travelling to Germany for 3 weeks, worried about diet/exercise

Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring countries
for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has been very slow
and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to exercise much
beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal plan is going to
be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of losing ground with
my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much damage can really be
done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be relatively conservative,
even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I probably maintain my current
level?

"determined" <determined@comcast.nest> wrote in message
news:0L2dnRcVs59IK_nYnZ2dnUVZ_rWdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring
> countries for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has
> been very slow and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to
> exercise much beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal
> plan is going to be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of
> losing ground with my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much
> damage can really be done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be
> relatively conservative, even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I
> probably maintain my current level?

My experience has always been that I lose while on vacation because of the
walking as long as I'm dilligent with my eating. Any strength I lose from
time out of the gym come back very quickly.
--
the volleyballchick

determined wrote:
> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring countries
> for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has been very slow
> and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to exercise much
> beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal plan is going to
> be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of losing ground with
> my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much damage can really be
> done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be relatively conservative,
> even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I probably maintain my current
> level?
>
>

You make it sound like you are going to be kept under house arrest and
force-fed!

"Chris Smith" <splinez@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:ek2gmq$8u7$1$8300dec7@news.demon.co.uk...
> determined wrote:
>> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring
>> countries for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has
>> been very slow and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to
>> exercise much beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal
>> plan is going to be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of
>> losing ground with my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much
>> damage can really be done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be
>> relatively conservative, even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I
>> probably maintain my current level?
>
> You make it sound like you are going to be kept under house arrest and
> force-fed!

Really? Why? The fact is, for most of this trip we are staying in a very
small community with limited grocery access. We are staying with my
husband's parents, who eat very traditional german food. Heavy in fat and
carbs. Last time we went there was a meter of snow on the ground and below
zero farenheit the entire time. We were even snowed in for part of the
trip.

Have you ever been to germany? If so, do you have any HELPFUL advice?

I don't know anything about German food, my MIL is southern, not exactly
diet food there either.. My "trick" as always been to plan ahead, everytime
we went out of the house I would come back with as many veggies as I could
find.. and I would fill up on veggies (and fruits) and eat small portions of
her food. She did mind at some point, but...

Walking in the snow is very good cardio....



Will~ who remember long nights of trying to catch her dog (a husky) in the
snow... ARG

"determined" <determined@comcast.nest> wrote in message
news:FIidnVnw7o_tVvnYnZ2dnUVZ_sydnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
>
> "Chris Smith" <splinez@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ek2gmq$8u7$1$8300dec7@news.demon.co.uk...
>> determined wrote:
>>> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring
>>> countries for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has
>>> been very slow and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able
>>> to exercise much beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my
>>> normal plan is going to be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm
>>> afraid of losing ground with my weight and fitness level. But in 3
>>> weeks, how much damage can really be done? If I just eat when hungry,
>>> and try to be relatively conservative, even if it's not what I'd
>>> normally eat, can I probably maintain my current level?
>>
>> You make it sound like you are going to be kept under house arrest and
>> force-fed!
>
> Really? Why? The fact is, for most of this trip we are staying in a very
> small community with limited grocery access. We are staying with my
> husband's parents, who eat very traditional german food. Heavy in fat and
> carbs. Last time we went there was a meter of snow on the ground and
> below zero farenheit the entire time. We were even snowed in for part of
> the trip.
>
> Have you ever been to germany? If so, do you have any HELPFUL advice?
>
>
>
>

"determined" <determined@comcast.nest> wrote in message
news:0L2dnRcVs59IK_nYnZ2dnUVZ_rWdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring
> countries for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has
> been very slow and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to
> exercise much beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal
> plan is going to be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of
> losing ground with my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much
> damage can really be done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be
> relatively conservative, even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I
> probably maintain my current level?

I've been thinking about your question all day. With the holidays upon us,
many people will be facing similar, though probably not quite the same,
issues. I know my family and I will be spending time with my folks, where,
for some, eating is almost a sport. So this is what I think I would do.

1) Do try to get as much exercise as you can. It may not be as much as you
are used to, but even short walks are better than nothing.

2) I know that for some people, if you do not eat what they provide, they
can be offended. If this is the case, look at what is being served, and
choose the item(s) that are best for you. Take servings of everything, but
eat the healthier items first, and just eat a bit of the other items, and
tell them you are full from the delicious ______ that you just ate. That
way you keep damages to a minimum, but don't hurt any feelings. If dessert
is offered later, you can say you are still full from the meal.

3) It may be impossible to stick to your program, but you are not going to
gain oodles of weight over 3 weeks if you are moderate in your eating.
Remind yourself that it is only 2 weeks, and any weight you may put on will
come off very quickly once you get back home.

4) Give yourself permission to *enjoy yourself*--life is too short to ruin a
marvelous experience obsessing over a problem that may never happen.

I hope your trip is wonderful!

