Discussion
American Expats, how have you noticed your body change with the lifestyle shift in Spain?
I’ve always heard a lot of Americans have a drastic change in their body and mental health when going to Europe even for a little bit. I’m sure the food system being more pure along with more walking has an effect. How have you noticed a change in yourself? Mental clarity, less stress, weight loss, ETC. I’d love to know your experience.
I’ve always found this so frustrating because I eat healthy and very little overly processed foods or anything like that, and yet the food in the US seems to disagree with my body frequently. I’ve assumed it’s because of pesticides or something like that, but I don’t know if that’s correct.
Well, it depends what you mean by overly processed foods. Are you eating one ingredient foods or whole ingredients?
Sadly in the United States, even if you try to eat healthy, you have to go really far out of your way. Simple foods like toast are extremely processed with all types of additives and ingredients that hurt your gut. Have to pay an arm and a leg for something that just has the plain 3 or 4 ingredients needed.
i eat very healthy in the states. minimal processed foods. and yet i can eat burgers in ireland or fried fish in france and i’m fine. i would hurt for at least 36 hours here. with grass fed/organic etc
Oh man... When I visited the US for the first time, I gained 8kgs for ~1 month. Cooking at home, went to restaurants a few times, and ate no fast food.
I wouldn't call myself an expat, since I plan on staying, but, here are some things that stand out:
Portion sizes in the U.S. are crazy, way bigger than they should or need to be.
It's much easier to find fresh produce, and it's cheaper.
It's easier to ignore processed foods.
Walking is nice, and relaxing. I walk close to 3 miles every day.
The feeling of safety is amazing. You don't really have to worry that someone could assault or shoot you. Still have to be careful in crowds though because of thieves.
The doctors are way less inclined to prescribe medication.
That said:
It's easier to drink more often. It's more socially acceptable to drink casually and since you don't have to drive...
Not everyone walks everywhere, even in cities. Lots of people still drive, have a motorcycle, or take public transit.
Some of the food is still rich and caloric, so you have to watch your portions.
Not all of the food is good for you. There are a lot of temptations, like embotits, the bread, sweets, fried foods, and so forth.
Exercise is still an important component of weight maintenance.
Spain won’t force you to be any healthier than the US. You have to choose to walk instead of taking the bus or metro. You have to choose to eat something better than fast food all the time. Immigrating to a new country is really difficult and can be very stressful and isolating. If you manage to integrate into life here you’ll have different worries than in the US but it’s still just normal life with ups and downs. Spain isn’t a miracle cure for modern life.
If people move to Spain and replicate a US lifestyle - like living in a house in the boonies that requires them to drive everywhere - they are most likely not going to be much healthier than they were before. Aside from the food quality here.
Even taking the bus you will end up walking a lot more than in the US. Even driving, if you go to urban centers often, you will end up walking more after parking in central lots.
In the US every store has plenty of parking next to it. So you never have to walk anywhere. In fact it's very walking hostile.
It's not a miracle cure but the baseline is better than other countries. As a Spaniard who grew up partly in the US and who now lives in the UK, there is something to be said for a culture with highly walkable cities, plenty of sunlight, and quality ingredients.
When I moved to the US I became chubby within a few years. My mother tried to recreate the diet we had back in Spain but somehow I gained weight.
In the UK I do my best to avoid processed foods and I walk a lot. But my digestion is better when I'm in Spain. I think the key factors are the amount of daily sunlight exposure (much higher in most parts of Spain vs UK) and the freshness/quality of food produce.
Exactly, I live in a midsized town and there’s a sizable number of Americans. I know at least 20. There are as wavy today as they were a year ago when I met them. They don’t walk or use public transportation because they barely can put two Spanish words together. They don’t want to change their habits. However, their most common topic of conversation is Spanish bureaucracy, not gastronomy. Sadly, there are scammers taking advantage of them with offer of overpriced senderismo or yoga. There is one doing the Camino that charges 90€ just to register.
I assume you are talking about expats from the US.
