Speaking of vacations, I just figured out that I'll be landing in Italy in approximately 2 months and 1 hour. I can't wait! The timing will be perfect, too, because I'll start my marathon training proably right after our vacation, so I can lose the (sure to be) 10+ pounds I'll gain while eating and drinking my way down the country.
Where are you going? You might be surprised. I did nothing but drink wine and consume large amounts of pastries, meat, gelato, pizza, and pasta. Once the airplane bloat wore off after a day we two, we were both down a pound or two. No clue. Eat and drink ALL OF THE THINGS!
al320, I'll definitely want some recs. DH's birthday is on that Sunday and our flight doesn't leave until 5PM. I'm trying to get him to decide of he wants to do brunch. How was your trip? Did you see the northern lights?
Speaking of vacations, I just figured out that I'll be landing in Italy in approximately 2 months and 1 hour. I can't wait! The timing will be perfect, too, because I'll start my marathon training proably right after our vacation, so I can lose the (sure to be) 10+ pounds I'll gain while eating and drinking my way down the country.
Where are you going? You might be surprised. I did nothing but drink wine and consume large amounts of pastries, meat, gelato, pizza, and pasta. Once the airplane bloat wore off after a day we two, we were both down a pound or two. No clue. Eat and drink ALL OF THE THINGS!
al320, I'll definitely want some recs. DH's birthday is on that Sunday and our flight doesn't leave until 5PM. I'm trying to get him to decide of he wants to do brunch. How was your trip? Did you see the northern lights?
We're starting in Italy, going to Cinque Terre, then Florence, then Rome. I just booked our wine tour today. I'm not planning to hold back even a little - I can't wait to eat everything! How long were you there?
I keep forgetting that this vacation is actually a trip to a colder place. Usually we go to a warm weather place where the beach is doable almost year round. This weekend we were hanging at the beach (live in SoCal) and I kept thinking that I have to remember to pack my bikini for our trip. Oh wait, uh no. We'll be in NC where we'll need sweaters, not shorts and tank tops.
Just checked the weather and it'llbe in the 60s and 70s! Heck yes!! I CAN wear shorts (I think).
So, my SIL wants to do a cleaner eating challenge for us in April, and I am totally down for that. I. Would like to drop a couple of pounds, while firming up.
The problem is, our wedding anniversary is this Wednesday, Easter is Sunday, and my birthday is in the middle of the month. WORST TIME EVER for this as we have many celebratory meals!!!!
Where are you going? You might be surprised. I did nothing but drink wine and consume large amounts of pastries, meat, gelato, pizza, and pasta. Once the airplane bloat wore off after a day we two, we were both down a pound or two. No clue. Eat and drink ALL OF THE THINGS!
al320, I'll definitely want some recs. DH's birthday is on that Sunday and our flight doesn't leave until 5PM. I'm trying to get him to decide of he wants to do brunch. How was your trip? Did you see the northern lights?
We're starting in Italy, going to Cinque Terre, then Florence, then Rome. I just booked our wine tour today. I'm not planning to hold back even a little - I can't wait to eat everything! How long were you there?
Any tips/hints??
Every time I have gone to Europe (I've been to Italy, Greece, London, and Ireland), I lose weight even though I eat like a fool. I'm convinced it's because they don't add the shit in to their food that we do in the US.
We're starting in Italy, going to Cinque Terre, then Florence, then Rome. I just booked our wine tour today. I'm not planning to hold back even a little - I can't wait to eat everything! How long were you there?
Any tips/hints??
Every time I have gone to Europe (I've been to Italy, Greece, London, and Ireland), I lose weight even though I eat like a fool. I'm convinced it's because they don't add the shit in to their food that we do in the US.
I bet you're absolutely right! I was also told they don't put the same stuff in wine, thus resulting in less hangovers. I hope that's true too.
Where are you going? You might be surprised. I did nothing but drink wine and consume large amounts of pastries, meat, gelato, pizza, and pasta. Once the airplane bloat wore off after a day we two, we were both down a pound or two. No clue. Eat and drink ALL OF THE THINGS!
al320, I'll definitely want some recs. DH's birthday is on that Sunday and our flight doesn't leave until 5PM. I'm trying to get him to decide of he wants to do brunch. How was your trip? Did you see the northern lights?