On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 12:43:25 -0800, "determined"
<determined@comcast.nest> wrote:

>Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring countries
>for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has been very slow
>and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to exercise much
>beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal plan is going to
>be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of losing ground with
>my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much damage can really be
>done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be relatively conservative,
>even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I probably maintain my current
>level?
>
It may be just the kind of trips we tend to take, but I genrally find
I'm so active on holiday that I very seldom gain. The danger time for
me starts from the day I get home. For some reason, this is a point
at which I have so often weighed myself, found the holiday has done
little or no damage, and then been completely unable to get back on
track with my WOE and suffered the inevitable regain.

I find it more difficult to cope with a single restaurant meal at home
than a whole trip away, and I do almost everything I possibly can to
avoid eating out when I'm not away. Some people don't find this a
problem - we're all different and it's impossible to say whether you
can maintain while you're away. IMO a very important point is to
recognise that the food is probably going to be much more
calorie-dense than you've been giving yourself at home and reduce your
portion sizes dramatically.

I hope you have a great trip, and try not to focus too much on food

janice

On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 21:50:18 +0000, Chris Smith <splinez@gmail.com>
wrote:

>determined wrote:
>> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring countries
>> for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has been very slow
>> and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to exercise much
>> beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal plan is going to
>> be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of losing ground with
>> my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much damage can really be
>> done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be relatively conservative,
>> even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I probably maintain my current
>> level?
>>
>>
>
>You make it sound like you are going to be kept under house arrest and
>force-fed!

Well, that may have been intended as a jovial comment, but it sums up
exactly how I sometimes feel when the menu for my meals is taken out
of my direct control, and it can be quite scary.

janice

"determined" <determined@comcast.nest> wrote in message
news:0L2dnRcVs59IK_nYnZ2dnUVZ_rWdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring
> countries for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has
> been very slow and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to
> exercise much beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal
> plan is going to be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of
> losing ground with my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much
> damage can really be done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be
> relatively conservative, even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I
> probably maintain my current level?
You won't be snowed in if you are going soon though so you should have
access to bigger grocery stores at least. I've always found Germany
difficult too - even Bonn and Berlin. Good luck!


--
Rachael

176/116/<119

www.justgiving.com/rachaelslondonmarathon

"determined" <determined@comcast.nest> writes:

> Have you ever been to germany? If so, do you have any HELPFUL advice?

I have, but only a couple of times for a few days at a time, so my
experiences probably aren't very useful. I don't think I've ever seen
snow in Germany, but there's certainly more of it than I like here in
Finland... Shoveling snow is fairly heavy exercise. Maybe you can
pitch in if it's needed. Or ski or walk in snow shoes if any are
available.

I also don't think that much damage can be done in three weeks if you
can do at least some exercise and have some sort of portion control.
Maybe you could offer to cook something you like on some days as a
little cultural exchange?

"Anssi Saari" <as@sci.fi> wrote in message
news:vg3bqmyyv3w.fsf@pepper.modeemi.cs.tut.fi...
> "determined" <determined@comcast.nest> writes:
>
>> Have you ever been to germany? If so, do you have any HELPFUL advice?
>
> I have, but only a couple of times for a few days at a time, so my
> experiences probably aren't very useful. I don't think I've ever seen
> snow in Germany, but there's certainly more of it than I like here in
> Finland... Shoveling snow is fairly heavy exercise. Maybe you can
> pitch in if it's needed. Or ski or walk in snow shoes if any are
> available.
>
> I also don't think that much damage can be done in three weeks if you
> can do at least some exercise and have some sort of portion control.
> Maybe you could offer to cook something you like on some days as a
> little cultural exchange?

good idea! I should plan that out ahead of time. It would be a nice break
for my husband's mom, so I should try to come up with something special.

determined wrote:
>
> Have you ever been to germany?

Yes, though the vast majority of the German food I've eaten over
the years have been at family homes and restaurants rather than
the one trip I've managed to take.

> If so, do you have any HELPFUL advice?

I'll try -

Eat more veggies. View sauerkaut and rotkohl (red cabbage)
as veggies. Eat the cabbage containing dishes more and the
bread and potatoes less. You'll end up closer to low carb
than low fat but since either style works you'll do okay. Eat
all of the veggies on your plate first before touching any of the
meat dishes as a way to fill up on the lower cal/carb foods.

Also I don't remember the portions served in Germany to
be as large as the ones in the US. Calories matter and
smaller portions mean lower total calories.

While the Germans will likely sip beer during the meal, try
to view it as desert. Alcohol tends to lower resistance to
overeating so have the beer after a meal not during the meal.

"janice" <janice@london.uk> wrote in message
news:h7ram25v54phapq6k2e9btregrld0fv1ls@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 21:50:18 +0000, Chris Smith <splinez@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>>determined wrote:
>>> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring
>>> countries
>>> for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has been very
>>> slow
>>> and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to exercise much
>>> beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal plan is going
>>> to
>>> be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of losing ground
>>> with
>>> my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much damage can really
>>> be
>>> done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be relatively conservative,
>>> even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I probably maintain my
>>> current
>>> level?
>>>
>>>
>>
>>You make it sound like you are going to be kept under house arrest and
>>force-fed!
>
> Well, that may have been intended as a jovial comment, but it sums up
> exactly how I sometimes feel when the menu for my meals is taken out
> of my direct control, and it can be quite scary.
>
> janice

No kidding.. I'll never forget my MIL (whom I absolutely adore) looking at
me with a sad puppy face and going "You don't love my food???"