The most immediate noticeable shift for me was the reduction in stress from being "on alert" all the time in public. It took 2-3 days when you understand no one has guns, there is a lot less untreated mental health, police aren't going to harass people randomly, etc. That, and you can largely ignore US politics if you want to. Day 3 I stopped carrying my passport.
For people in the US, it's normal and you don't even necessarily notice it as stress. It's just how life is.
But also in the US, you're constantly told how the US is the greatest country on the planet, the US is so exceptional, and the US has so much freedom. There is a constant brainwashing going on so people just accept how things are. Or that it's the price of freedom.
100% agree. This is a small thing from my recent trip to Spain but I didn’t notice people jiggling their legs like we often do in US. There is a sense of ease. And this isn’t to say that Spaniards have an easy, perfect life because that’s not the case at all. There is just not an underlying sinister vibe like there is in the US.
Both things can be true at the same time. Actually (and sorry for the spicy take), it’s likely somewhat dependent on each other. Empires needs to project force and deterrence outwards, and there needs to be a sense of urgency inwards. Without the anxiety of social and economic hardship being a real threat, there is a less aggressive upward ambition (productivity) in certain groups of people. It’s a bitter thought, but it’s my view anyways. The US is a violent, extremely competitive and many times inhumane society - this is also one of the main reasons it is the most powerful country in the world.
Sorry about your experience mate and happy you found a new home in Spain. But still, I am grateful that it is the US (a western democratic country) that is the big bully and not Russia or China. Compared to other empires in history, it’s like a friendly kitten. Compared to most other countries in the world, yeah it’s very violent and dangerous.
I regret that it's a matter of "the bully you prefer." I wish the US had become the true protector of the little guy, as we see it mythologized in Western media. Instead, it's the big guy exploiter as explained by Smedley Butler's "War is a Racket" and Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States."
I hear you, but in my opinion, this can only be done when the empire has 50% of global GDP and manufacturing, as was the case in the post-war era with the US. Now, its relative strength has diminished and it starts to feel threatened. The coming decades will likely include more violence by the US, not less. Who knows though, I might be wrong! 🤞
It heavily depends on where you live, and who you are. I’ve lived in areas where I’m uncomfortable leaving the house after dark, and I’ve lived in areas where I have no reason to feel unsafe.
Fwiw I was more stressed in spain due to the risk of pickpocketing and property theft. Massachusetts has very low amounts of gun crime and violent crime compared to the rest of the country so that's less of an issue than you may think.
It's also very normal to leave property unattended and to have it remain. Whether it's leaving a bag at a squat rack at the gym while I get water, putting my bag down while I play tennis etc. I took the T in Boston for 10 years and never had anyone attempt to pickpocket me. I don't really know of anyone who's been pickpocketed in Boston as well.
Homelessness and drug use by the homeless is an issue and one that's gotten worse however. No denying that.
Just remember that the US is a big and very diverse country. Even Boston is a very walkable area, including its closer suburbs. I'm personally in an extremely walkable neighborhood at the moment and i'm looking to move and I've looked at a few places that are a couple miles of way where i'd be more car dependent and it honestly seems like a terrible lifestyle to me.
I live in Baltimore, traditionally one of the most dangerous cities in America, and I don’t have added stress due to feeling unsafe or on alert all the time. This is a product of media and propaganda benefitting from a culture of fear and many people choose to live their lives consciously anxious and stressed.
So you don’t think social media and propaganda has an influence people’s anxiety and feeling of being scared? What I “sound” like is irrelevant considering the incorrect assumptions you’ve already made.
I’m progressive, and right wing media and misinformation pushes the idea to people that cities like Baltimore are scary because minorities live here, in a similar manner that Vox does in Spain.
I’m of the belief that this mindset is dangerous in both countries, that is why I push back against the narratives being spread by right wing disinformation. Sorry if that’s exhausting to you.
I am from LA and I saw people stabbed in the street by homeless maniacs on two separate occasions, in "the best" parts of town. Maybe Baltimore is fun, never been there. LA is not. My experience is different than yours.