We're starting in Italy, going to Cinque Terre, then Florence, then Rome. I just booked our wine tour today. I'm not planning to hold back even a little - I can't wait to eat everything! How long were you there?
Any tips/hints??
Yes! In Rome, our favorite meal was at Dar Poeta. It's in the Trastevere area (our favorite area.) It was casual. Delicious pizza & then a dessert calzone that was stuffed w/Nutella. Just do it. Are you beer drinkers? If you are, stop by Bir & Fud. It's right around the corner. They had a great selection of beers. Also, if you are in that neighborhood, it's worth the hike up Janicular Hill to get the views of Rome. It's gorgeous. I'm not sure if the Tevere expo di Roma will have started yet, but if it has, it's fun to pick a place to have a drink on the Tiber.
In Florence I think we found my favorite gem of the entire trip. Down a road near the Duomo, there is a place called Passa Guai: ilpassaguai.wordpress.com OMG, go there. They have the best paninis. They're so fresh & only 3-4 euro. They're huge. We went there multiple times during our trip. The guys that work there are so nice. They make everything fresh right there. We would grab sandwiches & then grab a beer and people watch in a palazzo. I still crave those paninis. For a nicer dinner, we went to FrancescoVini & it was delicious. That was actually recommended to us by @vtcupcake, as well as a British couple we met over drinks the night before. I would definitely take the time to make the hike up palazzo de Michelangelo, preferably around sunset. You get a stunning view of Florence. We took in the views, then find a quiet area that overlooked the surrounding hills and had a little picnic with some snacks and wine we had brought along.
I'm not sure if you have time to explore outside of Florence, but we rented a car one day & did a lunch and wine tasting at Fattoria Poggio Allorro. It's a family farm just outside of San Gimigagno. It was one of my favorite days of the trip.
Eat & drink & have so much fun. I'm jealous. I love Italy so much. We both fell completely in love with it. Maybe it's because I had wanted to go to Italy for so long, but it was such an amazing trip for us. I really think you are going to have such an amazing time.
ETA: I think emilyj is on to something. The better quality food, plus all of the walking adds up. We lost weight in London & Paris as well. Magical vacations. LOL!
Where are you going? You might be surprised. I did nothing but drink wine and consume large amounts of pastries, meat, gelato, pizza, and pasta. Once the airplane bloat wore off after a day we two, we were both down a pound or two. No clue. Eat and drink ALL OF THE THINGS!
al320, I'll definitely want some recs. DH's birthday is on that Sunday and our flight doesn't leave until 5PM. I'm trying to get him to decide of he wants to do brunch. How was your trip? Did you see the northern lights?
We're starting in Italy, going to Cinque Terre, then Florence, then Rome. I just booked our wine tour today. I'm not planning to hold back even a little - I can't wait to eat everything! How long were you there?
Any tips/hints??
I'm so incredibly jealous of your trip. Cinque Terre is amazing and so beautiful. I studied abroad in Rome and did a weekend trip up there and we were able to hike the whole 5 towns. I'm not sure if you can do that anymore though. If you can its totally worth it to do that and take the train back at the end of the day.
I doubt you will gain any weight at all. The food is so fresh and you will walk so much. They definitely don't add nearly as much crap to the food as we do. I lost about 10 pounds studying abroad. But I think some of the best places were the small hole in the wall sandwich and pizza shops.
I, too, love Italy, and all these posts are making me want to go back desperately! I've only been in and near Rome, but the "hole in the wall pizza shops" are awesome.
I've got to add something else too. Flame me if you will. It makes me downright sad that all of you keep saying European food doesn't have as much "crap" in it, and you lost weight because the food is somehow more wholesome.
If you get packaged foods anywhere they will contain preservatives, and if you get less processed foods they will be less processed. If you cook in your own kitchen is the US or in Europe I think you can get similar nutrients and quality of food. Maybe it's easier to find "closer to homemade" restaurants abroad, but like here it definitely depends on where you are. I think fresh produce from my garden is just as good as produce from Europe. Health and weight depends on your activity levels and food choices, whether in Rome or not.
I don't know all the food science behind some of these issues, but I have spent time studying the food system of Switzerland specifically. There are differences from us, sure, but that doesn't magically make America's food all bad. It pains me to think that people lament our food system when we have so many choices, spend less of our income on food and have so much more access than almost anywhere else in the world.
Sorry, but I had to share that.
