I am so sorry I have not been good at blogging. I promise to be better.
I recently returned from a trip to
Italy and
France and I learned so much! My husband and I were on an American ship for the first part of our trip. The servings were huge and if you wanted more, there was always more. If you wanted potato chips at 4am, they were brought to the room. My lapband did alot of work during this trip and thank God it was there or I would have gained. My husband, Nick, did gain!
Then we went to
France. Our first night in
Paris, we went to visit Nick's cousins. They had us out for dinner. We were served off of smaller than dinner but larger than salad plates. I have come to learn that they are called luncheon plates. The plate was smaller and therefore, the portions were smaller.
We then got on a barge. This was a french ship. The meals we had were wonderful! We were served smaller portions and in courses. The portions were 3oz of protein with about a half cup of vegetables and about 2 tablespoons of a starch. A salad was served with a cheese course. At lunch and dinner, we were served a presentation of 3 cheeses as well. Again the portions were small. In the
US, the cheese presentations would have included 3 hunks of cheese. In
France, we were given a taste of the 3 cheeses. About two bites worth. Nick actually lost weight on this part of the trip. There was never one minute that he complained that he was hungry and not getting enough food. Since the food came in courses, there really wasn't time to ask for seconds.
So, what did I learn on this trip?
America is getting fatter. Our plate sizes are huge! It use to be 12 inches, but now most plates are 13 inches. I promptly looked up luncheon sized plates on Amazon.com and ordered some. Nick and I have agreed to eat off these plates when we are not entertaining. I am also going to start to serve in courses. It sounds difficult, but if it keeps us eating smaller amounts, I am all for it. French people are thin and healthy. I believe it is due to the smaller amounts and the courses.
Stay tuned and I will keep you updated on how our little experiment is working.