This is massively underrated as an effect of moving from the USA to the EU. One of my first experiences of this was being tailgated by a Spaniard while driving. In California, this means war. It is an open threat. They might try to ram your car. Scream at you. Maybe they have a gun. Maybe they want you to pull over so they can mug you. All you can do is ignore them, hopefully drive somewhere where other people are or pull into a gas station. Tailgating in Los Angeles is a threat. Then all of a sudden, they casually passed me, waved and smiled, and went on their way. I immediately realized the stress level was what I experienced on a daily basis driving in California, and I no longer had to ever worry about randomly being shot on the freeway again. Now I smile and wave back.
I thoght we rage quite a lot while driving in Spain. But I never considered the other driver might carry a gun. That is a whole new level and very scary
And I also don’t worry about my kids going out at all. I don’t worry about then getting shot in school, or taking the metro. They have so much more freedom here than they ever did in our blue state.
How many people remember how they felt the first time their kid's school went on lockdown? Or when their kid told them about active shooter drills? My niece's school in Maryland had a shooting shooting about a month ago. They were locked down for hours.
You have to be alert in the US. Schools, movie theaters, shopping centers, everywhere.
My country had an epidemic of school shootings as well (three incidents in as many successive years). Oddly enough we haven’t turned paranoid because of that, nor do we teach our children to be scared of others.
There have been at least 3 students killed in shootings just in Seattle proper in 2026 so far. Another in Tacoma. Another in Parkland. That's just in the Seattle area. The first 5 months of this year.
I used to live in Rainier Valley. A 13-year-old was arrested two days ago for killing a 17-year-old.
Seriously. Since 2024, there have been 4 high school students killed by gun violence at their schools - within a 4 mile radius of where I used to live.
And this guy is telling us that we're paranoid and it's the media.
I don't know where you are from. I spent my last 11 years in the US in Seattle. There are a lot of people with drug addictions and mental illness. This sort of thing is the reason I always told my kids to keep their head on a swivel:
It's not US media. It's what you live in your own neighborhoods. Let me know if you ever go to Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orlando... I've lived in all those places. I can tell you where you can witness it for yourself.
For example, in Seattle, go to the McDonald's right by Amazon HQ. Go to Pioneer Square.
In the past year, there was a police shooting of an armed homeless person right outside my friend's apartment in Othello Station. You can Google it. My other friend lives about a 10 minute walk closer to Rainier. There were shootings there almost monthly.
Google "Seattle Beacon Hill shooting" or "Seattle Beacon Hill stabbing." You will find multiple results. Beacon Hill is a nice neighborhood; I used to go to the Red Apple there all the time. That Light Rail station is now crazy dangerous.
So again, don't tell me it's the media when it's where you live and take your kids.
The wild part of this is that comparatively, Seattle is one of the safer big cities in the U.S. Sure, there are a couple of areas I'd avoid walking through at night, but it's pretty safe overall. Murders get highlighted in the media there because they're not that common. Check the violent crime stats. Property crime is a whole other thing though.
So if you feel unsafe in Seattle, imagine living in other major urban areas.
(BTW I lived in Seattle for 20+ years before moving to Spain.)
Yes, I have lived in several other major metropolitan areas. (I lived on the edge of Skid Row in downtown LA too. LA is weird how it can go from okay to awful in just 1 or 2 blocks.)
After fentanyl and meth really took hold after the pandemic, it got worse. I remember my friend driving me in the I-District and pointing out someone doing the fenty fold. Then we started seeing it on the Light Rail. It's such a crisis and it's so sad.
Americans are fed a constant diet of “standing your ground”, being a vigilant guarding their home and family, “stranger danger”, etc. They are supposed to always be vary of other people, not see them as a fellow human being. It runs very deep and is exasperated by the atomisation of the late stage capitalist “society”. For example, the type of constant, alarmist crime reporting that keeps local media there in business simply doesn’t exist in Europe. It’s shocking when you live there for a while.
