I am going on a 10 day trip to italy monday, and I don't want to gain any weight back while over there, I would like to continue to lose in my normal manner. i know that I will be doing alot of walking but I am still nervous about counting my points, would using a italian foods point guide from my dining out comp. work since it's prob going to be alot diff from the italian foods we have here? help!

It's tough when you travel to another country. My suggestion to you is: don't try to count, you will make yourself crazy! Instead do the following:

1) Eat as much fruit and veg as you can (that pretty much stays the same - though in Europe we don''t generally count *most* fruits and veg)

2) Whenever possible, get GRILLED food items. This is always going to be better than fried.

3) Watch your portions. Want to try dilectible Italian Ice Cream? Go for the smallest portion available! It's about the taste mostly, right? So go for small and enjoy and savour each and every bite!

4) Same as in the states - when eating pasta, go for NON-cream based dishes. Usually, anyway, in Europe at an italian restaurant the pasta dishes are a 2nd course rather than the main course (that's meat) and the portions are smaller.

5) If you are in doubt of how something is cooked, skip it OR split a portion with someone.

6) Don't be afraid of olive oil. It's good for you. Even if it's a bit high in points.

7) Drink more water than you NORMALLY do. Get yourself a few bottles and carry them around with you wherever you go. I did this recently in Spain (it's a similar situation there) and I should have been floating away with all the water I drank... however, I'm convinced it really helped me!! I certainly didn't gain any weight even if it was for a weekend that I was away.

8) You will probably walk a lot! That's why I say don't worry so much about POINT VALUES... this is part of life, travelling and doing things outside of our WW comfort zone, if you are just sensible and not think "well, screw it, I'm on vacation" you'll be just fine All that walking is going to work off any of the extras that you may be consuming.

and nothing to do with weight loss... if you like coffee, be sure to try REAL italian espresso while you are there!!

Tony one of the best things about Weight Watcher's is that its World Wide! Here's the official Italian site.. http://www2.weightwatchers.it/

I would of hooked up and looked up a lot sooner then this but perhaps there's still time. Get ahold of your leader and see if they would help you in this quest. But email them or someone off their site, (Your Leader could go directly to WW and get the info.) tell them of your upcoming trip, find out the point values for the most popular dishes or normal foods that Italians eat. (When I was in Austria I was able to get ahold of their Getting Started Book which as our's does has all of their foods pointed. ) Keep in mind though of the cultural differences with points and their eating styles. Relying on your countries point tallies.

If there isnt enough time then fall back on your basic's. You know a cup of a pasta is 4 points, most fruits and veggies are free or very minimal. Take the time to find out what the Italian word is for certain foods or Fish. Being a pennisula they eat a lot of fish. Lots of healthy TASTEY food there!!

I hope you dont balk at this... But if your able... Find a meeting in one of the cities your going to. Its what an hour out of your whole trip. You will find if you go, the experience to be one of the most rewarding parts of the whole visit. You will be showing yourself and the locals how truely wonderful this program is. Sharing stories and laughing together... You and they will be talking about for years!! I did this in a little village in Austria and I still get a high when I think back on it. It was deffinately one of the highlights of my trip.

I dont know if your going on your own or with a group. But if on your own here are a few tips that will save you bunches. Using Venice here as the big city... Never eat in the big touristy city you will pay a fortune and recieve touristy food. Head 5 or 10 miles outside to the nearest village and savor the flavor of a "Mom n Pop" establishment, True Italian eats, while saving at least 20-30 dollars on the bill. Also a Gondola ride for 30 minutes will cost 100 dollar's... But if you take a Water Taxi big Big bucks saved there!

Okies I'm a little short on time as you can probably tell by the wording of this post.. I hope this helped somewhat and I wish you and yours a beautiful enriching trip of a lifetime!

sassy