Hi

I have lost some weight and keep hearing from people telling me I will gain weight when I go to Paris. Since this is my second trip I know I will with all the great pastries. But I was curious did anyone gain weight and how much and if they did not gain anything besides not eating what did you do to keep it off? I know silly questions but what the heck.

Thanks

I never gain weight when I travel. I assume it's all the walking, and being so active every day.

I go to Paris with alarming regularity and have never gained a single pound there. In fact, I usually lose weight from walking 8 hours a day or so.

That said, I don't have a sweet tooth and have a pastry about once every 5 years.

My daughter did study abroad in France and lost 10 pounds over the course of the semester! It's possible to not gain weight.

I've never gained more than 1 pound. But - I can't eat large meals and certainly not for both lunch and dinner. So it's the continental breakfast, 1/2 baguette sandwich or a salad for lunch, and not more than 2 courses for dinner, and not even that every night. Lots of walking and steps throughout the day complete the deal. I enjoy a pastry or some chocolate but have been known to take 2-3 visits to my Napoleon/Opera/whatever to actually finish eating it. Viva la minibar.

After retuning from my last visit, I was surprised to find that I had lost 5 lbs in two weeks (I wasn't trying). I ate well, walked a lot and had dessert most evenings.

Clea

Momof5, I always lost weight while in Paris.
Even if you eat anything and everything, you walk it off..I always thought the food was made in a much healthier way than the typical American eatery..not so loaded with salt and fat..and the portions are smaller !

Enjoy yourself and don't even think about weight..

It seems like I eat and drink twice as much in Paris but on the other hand I walk three times as much. One of these days I'm going to go to Paris and eat like I usually do at home, but still walk so much more and then I'll actually lose some weight! No, maybe not. Too much fun eating and drinking in Paris.

I'm the odd ball here. I gain weight inspite of walking alot because at home I do not eat three full meals a day, have an apertif, a digestif, and dessert. and inbetween stops to try ice cream, sorbets, chocolates. And I don't regret each pound.

My husband and I both lost weight in Italy but always gain in France; I think it's the desserts I can't forego. Sigh.

I eat a lot more in Paris than at home, but my clothes are always loose coming home. Last May, I lost 10 pounds. I'm sure it's all the walking.

Momof5,

I am curious: who are those people who told you "You will gain weight when you go to Paris?" Have they been to Paris themselves and have eaten there or just extrapolating "French" food they have eaten elsewhere and assumed that it would be the same way in Paris?

Compared to the US restaurants, the restaurants in Paris I have eaten did not serve "heavy" food in gut-busting portions. Even though they used cream and butter, the French chefs managed to prepare dishes without heavy stomach feelings.

We ate and drank everything we wanted, walked a gazillion miles a day, and when I got home I'd gained one (one!!!) pound.

It's the walking that does it.

We were in Paris for a week, then went to visit friends outside of London for a week. I lost 7 pounds. We walked so much in Paris. The food is great and certainly not diet, but you don't get the supersized portions that many American restaurants (particularly chain restaurants) give you. Another aspect is that we tended to stick more to just eating at mealtimes since you're so on-the-go, rather than the kind of evening snacking that you might do if you're at home in front of the tv. We're going again in September and this time will be staying in an apartment. I'm hoping that having a kitchen won't enable the late night snacking that I too often fall into at home.

I ate and ate and ate in Paris (actually, I ate anything and everything I wanted on our entire trip, which lasted a month and included Italy too!), and didn't gain a single pound. Furthermore, I had my cholesterol checked soon after coming home, and had great results!

I had pastries, delicious 3 course dinners, Nutella crepes, and Berthillon ice cream/sorbets every day. No weight gain. If you walk a lot (and I don't see how you won't, in such a beautiful walking city), you shouldn't have to worry much about what you eat.

I have been to Europe twice now, Paris for the first time last year, and I lost 10 pounds both times. I cook for a living, so I LOVE to eat!! I ate allot

With all the walking I did (5-10 miles a day) and all the hills and stairways (Eiffel Tower, Bell tower in Florence, etc) no wonder I lost weight.

But sad to say, once I returned home, I stopped all the walking and gained the weight I lost and then some. I hope to not make the same mistake on my next trip in October.

Tom

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Wow! Thank you for the responses. The reason I asked this quetions is that I have family reunion right when I get home and was hoping I would not gain much. I do not intend to eat everything in sight but I will not pass up on a fantastic french pastry or wonderful meal. I hope the walking will keep it all off. You all have given me hope that I an have Nutella and still not gain, after I have been loseing finally some weight.

I have 3 friends that all gained weight in Paris but I also read it somewhere around here on a old thread. Suggested to bring pants that are not tight because they will be when they get home.

You all have given me such hope and confidence to remember to walk alot, I do not think it will be hard to do that.
Thank you again

One way not to gain weight in Paris, apart from walking, is to adopt an old principle French families have long stuck to : real meals, no snacking between meals, and ...moderation on pastries. A fruit is much healthier than those chocolate éclairs...

I think you'll be fine... like the other posters said, the walking balances out the extra food. If you're really worried, though, here's one trick:

Take the stairs up to your hotel room each night. I've been forced to do this thanks to a broken apartment elevator and it's helped me lose weight while eating really rich dinners and pastries.

I lose weight whenever I travel, no matter whether it's to Chicago or Paris.

In part this is because I'm more likely to walk and so forth, but mostly I think it's because I'm away from the stress of regular life. Travel has it's own sort of stress, but it's a fun stress, not the everyday grind, and as I've gotten older it's gotten increasingly clear that the everyday grind plays havoc with my health and my weight.

I'm headed to Amsterdam tonight, with brief stays there, Antwerp, and Rotterdam (the latter two for work).