Oh, how I love bread...

So I'm going to be honest. During my first extended backpacking trip, I gained a little chunk of weight. And by little chunk, I mean 24 pounds. I know what you're thinking: "Aren't you walking everywhere and being active and whatnot? What were you stuffing your face with?!" Bread. A whole lot of bread. And Nutella (gods gift to mankind, in my humble opinion). When you're on a budget it is easy to eat what is cheap and readily available. Not too mention absolutely delicious. Bread, cheese, pastry, beer, wine, more bread, café. It's all delicious and cheap. But don't be fooled!! No amount of walking, hiking, and running after missed trains will prepare your body for such a huge transition from your normal diet. Especially if you're not actually eating enough. Trust me when I say I was horrified by the looks on my best friends faces when they picked my up from the San Francisco airport after my trip. They thought I was going to be behind the chubby Euro'd out chic who was walking towards them. If you really want to avoid gaining weight (a problem that really only occurred in Europe), make sure you're balancing out your diet. I wasn't eating enough protein, so my body latched onto every last carb I ate like a nursing baby to a tit. Grossly enough, my hair was falling out in chunks. Look for hostels that offer breakfast or at least have a kitchen, and consume something easy to make like eggs, pasta with some sort of meat, sandwiched with cheap sliced deli meat, ect. It is easy to get sucked into eating, bread, cheese, and salami everywhere you go, but that combination doesn't provide jack sheezy for nutrition. Try and even out the deliciously fatty stuff with with things that are easy to carry with you, like protein bars. And budget your trip so you can treat yourself a couple times a week to an actual meal. There are always really great hole in the wall restaurants that have an amazing menu with complete meals for every budget. But hey! Gaining a few pounds is totally worth it. It is all just part of the experience and trust me, you'll shed the pounds in a matter of a couple weeks once you get home.

Cheers!
Danni

                                  Skinny faced Danni in Paris at the beginning of my first trip

                                              Fat faced Danni in Spain at the end. Whoa!!

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