The Ex-Pat Diet

Without trying, I am consistently five or more pounds lighter than my usual weight when living abroad. Since I'm not exercising any more than I usually do or avoiding junk food of any kind, I have thought about how losing this extra weight is possible.

Here is what I've come up with--The Ex-Pat Diet* :

• Walk--Get rid of your car. Walking for half an hour to go to baby group or the museum is not that long. If you have a car at your disposal, limit its use to once or twice a week for things like stocking up on groceries or going to church when you're wearing high-heels.
  
• Stairs--Use the stairs instead of the elevator or, better yet, live in an apartment building that doesn't even have an elevator. Make sure you live on at least the third floor and carry a bag of groceries or a wiggly two-year old whenever you go up.
• Limit Processed Foods--No canned soups, frozen chicken nuggets, microwavable meals or any other ready-to-eat items that you can buy off the shelf in the grocery store. You never miss these things when they're not available, so don't buy them when they are.
  
• Limit Restaurants and Take-Out--Enjoy the international dishes at your disposal, but don't go overboard. Eating out should only happen on occasion, because it takes a major toll on your waistline. And you can't afford the restaurant life-style.

Pretty simple, right? Now, let's see if I keep up the Ex-Pat Diet when I get back to the States . . . .

*I'm no doctor, dietitian, or expert in any way; these are just my recommendations.