Making good holiday food choices in Italy

Thumpette

Hey all,

I am off to Tuscany in a few days for a week. I have been doing ww and been happy with the progress. I dont expect to lose anything on holidays and I most likely expect to gain, however i hope to keep the gain to a minimum- while still enjoying my holiday

My plan is:

Plenty of water
Swim a bit rather than just pool floating
Try to stick to the couch to 5k if i can manage in the heat
Avoid Pizza (not a huge fan anyway)
stick to tomato based pasta sauces

Does anyone have any other tips or hints as to how not to gain half a stone in a week?

Thanks!

EileenG

Most pasta in Italy does not come coated in sauce the way it does here, so the tomato base is not such an issue. I'd just watch the size of the portion of pasta. Last time I was in Italy, they served mega portions (okay, it was a ski resort, but still).

Try going for steak or fish and vegetables instead of always picking the pasta option. My kids pigged out on pasta at the beginning of the week, but were all on steak and spinach by the end. Go heavy on the salads, they do those better than cooked veg.

Watch the desserts. They tend to be huge. Go for an exotic coffee instead. Expresso with grappa or something like that.

jam_mac_jam

Fish, fish and Fish. You dont have to eat pasta all the time, order a main and dont have a starter and just have veg with it, you can eat very well in Italy without eating loads of pasta and pizza.

duckworth

The portion sizes aren't huge in Tuscany - they'd be smaller than here. I wouldn't worry about it, and just eat what you want within reason. The food is mostly very healthy - lots of salads, light pasta, lean meat.

It's also pretty much the food capital of the world - if I was going to Tuscany, the last thing I'd be denying myself was the food.

Meals are usually done over a few courses - Bread and Olives or Salad/Small Pasta course /Meat course/ Dessert. Dessert is usually really light in the summer there as well - fruit salad or sorbets.

How Strange

I'm wheat intolerant and was very stressed about going to Italy for 2 weeks a couple of years ago. I thought it was all pizza and pasta. The pizzas were divine and I risked stomach cramps one night just to have one.

I needn't have worried as I was in heaven. A yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, some hotels had small slices of rye bread. Gorgeous salads for lunch (parma ham, mozzerella, ripe tomatoes yum yum). For dinner I had fish almost every night. Just plain fish cooked on a griddle with salad or vegetables. The steak tends to be veal which I don't eat for ethical reasons but the risotto was also delicious. That left lots of room for an icecream every day. The best part of all was I ate like a king and I didn't put on a lb.

Thumpette

Wow- sounds so yummy! The only concern I have is that I dont eat fish- however I keep meaning to try and get into it- so maybe this is the perfect time! Thanks for all the advice

How Strange

Thumpette wrote: »

Wow- sounds so yummy! The only concern I have is that I dont eat fish- however I keep meaning to try and get into it- so maybe this is the perfect time! Thanks for all the advice

Chicken is on most menus and if you like veal you're sorted. Don't worry there will be lots and lots to eat which won't pile on the pounds.

dario28

How about eat what ya want on hols...enjoy it and dont be calorie counting

You are not a professional athelete so gaining a few cals wont matter and can be worked off when your back

Thumpette

dario28 wrote: »

How about eat what ya want on hols...enjoy it and dont be calorie counting

You are not a professional athelete so gaining a few cals wont matter and can be worked off when your back

Ah yeah I know your right- and once i get there I'm sure my little rules will go out the window. I've just worked long and hard to lose what I've lost and I would be pissed off to gain it all back in one week. The post holiday credit card bill is bad enough to deal with!

columok

Stick to your guns Thumpette. The fish and meat in italy can be fantastic. Have an occasional bruschetta or pizza knowing that you're keeping 60-70% of your diet clean as you would at home.