When I lived in Europe I lost weight

[joasia]

I was born in the U.S. but I went to visit my grandparents in Europe when I was 18 and again when I was 20 and 22. Each time I lost weight. Which was weird because I didn't eat low fat and I didn't diet while I was over there. However, they eat 3 times a day no snacking. My grandmother cooked homemade meals that were not non fat, but nutritional none the less. Breakfast was always bread with something on it and fruit or juice. Lunch was the biggest meal: big bowl of soup, then starch (potatoes, rice, buckwheat groats, noodles), meat, and vegetables; and dinner was usually a repeat of breakfast. Also, no fast food existed in the town my grandparents lived in, no frozen processed meals. When you ate you ate homemade. And we WALKED everywhere. They don't own a car. So everyday you walked to the bank, store, post office, etc. This is hard in the U.S. especially in CA where I live. You can't walk everywhere because the stores are so spread out.

[joasia]

I forgot to mention something important. Because my grandparents lived in a small town, you would always dress nicely to go out on the town everyday. You would never run to the market with sweats or no makeup. Everyone did this young/old, thin or chubby. This does something to your self esteem. You feel you are attractive and worth it no matter what your size. In the U.S. I have found that often we let our looks go and wait until we are "thin enough" to buy new clothes and take care of ourselves. I think this leads to self deprication and neglect which only makes us fatter.

[Sinnie]

I love reading about other people's experiences in other places. It really is so different, isn't it.

[ThomsonsPier]

Hello, hello.

That's nice to hear. If you don't mind my asking, whereabouts in Europe was this?

{Edited for case error}

[reinhard]

It's not just Europe -- we in the states used to eat (and move) like this too.

It's true that we've built up some big structural problems: like big, spread out unwalkable living arrangements.

But I hope and think people are becoming aware that car convenience has it's downside... and hey, the real estate market needs some Big New Thing to give it another jolt. As soon as someone figures out how to make big bucks from it, the problem will be solved . New urbanist mctownhouse, anybody?

In the meantime, we'll just have to live with and overcome some inconvenience as individuals. And you know, individual resourcefulness is at least as American as lust for convenience. I'll put my money on the virtue over the vice.

Reinhard

[joasia]

It was in Poland. In a small town in central Poland. This was in the late 90s. I know you think of Polish food as heavy. It is at celebrations. But on a daily basis, the Poles eat lots of garden grown vegetables and fish/chicken. And, except in the big cities, they cook at home. I have not visited in 7 years. My husband and I plan to visit next summer. We have heard from family that the young people are eating more and more fast foods and junk food and I am sure they will have weight problems because of it. At least I can trace my own weight problems to the time I started eating fast food and junk food on a daily basis.

[Eskh]

Well I'm form Spain.

And for what I'm reading here food is more healthy here... Snacking habiy is not so extended...
But things are changing.. in some years we'll be getting north american standard

[Eskh]

Well I'm form Spain.

And for what I'm reading here food is more healthy here... Snacking habiy is not so extended...
But things are changing.. in some years we'll be getting north american standard

I'm thinking about it and I think I got a issue with fried food... too much fried things here... almost everything is fried in or served with olive oil...

Should I add a rule about fried foods??