ITALY- Has anyone travelled/studied abroad while dieting???

Gogretchen1

Hey all!

So I am about to embark on a 3 week study abroad trip to Italy (gasp- so excited!) Sadly, I must leave MFP and my scale behind during this time.... *panic panic panic*

Does anyone have any tips for maintaining weight loss progress while in a foreign country? We are provided with continental breakfast each morning, which I am confident I can keep diet-friendly, however, we will be eating out for most of our lunches and dinners. And lets not forget about the night life...

Don't get me wrong, I do not want to be obsessing about this the whole time I am there. But I do want to stay on track. And because I am on that last 10 pounds, the slightest calorie differences make a huge difference- I am constantly fluctuating. If anyone has some clever tips for keeping track of my calories, for healthy choices to choose in Italy, or just how to say "NO" to the nice Italian man offering me more gelato without seeming like an American prude, I would love to hear them!!!

Thanks for reading- hoping to hear back

aidrenner

Hi I went to Italy last year and wasnt really trying to diet. In fact we were in such a small town eating was sometimes the most exciting thing. Overall I ended up loosing weight, yes we were very busy during the day but I don't feel like I did anymore activity then when I was home. The food there is so much more fresh and clean so even if you do eat a lot it's prepared in a better way. Just remember it's a trip and if you want some cake why not have fun!

grimendale

I went to Italy for two weeks last year while I was in the midst of losing the first 50 lbs. I didn't stress too much. I watched portion sizes, didn't go overboard on desserts, packed dried fruit and nuts for on-the-move snacks and walked a lot. When I got back, I had dropped seven pounds. I'm a vegetarian, so I had a lot of pasta and pizza, but I tried to make sure to add as many vegetables as possible. One thing I like to do, if I have access to a fridge in the near future, is pack up half of the meal before I start eating. That way, I stop at a reasonable portion rather than trying to estimate when I've reached half and continually deciding "just one more bite won't hurt". It's only three weeks. Worst case scenario is you gain a few pounds while you're making memories that will last. So long as you don't lose the good habits you've learned, you'll be fine. Have fun.

Dfracassa

I'm gonna go ahead and bump this because I'm going to Italy for two weeks this September for my honeymoon, and I'd like to hear others' experiences. I've already planned on everything, as I've told my fiance, and drinking all the wine. But not gaining a million pounds would be nice.

belle_of_the_bar

In general, you will walk your *kitten* off (literally) in Italy, so just watch your portion and minimize the gelato exposure and you should be fine. Enjoy it!!

bregalad5

Oh! Where will you be? I totally lost 25 pounds living in Rome for 7 months. It was accidental, and is what kick-started my weight loss. Um, I at a lot of pizza, gelato, rotisserie chicken, and iced tea. No clue at all how I lost weight, even with all the walking, haha... Why will you not be able to log? Will you not have access to internet?

keem88

yes, i was in italy for a foreign exchange program for about 2 weeks.
we did so much walking around it really didn't even matter honestly. i just tried to not stuff myself full at each meal, and when i came home i think i maybe gained like 3 pounds which went away pretty quickly.
just make smart choices, stay active and you should be fine. you only may get that one chance to go so don't cheat yourself out of amazing opportunities (food wise). i prolly never will be able to go over there again so i'm glad i did get to experience the culture and not just live off salad the whole time.
oh and the discotheques, where we stayed anyway were open til like 5am so just dance all those calories off!
where in italy are you going?
watch out for the mimes and street performers if you end up in venezia, they don't know how to take no as an answer.

eta: it also may be easier and less stressful for yourself if you aim to maintain while you are away, that may be more obtainable and manageable instead of trying to lose still

kitkat4141

Italy is not the place to diet. The food is just too good! I found I actually lost weight in Italy because of all of the walking. Never took a cab or a bus and frequently walked over 10 miles per day. Just make sure you have very comfortable shoes. Enjoy!

anjuli_mack

I ate everything in Italy and put on 4-5KG in a month aha I loved it though. Gelato and everything ((:
hehe you have to go and enjoy yourself!

Ascolti_la_musica

Italy is not the place to diet. The food is just too good! I found I actually lost weight in Italy because of all of the walking. Never took a cab or a bus and frequently walked over 10 miles per day. Just make sure you have very comfortable shoes. Enjoy!

^
You will walk. A LOT. You won't notice it, because you will be eating amazing food, looking at paradise all around you, basking in the most perfect light this planet gets, and listening to the most fascinating people in the world get on with their wonderfully busy lives.