ETA: I have no idea about the same stuff being put in wine or not, so I can't speak to that. But I did drink a lot of wine abroad and did okay.
I agree with you thom, and I think the major difference is our food "knowledge." Culturally, there are very different norms between America and some places in Europe. And I suspect (I don't know) the prevalence of GMOs and oh, corn in every damn thing, makes a difference.
If you get packaged foods anywhere they will contain preservatives, and if you get less processed foods they will be less processed. If you cook in your own kitchen is the US or in Europe I think you can get similar nutrients and quality of food. Maybe it's easier to find "closer to homemade" restaurants abroad, but like here it definitely depends on where you are. I think fresh produce from my garden is just as good as produce from Europe. Health and weight depends on your activity levels and food choices, whether in Rome or not.
I do think that higher quality food is more easily accessible and perhaps their standards are higher, but I think the bolded is key. I mean, at the end of the day, if I'm consuming an extra 1,000 calories a day from food & wine, it's not magically going to dissolve into thin air just because the quality is better. I've always attributed the weight loss to the constant walking. Sure, before we left for Italy I was in the thick of marathon training. However, there is a big difference between sitting at a desk all day and then running 8 miles after work versus walking (basically non-stop), from 9 AM to 10 PM. I swear we covered a half marathon almost everyday, for 12 days straight. Instead of an hour or two of higher intensity exercise, we had lower intensity for 12+ hours a day. That will burn some calories!
CallingAllAngels, that sounds heavenly. On our last night in Paris, we spent hours cafe hopping. We probably hit 5 different cafes, drinking wine & eating plates of stinky cheese and delicious bread. It was amazing.
jwright, we went last weekend! We had such a great time. When we got into town on Friday we were starving and headed straight to the Butcher & Bee. It was delicious. I don't know how they make a simple roast beef sandwich so amazing, but the beef combined with the onion jam & delicious bread, was drool worthy. DH got the Italian which was also quite good.
That evening we had dinner at Husk. Everything was tasty. Service was good. We heard that we should try the lettuce pig ear wraps, so we started with that. DH had a steak and I had bison short rib. The vegetables that came with my dish were incredible. With that said, overall, I would opt to go back for lunch or brunch, but maybe not dinner. I only say that because they are open for both & I think you could have a similar experience for less $. We really did enjoy Husk, though. After dinner we had drinks at the Gin Joint.
Saturday morning we went to Queen Street Grocery, which was a nice change of pace. Thanks for that rec! DH wanted to check out a place that was rated to have a great brewery selection, so we actually winded up a bit out of town at the Tattooed Moose for lunch, where I stuffed my face w/a duck club. After that, we visited COAST brewery. Dinner Saturday was at FIG. Sigh. We LOVED FIG. We started with fantastic drinks at the bar. Once we were seated we opted for the ricotta gnocchi appetizer, then I went with the fish stew & DH had triggerfish. Both were delicious. Beyond the food, the staff could not have been more on point. They were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about food. It just made you excited to eat there. I don't really know how to explain it, but both DH and I agreed that staff wise, it might have been one of our most enjoyable dining experiences, plus as I mentioned, all of the food was fantastic.
Sunday we were going to go to Macintosh for brunch, but we woke feeling overindulged. LOL We decided to get an earlier start home, HOWEVER, on the way out of town DH started to get hungry. A girl I work with had told me about the early bird diner, so we stopped there before heading home.
All in all, a delicious weekend. I already have a restaurant list started for when we go back. Thanks for your help!
That sounds awesome! So glad you had a good time. I need to go back to FIG I haven't been in a few years and I think I would enjoy it more now. Agree on Husk, my husband always gets the cheeseburger there, so why not lunch? And I went for brunch on my birthday last year and it was awesome. Yay for QSG and the Moose! I work near the Moose and stop in there a good bit.
Thanks for the tips, clseale! OMG, a Nutella-stuffed calzone? Done! I've already saved these in my phone so I can remember the suggestions!
bostonmichelle, CT was actually my husband's contribution to the trip, but everything I've read and heard makes me incredibly excited! I definitely want to do some hiking around there. And it looks absolutely gorgeous.
thom, you're right. We cook at home "real" food 6 of 7 nights a week and do just fine health-wise. I guess I was just thinking more about the restaurants over there, since I figure that's mostly where we'll be eating. Some of the ingredients at some of the restaurants here just make me queasy...