PrincessOfPenguins

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...

Toupary

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.

GreenDragon

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)

chicagolori

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..

peppermintpatti

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.

lizzy911

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

suze

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

CheBird

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.

amyb

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!

TexasAggie

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

MissZiegfeld

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.

Scarlett

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

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

wantagig

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&quot; 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 &quot;Zone Diet&quot; 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 &quot;Zone&quot; 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.

firstmmo

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!

LoveItaly

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 &quot;diet foods&quot;.
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 &quot;junk&quot; 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.

elina

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

Of course not. But 4-5 hours compares.

ggreen

Oh man, Lizzy, does your post bring back memories! My first &quot;solo&quot; trip to Europe (no parents) was a month in France the summer after I graduated high school - I gained the &quot;freshman 15&quot; (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!

Poohgirl

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

kfusto

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 &quot;dieted&quot; 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.

gomiki

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