I weighed in at 280 pounds this morning.

I ate a reasonable facsimile of a European breakfast this morning.  I had pumpernickle bread with butter spread on it and topped with roast beef and swiss cheese.  I ate this with a knife and fork as you are expected to do in Europe.  Here, it would seem more likely to put another piece of bread on top and eat it like a sandwich.  I’m quite sure any weight loss benefits of eating a breakfast like that would be the same with or without the bread.

I also had a half grapefruit (salted) and a large glass of organic milk.

This is very similar to what I would expect for breakfast at a European hotel.  In Europe, you don’t order breakfast.  You walk into the breakfast room and everything is laid out.  Here are typical things you could choose from:

Sliced meats (a wide variety, some cooked, some smoked and some raw)

Fish (generally smoked or raw)

Sliced and block cheese (some very soft and very strong tasting)

A variety of breads (some sliced, some formed as small rolls)

Butter

Yogurt

Boiled eggs (large and brown with a date stamp on each egg)

Muslix (in Switzerland… some other kind of oatmeal like cereal in other countries)

Fresh fruit (apples, oranges)

Three or four kinds of juice (orange, orange-mango, passion fruit, etc) at room temperature

Water

Milk

You grab a plate and fill it up.  It is common to go back for seconds or thirds.

Everything is eaten with a knife and fork.  I was always amused when I saw pizza, sandwiches or boiled eggs eaten with utensils.  When I showed my European friends how we peeled eggs, they were very amused.  They crack the top and pull it off (there is only a top because they have an “egg holder” as a dish).  Then they use a spoon and scoop out the contents.   In any case, I am quite sure the manner of eating has nothing to do with relative health and weight-loss.  I’m just trying to give you a flavor for European culture with those comments.

After breakfast, I walked a mile.

Weight loss is continuing…  even with massive amounts of food ingested at every meal… even with minimal exercise… even without restricting fat, carbs or calories.  Imagine that.

-James D. Brausch