It was clear that it meant not loving her..
Will~

"Doug Freyburger" <dfreybur@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1164313116.534958.97660@h54g2000cwb.googlegro ups.com...
> determined wrote:
>>
>> Have you ever been to germany?
>
> Yes, though the vast majority of the German food I've eaten over
> the years have been at family homes and restaurants rather than
> the one trip I've managed to take.
>
>> If so, do you have any HELPFUL advice?
>
> I'll try -
>
> Eat more veggies. View sauerkaut and rotkohl (red cabbage)
> as veggies. Eat the cabbage containing dishes more and the
> bread and potatoes less. You'll end up closer to low carb
> than low fat but since either style works you'll do okay. Eat
> all of the veggies on your plate first before touching any of the
> meat dishes as a way to fill up on the lower cal/carb foods.
>
> Also I don't remember the portions served in Germany to
> be as large as the ones in the US. Calories matter and
> smaller portions mean lower total calories.
>
> While the Germans will likely sip beer during the meal, try
> to view it as desert. Alcohol tends to lower resistance to
> overeating so have the beer after a meal not during the meal.

Thanks Doug. Thankfully, I love rotkohl. It's amazing how much beer they
drink! But water mit gas is also very popular.

Being originally from Germany and having grown up with the meat and
potatoes diet, I have found though that "fat" German foods is mostly a
myth. Germans have always been very health conscious, and you will see
very few obese Germans these days other than in smaller towns where
knowledge of health or diets isn't as wide spread. Don't worry about
gaining weight. There will be lots of salads, lean meats, vegetables,
and Vollkornbrot (the dense, dark rye bread) to make you satisfied. You
can always go to a Reformhaus which is the equivalent of a health food
store to get your oatmeal, rye bread, flax seeds, and lots of other
foods. No doubt you will be walking as well. Good luck and enjoy
yourself. It sounds from your weather description that you're going to
Bavaria. J.

determined wrote:
> "Chris Smith" <splinez@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:ek2gmq$8u7$1$8300dec7@news.demon.co.uk...
> > determined wrote:
> >> Our family is soon to depart for Germany and parts of neighboring
> >> countries for 3 weeks. My weight loss has been very hard won, and has
> >> been very slow and difficult progress. I do not anticipate being able to
> >> exercise much beyond doing alot of walking, and eating within my normal
> >> plan is going to be impossible. I'm not sure what to do. I'm afraid of
> >> losing ground with my weight and fitness level. But in 3 weeks, how much
> >> damage can really be done? If I just eat when hungry, and try to be
> >> relatively conservative, even if it's not what I'd normally eat, can I
> >> probably maintain my current level?
> >
> > You make it sound like you are going to be kept under house arrest and
> > force-fed!
>
> Really? Why? The fact is, for most of this trip we are staying in a very
> small community with limited grocery access. We are staying with my
> husband's parents, who eat very traditional german food. Heavy in fat and
> carbs. Last time we went there was a meter of snow on the ground and below
> zero farenheit the entire time. We were even snowed in for part of the
> trip.
>
> Have you ever been to germany? If so, do you have any HELPFUL advice?

"serveandlob" <juttahaas@rogers.com> wrote in message
news:1164462360.395237.94100@14g2000cws.googlegrou ps.com...
> Being originally from Germany and having grown up with the meat and
> potatoes diet, I have found though that "fat" German foods is mostly a
> myth. Germans have always been very health conscious, and you will see
> very few obese Germans these days other than in smaller towns where
> knowledge of health or diets isn't as wide spread. Don't worry about
> gaining weight. There will be lots of salads, lean meats, vegetables,
> and Vollkornbrot (the dense, dark rye bread) to make you satisfied. You
> can always go to a Reformhaus which is the equivalent of a health food
> store to get your oatmeal, rye bread, flax seeds, and lots of other
> foods. No doubt you will be walking as well. Good luck and enjoy
> yourself. It sounds from your weather description that you're going to
> Bavaria. J.

Thanks for the tips! Actually, my husband's parents live in Freudenstadt,
in the SW near the Schwarzwald.

Willow Herself wrote:

> No kidding.. I'll never forget my MIL (whom I absolutely adore) looking at
> me with a sad puppy face and going "You don't love my food???"
>
> It was clear that it meant not loving her..


Man, that would be harsh. I love my MIL also, and she does cook
serious stick-to-your-ribs type vitals. I'm very lucky in that she's
proud of my weight loss, and respects that I'm committed to losing
more, or at least not gaining it all back. She respects my eating
choices as a result. I got lucky in the in-laws lotto!
--
Annie


As of 11-16-06: 258/182.5/140 Standing at 5 foot 4.


75.5 pounds lost. 42.5 left to go. Started February/07/05


Come visit my weight-loss web site, Annie Takes Off.
http://webpages.charter.net/lenny13/DietFrontPage.html