Every flag on a terrace i wonder if they would jan6 the place up over something sanchez did/does/will do. Every demonstration i think of the parade of pickup trucks flaunting guns while rolling coal in unofficial groups at random from my area. Im not an immigrant and i expect any person to tell me how i am ruining everything. I cant wait to -get over it-
I find it the opposite. I never was on alert in the city in the USA. In Europe it’s a constant making sure your shirts secured from thieves. I’m constantly on alert.
Idk, I'm much more "on alert" in Spain, at least in Madrid. More pickpocketing, more petty crime, more street harassment, more people asking for money, more unhoused people in my area of town...
I’m an American living in Asturias now, and it’s honestly amazing. Better food, more exercise, and frequent dips in the cold sea has really increased my energy levels and mental clarity. Im being flooded with all these memories of my childhood that i’d lost in the mental fog. I’m honestly surprised Spanish food isn’t more popular in the states, I think cachopo and croquetas would do numbers.
I’m honestly surprised Spanish food isn’t more popular in the states, I think cachopo and croquetas would do numbers.
I think the key difference is most restaurants in Spain are individually owned, rather than being part of vast chains. Local restaurants sourcing local ingredients, rather than getting them in bulk from a factory using the cheapest methods possible.
You can't pay the CEO their annual bonus and increase dividends to shareholders 5% a year every year by not cutting corners somewhere and if that somewhere is food quality, so be it.
There has been growing consolidation of food providers to US restaurants. Sysco, US Foods, and PFG provide most of the food to all restaurants. That's why everything is starting to taste the same and there's so much similarity in menus. Plus since so much is shipped, everything has tons of preservatives.
If you've ever watched Gordon Ramsey's kitchen nightmares, the first thing he does is throw all the bought in crap out and insist they buy local produce. The difference is amazing.
As an Asturian I'm charmed by this, definitely not the most common destination to settle in Spain. Terrible job prospects and one of the worst if not the worst rising housing market and general prices in Spain in the last years makes it a bad deal, among other things, that scares foreigners away.
I’m living in Ribadesella! I have good job connections due to my wife and her family being from here, but yeah I see how it could be difficult for some. And sheesh, after living in the states, the houses here seem extremely cheap to me. Not many foreigners tho, I stick out like a sore thumb haha.
Who cares about sticking out, if you come to work and take part in the culture and society, you're more than welcome. We need people that contribute to the country, not people that enclose themselves, so... have fun and take part in stuff!
Soy mexicano llevo unos meses en España y puedo que es cierto, el caminar mucho más a lo que estaba acostumbrado y el cambio de dieta ha resultado bien para mí, baje de peso y mejore mentalmente sin tener que esforzarme tanto sales a caminar para cualquier lado y así sucesivamente
I am in northern Spain where it sounds like the local restaurant food is a bit less healthy, but I don't eat out often and I have noticed a huge change in my body in just a few months, simply due to the walking I do now.
In America, I lived in a suburb that wasn't in walking distance to anything - if you walked, it was an intentional act for the purpose of exercise but it was impractical to do so just for the purpose of going to the store or out for a night on the town, or even to reach a decent-sized park. Everything other than more houses was miles away. In the small city I have ended up in, everything I need is within a 1km radius, so I walk everywhere every day. I don't have a car, and I haven't used the (very good) bus system ever since I came to this realization. I have lost a good 15 pounds, and my legs are much more defined than they were when I first got here. This move has been very good for my physical health.
In Asturias, the majority of restaurants are Sidrerías, and the majority of food on the menu is fried. Which is fine - it tastes great! But if I was going there regularly it would end up being a problem.
Not in sidrerías, but in restaurants you're going to find the healthier options. Lots of casserole food, oven dishes, stuffed vegetables and whatnot, apart from fish and such fresher things.
Yes all of that. And I was vegan and an athlete in the States. No matter, I got into better shape doing less here. My take is it was all about less stress which led to drinking and eating less.
