bring anyone down, but the more sedentary you are, and the higher your percentage of body fat is, the more effective the walking is going to be. In other words, if you're already relative lean and active, walking will not make as much of a difference as it will to a couch potato. It seems unfair to those who make the effort to stay in shape all year round, but that's the way it is.

Hmmn, Jenny, I must report at least my own anecdotal evidence to the contrary. At home I bike every day, and I am not overweight. But I lose weight on vacation, regardless. I confess that climbing church steeples isn't part of my regular fitness regimen. :-)

Yep-me too-I am not overweight, and still lose weight when traveling.<BR>

No, but I make sure that I GET EATEN silly!

Any increase (temporary or otherwise) in your lean muscle mass increases your metabolism proportionately, Jen. So while a fat, sedentary person sitting watching TV every night might only burn 50 calories an hour doing that activity, a thinner person with more muscle mass doing exactly the same thing might burn more like 75 calories an hour.<BR><BR>Check out www.peternielsen.com for more info on huamn kinetics & physiology.<BR><BR>BC

Any increase (temporary or otherwise) in your lean muscle mass increases your metabolism proportionately, Jen. So while a fat, sedentary person sitting watching TV every night might only burn 50 calories an hour doing that activity, a thinner person with more muscle mass doing exactly the same thing might burn more like 75 calories an hour.<BR><BR>Check out www.peternielsen.com for more info on kinetics & physiology.<BR><BR>BC

I do eat much more in Europe than at home. I figure that I might as well do as much as I can in all departments. e.g. at home I rarely eat breakfast and have a light lunch. On vacation anything goes. However, I never gain weight because we walk so much. If somethings a mile away, its a mile of sight to see on the way.<BR><BR>

I eat a lot more on vacation than I do at home yet usually drop several pounds due to being out and about all day. Sometimes it helps if I watch what I eat for the first few days and then enjoy myself and have whatever I want. Even if I gain a pound or two, it's not so hard to drop it once home.

Be aware of when you feel full and then put your fork down. It's about slowing down mentally and not feeling the need to shovel it all in. <BR><BR>Realizing that you don't have to try and "see it all" ( because you can't no matter how hard you try ). And even you can't return - savor a few sights instead of grabing all you can ( which seems to be an American attitude )

It has no meaning what you eat during a couple of weeks holiday. What you eat in your everyday life is what counts.