Has anybody lost weight while traveling or studying abroad in Spain?

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I am in Southern Spain for the semester and I am staying with a host family. A typical day starts off with whole wheat toast and jam, maybe a light pat of butter. I'll have olives and oranges for snacks, soup or a bean dish for lunch, and soup or a bean dish or occasionally spaghetti with tomato for dinner. The portions are not large. My roommate is vegan, so this is what they cook for us. I'm excited! Has anybody lost weight while staying with a host family or while traveling or living in Spain in general?? I don't want to get my hopes up only to return to my scale at home 4 months from now weighing the same or even more.

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  • BonnieDundee78
    BonnieDundee78 Posts: 158 Member
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    I vacation in Spain a couple of times a year, and it's absolutely fine as far as food is concerned. They have great locally grown produce in the supermarkets. And if you're out and about, I recommend HappyCow.com to find local restaurants that are vegan/veggie friendly. Even if you're not a vegan yourself, those are places that reliably have a wide range of healthy options to choose from. And since the weather is nice, you can get out and exercise most days! Enjoy your time in Spain!
  • Joramaisi3
    Joramaisi3 Posts: 34 Member
    edited March 2017
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    I lived in Spain (Madrid) for 5 years and I was never so fit and healthy than when I lived there. Have you noticed that a lot of people run? There is always a race and it's such a slower pace of life. I had a Croissant and cafe con leche almost everyday and there are a lot of markets for fresh fruit, veggie and meats. Plus it helps that the biggest meal is lunch so dinner is usually something light which means you're not going to bed on a full stomach. Immerse yourself in the culture and you'll probably lose weight. I rarely saw an overweight Spaniard. You would think with wine,
    Croissants, baguettes, olives and cheeses you'll gain but you'll most likely lose.
    Plus their grocery store like the Carrefour only has one aisle of frozen food unlike in the US where we have like 4 aisles:) Eat like your host family and you'll most likely lose weight and I'm sure there are plenty of parks for walks.
    Have fun. I miss it!
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    In my experience, the big exposure for a student abroad is drinking more than before :)
    so easy to eat well yet pile on calories in drink.

    Have you thought out how you might regularly increase your exercise/activity, to compensate?
  • shoofly435
    shoofly435 Posts: 74 Member
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    I vacationed in Barcelona for two weeks last fall and should have gained weight but didn't.

    We were staying in an Airbnb, so would pick up something from the local market for bfast and lunch, but we went to local places every night for dinner. The locals sat down for dinner after 9:30 p.m., we regularly are three course dinners (cheap if you eat local - away from any tourist places) wine flowed with every meal (some great local wines for like 3 euro a bottle!).

    We weren't particularly active. We went on a couple bike tours and walked everywhere, but I live in NYC and am used to walking everywhere.

    I figured there was going to be a price to pay for all this eating, but I wasn't going to stress out about it on vacation.

    I did not gain 1 lb. Go figure. There's more to weight than CICO is all I can say.

    Have a great time Spain is a beautiful country!

  • sukritical
    sukritical Posts: 1 Member
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    I toned up a lot in Europe since I was walking everywhere!
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
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    I am off to Spain for a month in October this year and from previous experience on vacation, I wont be gaining anything - just way too active to worry about it - even did a cruise last year and didnt gain.
  • malioumba
    malioumba Posts: 132 Member
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    Lose weight here, lose weight there, lose weight anywhere. :smile:
  • Morgaine_on_the_move
    Morgaine_on_the_move Posts: 228 Member
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    Um, no, but my host mother was dead set on fixing what she wanted and not listening to what my roommate and I preferred. I did not eat pork, but she cooked with pork fat anyway and put chorizo in everything. She also drowned everything in olive oil. Even though I walked for an hour or two every single day, I had about 15 pounds to lose after my semester in Sevilla. That said, they came off after I went back to my typical eating patterns back home in the states.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    malioumba wrote: »
    Lose weight here, lose weight there, lose weight anywhere. :smile:

    This. Where you are in the world does not negate the principles of CICO