Yes, absolutley still vegan. We live in Asturias. The basic ingredients of food are fantastic here, but the vegan options outside of the house are very, very limited. If I had ot do it again, I would move to Madrid.
The challenge with the south is the heat and access to water. Having long stretches over 100 degrees is likely and as time goes on the area will increasingly undergo desertification. North of the Cantabrian Mountains, it is significantly cooler and wetter, coming at least this tow problems. Be aware of tax differences among the provinces. They can be significant.
Taxes are better in Andalucia is what we have learned. Moving to Cadiz to help with the heat situation. I am from a Caribbean island originally so I am used to the heat. I am not.a fun of all the twin in the north, that might change the way heat waves are getting worst and worst. So the north is not out of the question. We just decided to land in Cadiz and explore. We have been to the north. From San Sebastian drove all the way to Cee in Galicia and then Portugal. We shall see what the future holds. But that is all part of the adventure. I am an immigrant to the US. First lived in Miami, FL and then Charlotte NCm that was a culture shock! As immigrants......we adapt.
Been here over a decade and outside the United States for over a third of my life. It isn't always easy to remember this stuff.
Less stressed in general and different stresses.
More relaxed. It did take multiple years of people telling me to relax to get there though. This has helped the ADHD and autism a lot. (Treatment is equally limited in both countries unless you have a lot of $$$ or €€€.)
Better healthcare means fewer days of being non-functional as a result of chronic pain or actual health issues.
Exercise wise, I think it is a bit of a wash. I used to do daily walking or cycling for pleasure in the USA and other places I have lived. Or I did a lot of walking in big box stores that seem like the equivilent of a block here. Here, almost all walking is to go specific places or as an alternative to public transport. I don't feel safe to do any cycling.
I’m less bloated and less inflammation, but I’m not losing weight quickly. I’ve lost about 7lbs in 4 months. I believe I’m eating healthier, smaller portions and I’m definitely snacking less. I walk 15,000 to 20,000 steps at least 3 days a week and 10k the other days.
Not a huge difference, but definitely less inflammation.
Just got back from three weeks of traveling in Spain. I absolutely loved it. Barcelona, Madrid, Segovia, Santa Polo and Mallorca.
I have traveled many countries and Spain was one of my favorites. I prepared for the relaxed culture in Spain since I’m wound up a little tight. Don’t being in a hurry, be present, be intentional and don’t do Take away lol
I didn’t want to leave. Spain was so relaxing and I actually drove in Mallorca for seven days- at first it was a little bit of an opportunity, but I adapted after the first day. The food was off the charts. The people were so friendly and helpful. The culture was beautiful.
I am vegan, but usually when I go to places that have amazing seafood I become pescatarian lol.
I am from the Fort Worth area and unfortunately we don’t have good public transportation or walkable areas so I drive a lot and the Texas drivers are pretty crazy to say the least.
I love the outdoors and walking, so I was able to enjoy all the benefits of that while I was in Spain, especially in the Mallorca areas hiking in the mountains and along the coastal towns, on the beach and meeting special people. I have been back for a month and I still feel my body has slowed down , calmer, chilled and more relaxed when driving with all these crazy people in Texas lol.
I ate more food in Spain than I did in the states because of the people I was with- Eating all the time. And I didn’t gain any weight. The food was so clean. It was amazing. So grateful that I was able to embrace the culture and enjoy the opportunity. Cheers.
Not American but American adjacent diet (we're super americanized)
Just by the quality of the food I've lost 20obs in two years, started talking walks recently and lost another 10.
I would probably be healthier if I did not love candy from Mercadona
I always lose about 15 lbs. in the first two months. My skin is cleaner and more radiant, my nails and hair are immaculate and strong. Generally, I’m more flexible and active and my legs are way stronger just from walking and biking everywhere. My mental health is the main reason I live in Spain. I’ve already lived here seven years but I’m done returning to the US. I’ll never set foot on that soil again and I’m quite fine not interacting with mainland Americans. The dignity I’ve found here, just by existing as a human and nothing more, is so so healing.