Make sure you have a gelato or three while you're there, and finish every meal with a shot of limoncello- even if you are not a drinker.

PlayerHatinDogooder

For goodness sake's woman.

You're going to Italy. Enjoy yourself and indulge.

Whatever 1 or 2 pounds you may or may not put on is well worth the experience of enjoying Italy to the fullest. It's not like you can't lose it again when you get home.

Lyadeia

For goodness sake's woman.

You're going to Italy. Enjoy yourself and indulge.

Whatever 1 or 2 pounds you may or may not put on is well worth the experience of enjoying Italy to the fullest. It's not like you can't lose it again when you get home.

This.

When I went to Italy, I enjoyed myself fully, including the wonderful food. I didn't feed myself until I was so stuff that I couldn't move, but I also didn't stress myself out trying to diet while I was there. That's just silly.

pteryndactyl

I first started exercising/eating healthy a little while before I studied in Germany (for 3 months) and tried to keep it up there, but gave up logging when I was tempted by bakeries on every corner, delicious food, etc. and just had fun because I knew I only had a limited time there. But all the walking I was doing kept me thin, I actually lost ~5 pounds by the time I got home.

So my advice...go on the trip, enjoy the pizza (it's unbelievable) and pasta and everything else, and just try to keep active. Don't take the metro more than you have to, walk when you can, get out for a bit of extra exercise when you have time...but DON'T skimp on the food! It's too tasty! Pizza back home has never been the same since I went to Italy hahah

healthygreek

I will agree with the others. We were there for 3 weeks and we walked and walked and walked and walked-lots of stairs and uphills! We had cappuccino and a chocolate croissant every morning. Don't ask for cappuccino at night-only the tourists do that. You drink espresso at night if you want coffee. My husband and I shared each dish at meals and drank a bottle of wine between us-sometimes 2x a day;-)) Oh the food, oh the food-magnifico!
At the end of our trip I lost 3 pounds and my husband gained 2.
It's the walking- you just do it all day long so the amazing food doesn't have a chance to stick to your body. Drink lots of water-you'll need it with all the walking.
Enjoy! We are leaving for the Amalfi Coast in 2 weeks and I can't wait!!!!!

KidTarget

My wife and I went to Rome last october, and frankly, we found that we were doing so much walking during the trip we had plenty of calories to burn at meals. On the day we went to Naples/Pompeii I logged 25,000 steps on my Fitbit. Also, something to consider is the difference in the way Americans and Europeans eat. For instance, My wife and I found that the portions of the meals we were eating were much smaller, and much less meat was used. Granted we went out of our way to avoid the more touristy resturants, and went local as best we could.

Also, as a side note, if you do go to Naples visit La Antica or another of the pizzerias there, it'll ruin you on American pizza. They use very little cheese comparitively, and what cheese they do use is fresh. Aslo they use a thin layer of sauce, and the crust is almost like a cracker. Plus one pizza is enough for one person, it's well worth the extra calories.

froeschli

it's 3 weeks - how long did it take you to gain what you are trying to lose?

on another note - i studied abroad, in the USA, for a year, and lost about 20lbs without even trying when i returned to switzerland - food just didn't taste the same (huh, it was real).

and when i studied for a few weeks in st. petersburg, russia, i actually lost weight - couldn't stomach the local cuisine.

as for italy - pay attention not to eat past being hungry, and you should be fine. their traditional cooking is quite healthy, you just have to be able to say 'no' politely.

oh, and practise eating spaghetti with only a fork, from a bowl with no rim

aelunyu

this has nothing to do with your upcoming trip and everything to do with what you are associating it with. if you view studying abroad and vacation to binge eating and experiencing food without restriction, then you will fall prey to repercussions of that life. I often travel overseas, sometimes for months...and in very remote regions of the world. Although perhaps you cannot possibly maintain a certain level of fitness, you can certainly remain vigilant. sadly, in the USA, dieting is even easier than overeating. You can track calories, exercise, heart rate, calories burned. But I must argue that in any country you can do the same, if you understand your limits and your habits.

Ranocchia

I am Italian. Where are you going to live? Write to me if you need tips.
Ciao!

labeachgirl

We walked everywhere and lost weight, but I think we sweated it out (it was late June) and bought fresh stuff at the store most of the time.

