OK let's take it from the top~~

Italianissima says how did I gain weight?

texasaggie makes a comment

Holly asks Italianissima did you just turn 50?

texasaggie says no i'll be 26

...can't you see you answered a question meant for the OP? no big deal but no need to jump all over my case about it.

Oh!!! I just looked back up at the top. Makes sense now. I am quite sorry for the tone of the original post - really, I did edit before I posted and my intended post was certainly not very similar to what actually posted.

whew... thankfully you finally get my point.

mostly i dont' like being being told to go research all the posts someone has made here before replying. personally i think that's kind of creepy, like stalking or something. i've been posting here for five years now, and just take each post at face value. you might consider doing the same.

but we still haven't helped poor Italianissima with her little problem. she's probably ready to catch the first boat back to Italy instead of listening to us bicker!

kindly, s.

I never gain weight when I travel. But I have noticed that European air makes my clothes shrink. It's quite a problem in France.

LOL
Perhaps we should just join her and have loads of unhealthy gelattos and drinks to re-cement our usually quite friendly Fodors relationship!

\
Just go back to whatever your daily routine is, and without the daily gelato, and a little careful eating, the 5 pounds can be gone in two weeks. Well worth it for an 8 week trip to Italy. Our bodies aren't programmed machines, sometimes they don't behave exactly as we expect. Don't worry about it.

i'll drink to that~ salute!

" The trick, of course, is to figure out how to eat 300 calories a day LESS. (Or how to burn 300 calories a day more.)"

How many posts on fodors do I need to type to burn 300 calories?

LOL Jocelyn ;-)

Or... how many calories do my day dreams about Italy burn?

Jocelyn, LOL! If that worked I'd have no problem being slim and trim! Maybe if we jog in place while we type...you think?

I'm off to yoga -- keeping up the good fight!

marilyn, you are on to something! yes, some kind of fodors fitness program.

A stationary bike under the computer desk?

So far, I haven't gained any weight on vacation but... I eat a lot of salads, veggies, fruit here at home... I can imagine that, in Italy, one would eat a much higher proportion of pasta, breads/pizza, meats, desserts, and far less salads, vegs, fruits...therefore, potential weight-gain.

I'm going to France for 3 weeks in September and am not worrying too much about gaining weight because I intend to walk a lot. That may not work in Paris, though, since from everything I read, the food is rich and the portions generous. Then there's the wine....

I want to buy a pedometer to see how many miles we walk each day in Paris. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good one? I may start a new thread on this if no one responds...

To Italianissima419: Here is the news: You had a bigger energy INTAKE than you could use by any exercise. In other words: You ate too much!

Italianissima419 - LOL! In all likelihood, you overate. It's easy to think otherwise, but the calories add up. And as to walking 4 miles per day - well, it's easy to think that means you can eat more, but alas ,no. I'm reminded of a recent conversation with my mother. I had just finished running a marathon (yep - 26.2 miles). My mother was sure that meant I'd have burned several pounds worth of calories (FYI - 1 pound equals roughly 3500 calories). Me to mom - sorry, no, one mile equals approximately 100 calories, so I've burned about 3/4 of a pound. Sorry mom, and italianissima!

Also, with respect to muscle weighing less than fat - well, sort of. Muscle is <b>less dense</b> than fat. So, if you lost one pound of fat, but gained one pound of muscle, you'd weight the same, but fit a little better into your jeans. If your pants don't fit better, this is not likely the explanation.

The good news - you'll probably lose the weight in no time now that your'e not eating yummy Italian food every day.

I agree with Ronda, my first thought was that you gained muscle instead. Muscle weighs 3 times more than fat.

Congratulations! Keep it up. Next time you go to Italy, you'll already be toned, and then you can look forward to actually losing weight while you walk around eating those gelatos.

The first time I visited Paris, I lost nine pounds in seven days. Of course, I walked from about 8 AM to midnight every day, and I only ate one meal a day (fast food), so that helped. When I got back I was surprised by the weight loss, but I calculated calories consumed <i>vs.</i> calories burned, and the math worked out.

If you <i>gain</i> weight, you're eating too much. But as long as it's just for the duration of the trip and not something you do routinely at home, no harm done.

Thanks to everyone for your imput. I dont know what the case is. I know some of you think I over ate, but I really didnt. I honestly dont know. Maybe I gained muscle or maybe that one gelato a day did more harm than I thought. In any case, my clothes arent tight at all. Most of them fit the same, one pair of jeans is actually a little looser but I dont know how that is. Maybe I lost inches in some areas and gained it in others. Anyhow, I'm off to the gym.