Living Abroad

ils_1231

Hey All,

I've been living abroad in France for about 6 months now ( I'm originally from California). I was wondering if there were others on this site who would be looking for support while living abroad and eating foreign food?! I've actually haven't gained any weight here, but I'm constantly in fear with my love for baguette and cheese!!!

frogmommy

No help on the living abroad, but was in France last spring. I remember my love affair with the humble French sandwich from the shops lining the Paris streets. They elevate a sandwich to "work of art" proportions.

Elle408

I'm off to Paris on Thursday for a long weekend! Was hoping to be well behaved but have a feeling i'll be indulging in a few of these sandwich 'works of art'! lol

I lived out in Florida for the year (from London) and was surprised at the complete differences in food shopping, took a few weeks to settle down and then managed to find a diet that worked for me. (And also found my love of sweet potatoes and Peanut butter!)

clioandboy

HI there
I am English but have lived here in France since 2002 and I find the diet here soooooo much healthier, hang on let me qualify that.... the diet isnt any healthier, rather the way of eating over here is so much healthier. feel free to add me if you would like -WARNING I SWEAR AND SO DO MY MFP friends lol; if it doesnt offend would be very happy to have another Frenchie in my group of friends!

ils_1231

haha my first few weeks here were filled with walking to bakeries and eating an ENTIRE loaf of baguette by the time I got home... bad times. i'm much better at watching what I eat now, and it's a bit easier since portion sizes for the most part are smaller. ( unless at a touristy spot!!!)

yeah, it's weird that even if the food is healthier, etc just having a complete change in your diet can make you gain weight!!!

p.s. yes, i would definitely treat yourself to some of the food in paris!

ils_1231

@clioandboy- great thanks!!! added.

eleonoreOU

Hey guys....
I'm actually from France, living here in the US.

The hard thing about France (or the easy thing about dieting in the US) is that there's no law about the nutrition facts display on products....
It's frustrating!
I think France is definitely falling behind (once again )

You can add me if you need info about France or anything else...

eleonoreOU

Hey guys....
I'm actually from France, living here in the US.

The hard thing about France (or the easy thing about dieting in the US) is that there's no law about the nutrition facts display on products....
It's frustrating!
I think France is definitely falling behind (once again )

You can add me if you need info about France or anything else...

appleofmyeye

Think about it this way--the great thing about being in Europe is how easy it is to walk everywhere! Not to mention all the cool sights you'll see if you do. I lived in France for six weeks in college and even though I ate a little more cheese and bread than usual, I also got a lot more exercise.

melusinagr

I'm an American living in Greece and I had a massive problem with weight gain after I moved here. Part of it was depression from homesickness, but I was also on a downward (or upward) slope with my weight before I moved, so I can't attribute it to the new food choices (at least, not completely). But I've turned that all around now and have found a way to still enjoy delicious Greek foods in moderation while still losing weight.

londoneye

Hey! I'm a Londoner living in Barcelona. Feel free to add me as a friend.

I've actually found lots of Spanish customs really helpful in my weight loss. A big one is eating two breakfasts, a good-sized lunch, and a really light (and late!) dinner.

People also drink way less alcohol here, so that's a plus.

Another great one is rubbing tomatoes into sandwich bread in order to moisten them (instead of using butter or mayo).

Finally, a lot of my favourite junk foods aren't available here - when I go home to visit I usually fall off the wagon big time!

My biggest issue is standard products from here not being in the MFP database!!! Sometimes estimating calories is a nightmare!

londoneye

Think about it this way--the great thing about being in Europe is how easy it is to walk everywhere! Not to mention all the cool sights you'll see if you do. I lived in France for six weeks in college and even though I ate a little more cheese and bread than usual, I also got a lot more exercise.

Totally agree about the walking - I walk EVERYWHERE! London is just too big to do that - I had to take the tube all the time...