Let me start by saying that I am a big girl but fit enough. I find that when I exercise hard (Zumba or another hour long hard cadio class) I loose my appetite and the thought of eating makes me nauseous. With that being said, I found that during this last trip we were so physically active that I was not hungry most of the time, which resulted in us not trying all the delicious foods I thought we were going to eat. We went to Italy and France and YES I had croissants and cappuccinos daily..had pasta and Florentine steaks. But we ate only when it was meal time, we did not linger over meat and cheese plates, or over delicious desserts, in the middle of the day. I had imagined all these fabulous meals. In truth we settled for simple meals at places near our apartments due to being so tired from all the walking/stair and hill climbing during the day. The thought of taking the metro or grabbing a cab to one of the spots I had researched was not so attractive after our full day. In Paris lunch was one of those meat and cheese sandwiches you grab from a bakery as "lunch" was usually around 2 and we were in-between sights with a closing time looming or we grabbed lunch at the café in the Museum. I still want my foodie trip!! LOL..next time I guess.
Posted by
northern CA
2446 posts
Figuring out the eating and sleeping parts of a marvelous trip is still at the top of my to-do list. :-)
The rest of it I have nailed down pretty well, though.
Posted by
Indiana
524 posts
I researched for hours the restaurants I wanted to go to in the 3 cities we visited. I went to 2. Same reason as you....to tired to call a cab just to take us to a particular place. Unfortunately, most of our meals weren't anything to write home about. Plus, I lose my appetite after 7 or so. We'd go for drinks then ,and I would be wolfing down the olives and chips they bring you in Italy with cocktails. After going to dinner, and the meal would finally arrive around 9:00, I'd pretty much lost my appetite and didn't enjoy it so much. Other than a couple meals, I also didn't have spectacular culinary experiences....except for the Travestere Twighlight tour in Rome.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23238 posts
Question is , did you lose any weight? We often find that we actually lose a few pounds probably from snacking less with smaller meals than at home. Often it is only two meals a day. Decent breakfast, very light snack close to mid afternoon and a leisurely meal around 8. We like the European dinning times and even try to follow when home.
Posted by
OP
California
1625 posts
Yes I lost 10 pounds and my husband (aka The pack mule) lost 15. So good news there!
Posted by
OP
California
1625 posts
Lulu...we did the Trastavere food tour too...loved it. All the bites and nibbles...by the time they served the big pasta meal at the end I was really full
Posted by
OP
California
1625 posts
Funny Paris food story....in Paris it seems that most steak dishes come with fries. So I am picking at my fries and about 1/2 way through the meal the hubby says to me "everyone is eating their fries with a fork" I look around and sure enough...we are the only ones eating them with our fingers. Now to me, fries do not deserve the dignity of using a fork to eat them...strictly finger food. But when in Paris...I used a fork after that, but also keep in mind I am a one fry at a time kinda gal and do not enjoy 4 fries per forkfull.
Posted by
Indiana
524 posts
Actually, my real name is Leticia! Lulu is a nickname my Uncle gave me, but I don't use my real nickname on the board.
I felt the same about Traveste...it took me the entire trip to learn to say that correctly, and I still have to think it through before saying it out loud. I agree, by the time we got to the restaurant I was really stuffed. I'm sure they did that because they knew we would eat a lot if that was the first, and not enjoy the other places. We loved the butcher store, with those pork, I think, sandwiches....weren't those to die for? Didn't particularly like the appetizers at the Jewish synagogue cellar, though. It really is a nice tour.
Posted by
alameda, ca, usa
2602 posts
I actually find myself eating more when on vacation due to my increased activity level, and I'm already in good shape and exercise daily but I still manage to lose 5-10 lbs on a 2 week trip. I'm a fairly healthy eater at home--yogurt, smoothies, salad during the week and more substantial stuff on the weekends, no fast food at all--yet on vacation I eat anything I can get my hands on, including candy and fast food. Soda, even! I have no idea what comes over me, to be honest. Then I come home and get back to normal for another 50 weeks until my next trip.
Next May will be Paris and Budapest and you better believe I will be eating all the fromage and croissants and croque monsieurs possible, then a return to Budapest where I already know the joys of their stuffed cabbage, sausage and beans in a delightfully greasy red sauce, langos and chicken paprikash...can't wait.
Posted by
OP
California
1625 posts
Lulu..another Leticia!
I drank Coke the whole trip and Orange soda and i never drink soda at home! I also don't have dessert every night...but I had dessert most nights on the trip. I also have really bad tummy issues and I found they went away while on vacation despite the desserts and soda. Maybe all the exercise regulated that for me? I always had my immodium at hand just in case.
Posted by
Indiana
524 posts
I really reduced my carbs stating last February. I eat what I want on vacation. I have to say, after days though, I was really tired of bread, pasta and caprese salad. I turned into a carnivore a few days, ordering steak. By the 8th day, my system hadnt been....ahem.....flushed out since day 1, My appetite decreased quite a big...I think I literally had no room.
Posted by
northern CA
2446 posts
Good points above touching on drinking -- on travel I take in a lot more alcohol than I do when at home, not because I'm getting drunk any more than usual (I'm getting drunk about the same) but because in Europe I tend to have a glass of something with every lunch and every dinner, while I don't do that at home.
Let the good times roll, as they say (unless they're Teutonic) :-)