Reply #20: My experience travelling in Europe has shown me that you can eat well and still be thin.

[CTyankee]

In Italy, the trattorias serve unbelievably good food just everywhere. The wine flows and every adult drinks a few glasses a day. In Rome, my thin American friend was looking at clothes and needed the larger Italian sizes to fit into (she's also tall and the Roman women are pretty tiny). I gave up trying to find clothes there that would fit me, and I'm a size 10-12!

They have "fast food" in Italy but it is generally eaten "on the go" and certainly not in the evening. Most restaurants I go to there are what we would call "family friendly" (what they would EXPECT a restaurant to be!). Big family sitting around a table, young papas and older nonne (grandmas) carrying babies around the restaurant for everyone to admire and comment on("E carino" and "che bella" are expected responses from you). The waiter will bring the check only when you ask for it.

There are so many other, better ways of living and eating...