Hello. I'm excited to have found this group and will try to be a productive member. Here's my story - the long or short of it depending on your perspective...

I'm 41 years old. Almost 10 years ago, I experienced heart failure during labor. Thankfully, my son was perfect and I was in the right place for such a thing to happen (the hospital). At that time, I was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Basically, it's a genetic heart disease that can be negatively affected by exercise. For that reason, I've been on a restricted status from exercise ever since. It was fine when I was 31 and in shape. Now, I'm 41 and I've been steadily gaining weight over the past 10 years.

Two years ago, I moved with my husband and three kids to Naples, Italy. We are here for three years total. When we made the choice to move, we decided we would consider our time here an extended vacation of sorts and dedicate ourselves to experiencing as much of each different European culture as possible. To date, we have eaten our way through 22 countries. In addition to the weight gained by not exercising, I've gained 35 additional pounds, comprised mostly of wine, cheese, bread, and pasta.

So, here I am. I have 40 pounds to lose, I can't exercise, and I have another year left of this extended vacation. I've already bought new clothes in bigger sizes twice. I think it's time to do something about it before my heart takes on the added stress of being overweight.

My DH hasn't gained an ounce in the two years we've been here and my kids are active teenagers. I'm joining this forum to gain support in my struggles, and to give support to others also struggling.

I think my biggest challenge will be accepting that in order to lose weight, I have to modify my diet. I cannot do it through exercise so it has to be through my food. Wine and cheese have been my greatest vice since moving here and it's going to be very tough giving them up.

Welcome and good luck ! I'd say wine and cheese have got to go ! How about walking? Walking doesn't have to be strenous to be beneficial. Other than that my suggestion is to pick a diet plan that you can follow. There are many choices. I have tried them all ( or so it seems) I found that calorie counting works best for me. I am exercise challenged , too because of an injury and arthritis. I restrict my exercise to walking.10 minutes or so at a time a couple of times a day.

I can totally sympathize with you. I met my boyfriend while living in England, and we moved to Paris (where he is from). There are SO many temptations with fresh bouglangeries (bakeries!) and cheese, wine, etc., everything you had mentioned. How do the European women manage to stay thin? Honestly, my French friends only have "tastes" of these fatty indulgences, and then eat very healthy fruits, veggies, rice, nonprocessed dishes. For me, portion control was key, and of course moving around. Are you able to go on nice walks everyday, use public transport, that sort of thing? If you move more, you can indulge a little bit more as well. Another great thing is to focus more on cultural things that aren't food related, going to the cinema, art galleries, museums, parks, cafés for just coffee and not dessert. I hope some of this helps.

ninabina... your advice is great, thank you. I have spent time exploring other parts of Italy and the rest of Europe but I really haven't done my own city justice. I am going to plan at least one day per week being a backyard tourist.