If you can, go to Cinque Terre and make a day of walking between the 5 towns, it's a workout! It's like stairmaster from hell! lol But so beautiful.

mrsmarit

Italy is not the place to diet. The food is just too good! I found I actually lost weight in Italy because of all of the walking. Never took a cab or a bus and frequently walked over 10 miles per day. Just make sure you have very comfortable shoes. Enjoy!

This is exactly it. My husband and I were in Italy and Paris last year for 2 weeks and we walked EVERYWHERE and I ate what I wanted. A vacation.. especially there is not a place to diet.

cwolfman13

My experience while traveling abroad...I've always lost weight. You don't have big friggin' USA portions and you walk your *kitten* everywhere.

aaasky

You might have already found her, but I so recommend reading http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/. She lost 100+ pounds and a part of that weight loss was during a semester in Italy. She has some great tips on her blog! I don't know her personally or anything, it's just a site I've found really inspiring.

I've been living abroad in Germany for a few years, so to be honest I feel like I'm way more tempted when I go home to the States (Skittles and Adam's peanut butter!), but I think you'll do really well because you already have experience with portion control and this whole weight loss thing. Also, other people have said it, but the walking everywhere thing can make up for some pasta and pizza experiences. Enjoy yourself!

em2102

I wouldn't worry too much about, generally italian food is much better than what we get here in the US. I saw this post the other day http://kslenderliving.net/5-healthy-eating-habits-from-around-the-world-to-help-us-lose-weight/ and I thought it was kind of funny what differences there are between us and different countries when it comes to food.

Anyways, you'll probably walk a lot and as long as you control your portions you shouldn't really have any issues. I spend a year in germany and I actually thought it was much easier to watch my weight than it was here. Thet have more "real food" and very little packaged food.

Good luck and have fun

Cp731

Not for nothing but those continental breakfast, ya need to watch out for as well.
Lots of those products come prepackaged and if they cook ya eggs they will for sure load them up with butter for cooking.
Nothing is made from scratch, so its all frozen and thawed for cooking.

Other than that, Good luck.

Capt_Apollo

does italy do the thing like spain, where they have the big meal during the day, and dinner is lighter? i find that that is really great, and usually don't gain a lot when i go to spain.

i've been to italy twice, and loved it. the sights, the food, the people, the art and the history are incredible.

portions are generally smaller then they are in the states, so there is that to consider. and you walk a lot more to get around town.

eat a salad and all your veggies while traveling. enjoy a glass or two of the homemade wine at the restaurants. It's cheaper then the water. Yes, they charge for water.

there is a McDonalds right next to the Pantheon in Rome. Don't be one of those americans that eats there.

the things that will get you, are some of the cured meats, and sausages. they can be fatty and salty (which makes them sooooo good). there is a reason they are served in small portions.

bgh707

That's so funny...I was going to post a thread asking the same question, except that I'm going to London, Scotland, Cannes, and then staying in Germany for a month.

yaseyuku

I'm in the middle of a study abroad right now. I gained a lot of weight at first and started my lifestyle change while abroad. I have since lost 11kg. It's definitely possible.

caccicoo

My husband and I often spend summers in Sicily (he's first generation born outside Sicily). I find I always lose weight there. Food is fresher, we never eat packaged stuff, and we walk everywhere. Also, there are stairs in pretty much every building - it's like doing a stair-master 15 times a day! I didn't worry too much about restricting what I ate - I had gelato every other day (medium no cone) and occasionally treated myself to gelato in a sweet bun (maybe twice in the whole summer). We would go out for pizza at least once a week. This will be my first time doing MFP while I'm in Sicily, but it shouldn't be too hard. I hope you have an amazing time there. What part of Italy will you be in?

xxghost

Italy is wonderful! The cuisine really varies depending on where you go, but I generally LOSE weight while vacationing in Italy. The portion sizes are generally smaller, and I find that the food is cooked healthier. The pasta, for instance, is made in a healthy oil and not piled high with sauces and cheese. Of course, this is not a sure thing, but it is what I have experienced while over there.

Walk a LOT! I am sure that you will - there is so much to see. Keep your alcohol intake in check. My parents both gain while we are over there, but they drink a ton. Wine is wonderful, but you don't want to drink away all your hard work.

ldrosophila

OMG so jealous! You'll be in Italy one of the culinary capitals of the world! Eat Woman Eat!

realme56

Ate everything (bread, pasta, Pizza) and drank wine and limoncello) for 3 1/2 weeks and lost cause you walk and walk!