I Ate Like a European for a Week and Lost 4 Pounds

So, my challenge came to an end. Technically. But, based on it’s miraculous results, I’m going to keep living that European eating life.

Living and working in NYC I of course couldn’t live and eat exactly like a European. The cultural mindset and work/life balance are difficult to break free from. But I did manage to accomplish the following:

• I ate breakfast every day, consisting of full fat yogurt, fruit and honey
• Had a coffee mid-morning, trying for a cappuccino but sometimes having to bare with the semi-ok office brewed Joe.
• Ate a large, full lunch of dinner leftovers. I had originally intended to give myself a starter salad and fruit or cheese for dessert but that was too much tupperware to deal with at 6:30 am.
• Upon arriving home from work, enjoyed an aperitif of a glass of champagne and a few olives, followed by a bowl of leek soup as my meal’s starter.
• Dinner was a great cut of meat or fish, fresh from the farmer’s market vegetables, and some sort of starch (usually potatoes or beans). And, of course, red wine.
• Following dinner were a couple of slices of cheese and a square of dark chocolate, for digestion and sweetness respectively.

Overall, my days felt indulgent and satisfying. I loved that I wasn’t crunching down on boring salad at my desk or trying to eat low fat anything. The meals I made were quick to cook, and having multiple parts to dinner made my life feel very luxe. Plus, I’m the type of person who arrives home from work famished, so the aperitif was a great light hold-over to keep me from reaching for the typical “bread and cheese shoved in my face so I don't pass out right now” moment that would usually add empty calories and spoil my appetite. I felt that I was actually enjoying each meal, rather than eating just to survive, and that I actually enjoyed cooking instead of stressing over complex recipes, giving up and logging on to Seamless.

But the surprise added benefit? I lost weight! I don’t know how, but I stepped on the scale at the end of Day 7 and was magically down 4 pounds. I’m guessing that the richer meals minimized my snacking (and I ate planned-out fancy snacks, not “I need food NOW” snacks) and I never went back for seconds because the meals were satisfying, and I knew I would have a little treat coming later.

In my ideal world, eating this way would be accompanied by the other side of European food that I love: the quality time with loved once. The mid-day breaks for a shared meal, the aperitifs right after work (with no late work nights), and the sit down dinners filled with stories and laughter. Kind of picture perfect, and hard to come by on these Manhattan streets. However, I’m not going to stop my new way of eating and will continue to attempt to evolve the habits of my culture into ones that are more purposeful and appreciative. Next steps: not eating lunch at my desk, and convincing friends to have more dinner parties!