OP here. I meant to say, thanks to every who chimes in with similar experiences. It’s crazy-making, especially after I logged food and did the exercise tracker!

Really appreciate all the thoughts on reasons too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:-Our flour is highly processed.
-Our pasta is also highly processed, not made of the same durum wheat as Italian pasta.
-Our soil is extremely depleted of nutrients.
-There's hidden sugars in everything

This except I’m not knowledgeable about the soil issue.

I used to think the fervor about non gmo but as stupid but honestly now I think there may be something to it. And I agree we have more added sugars.

I also always lose weight in Europe. And stuff like pizza that makes me feel gross and bloated here doesn’t do the same here.

OP here. The pizza thing is noticeable for me. When I am there, I eat the Italian-style personal pizza, where you get one personal pizza. That’s a huge amount of pizza! I usually leave a slice or two, and can’t finish, but still, it’s a lot. Here, I feel gross and bloated after just one slice, and I rarely eat pizza as a result. I can’t help but wonder if there is something different in the pizza ingredients.

We generally have more cheese on our pizza here. On everything, actually. It may be the lactose.

Italian pizza is much lower calorie in general—lighter weight crust, thinner spread of cheese and toppings. Our low moisture mozzarella has *less* lactose—that’s not it. But Italian mozzarella also is less calorie dense.

You can get the special breads that you find in Europe in the U.S., if you look hard. Try ones made with Erewhorn wheat, available at the gourmet grocery stores. Or order your own speciality wheat flour and bake your own--it's not that hard! You can get hormone-free meat and poultry here as well, European butters, cheeses, and yogurts, etc. If you really want to eat like a European, you can..it just takes more effort. The only item you really can't get here is the unpasteurized cheeses and raw milks, unless you source them from a farm sub-rosa. So if you are convinced that European food is the bomb, change your food habits to eat like them!

Anonymous wrote:Don't eat crap - eat simple whole foods - whatever you want. It's that simple. And walk a lot.

What did you eat today?j

I’ve heard this but I always gained weight in Europe. I gained at least 10 lbs on a 4-month study abroad.

I really don’t trust the US food industry though. They will do anything to squeeze the last cent out of an ingredient if they can get away with it.

Don't eat crap - eat simple whole foods - whatever you want. It's that simple. And walk a lot.

Don't we in the US use sugar made from sugar cane? In Central Asia it is beet sugar. And as others have noted, we use a different kind of wheat. That and the ubiquitous corn syrup.

My European friend says it’s the bread.

My European spouse is convinced it’s got something to do with the enriched wheat here. Also, at least in France, bread goes stale in a day and can by law only contain four ingredients. Whatever is keeping American bread fresh for a week is probably not something that is good for us.

Anonymous wrote:The EU doesn’t allow most of the chemical garbage that’s polluting every single processed food we consume. Aren’t we the most sickly western country? Health is not profitable to our grossly corrupted medical system.

The FDA has been in bed with the mega ‘food’ corporatists forever, much like the AMA and big pharma.

Carbonation, including carbonated water.

Studies in rats show that drinking carbonated beverages, even non--caloric ones, increases the production of the hormone ghrelin, which is problematic for a number of reasons, but most relevant to this discussion, it causes the body to store fat for energy (increases adiposity). It also increases hunger and fails to satisfy thirst (which is why fast food restaurants serve giant carbonated beverages).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136335/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4049314/

I'm vacationing in Europe right now and my pants are definitely fitting better, but I feel like I'm eating more. So I totally get what you are saying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This entire thread is full of pseudoscience. Please go back to goop.

What exactly on this thread is "pseudoscience"? You said it, so explain yourself.

There's no evidence that GMOs cause obesity. None.
Americans don't drink more alcohol than other countries.
Our soil is depleted of nutrients? Evidence? Connection to Obesity?
Evidence that processed food causes obesity? Proof?
Pesticides cause inflammation and thus obesity? Proof?

I'll give you that eating lots of sugar probably has som impact. The rest of these reasons are garbage.

Not my job to educate you. You need to educate yourself if you really believe everything you just wrote. You are either a troll, or living under a rock.

So you have no reputable sources for your claims. Got it

I experienced this too. In my case, I was in a culture that enjoys a lot of sugar and definitely indulged and still lost weight effortlessly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:-Our flour is highly processed.
-Our pasta is also highly processed, not made of the same durum wheat as Italian pasta.
-Our soil is extremely depleted of nutrients.
-There's hidden sugars in everything

This except I’m not knowledgeable about the soil issue.

I used to think the fervor about non gmo but as stupid but honestly now I think there may be something to it. And I agree we have more added sugars.

I also always lose weight in Europe. And stuff like pizza that makes me feel gross and bloated here doesn’t do the same here.

OP here. The pizza thing is noticeable for me. When I am there, I eat the Italian-style personal pizza, where you get one personal pizza. That’s a huge amount of pizza! I usually leave a slice or two, and can’t finish, but still, it’s a lot. Here, I feel gross and bloated after just one slice, and I rarely eat pizza as a result. I can’t help but wonder if there is something different in the pizza ingredients.

We generally have more cheese on our pizza here. On everything, actually. It may be the lactose.