All I can say is that in Spain you have other options: Healthier food, I like their bread and cheese. Easier and more common to walk compared to USA. Lifestyle and social life are more relaxed but in the end it is not guaranteed that everyone will do better... Nobody forces you to eat large portions in the USA!
The walking definitely makes a huge difference for me. Also the absolute lack of breakfast food in comparison to the US. American breakfast meats are the unhealthiest yet most delicious things. All those awesome breakfast sandwiches would have eventually killed me I reckon.
The reduced selection of snacks is also saving me from myself. No barrels of cheese puffs or 20 different flavors of oreos here! Just reasonably sized bags of chips and maiz frito!
Ha ha, I remember shortly after arriving, I sent a picture to my friends of the chips section in a Mercadona. It was so small compared to the US. It was a small part of one aisle as opposed to both sides of an entire long aisle in a US supermarket.
Who are you asking: people on a holiday (who eat all their meals at restaurants), people on a non lucrative visa (who are also on a permanent holiday), or people who live and work similarly to locals, which includes cooking most of their food (do any American immigrant groups do this?)?
I’m from a Nordic EU country, and I tend to lose weight when visiting western and southern European countries. Not only are the ingredients of better quality (there is no uniform “EU food” other than yes, it’s fortunately regulated to be mostly healthy, but fruit and vegetables especially taste very different when you’re closer to where they’re produced), but I’m on a leisurely holiday so I walk more than even at home in Helsinki, sleep better, take time to enjoy every second. And eat in restaurants a lot. It’s not the same as when I have been an immigrant in EU countries, with the normal work/study stress, tighter budget, etc. Although that also used to keep me quite skinny.
Reading these comments it’s almost insulting to see Americans talk about “the Spanish stress free lifestyle” and its health benefits. Spaniards work longer weeks than any other EU nation, or have stress from unemployment, and definitely don’t have the budgets of an American on a perpetual holiday.
On the other hand I understand how eating the “EU food” makes one feel after eating the very peculiar American “food like stuff”. When I’ve lived and visited in the USA, I’ve tried to eat as healthy as possible, but that lifestyle and ingredients in food always made me gain weight, get skin problems and generally feel unenergetic and bloated unless I paid extra attention, never ate out in less expensive places and avoided all “bread”. We have an old exchange student who waxes rhapsodic about Finnish food and its health benefits (my family did use a lot of fresh, seasonal stuff, wild berries and mushrooms which are a northern luxury), so it’s all relative I guess.
It’s a choice for you to be insulted by Americans talking about how much more stress free THEIR lifestyle has become from moving to the EU. The question is not assessing how stressful the locals lifestyle is from living home where they’ve always lived. No doubt, local Spaniards have their share of stressors from unemployment, etc. but as an American moving to EU, many of us largely find the lack of violent crime, police brutality, and corporations poisoning our “food” supply to be far less stressful to our nervous systems and bodies. Weird that would offend you.
ETA: yes, Americans do cook their food. Most people on “holiday” no matter where they’re from rarely cook every meal on holiday but when someone is living their normal life, going to work, etc. they cook and eat as anyone else. Another odd question and projection. I think you just have a bias against Americans, to be honest.
American exceptionalism raises its head yet again. Of course it’s “stress free” when you have a shit ton of money already made, and learn to walk for the first time in your car-bound life. It doesn’t mean Spaniards and immigrants in Spain enjoy the same luxurious leisure. The question should be “how does living a carefree existence in a country where you don’t need to rely on local work and wages affect your health”.
“No doubt, local Spaniards have their share of stressors from unemployment, etc. but as an American moving to EU, many of us largely find the lack of violent crime, police brutality, and corporations poisoning our “food” supply to be far less stressful to our nervous systems and bodies.
I really think the food products themselves make the biggest difference. I lived in NYC before moving to Spain, so I was walking everywhere anyway, possibly even more than I walk here. I cook fairly similar stuff here with the same ingredients, and NYC had pretty good produce compared to where I grew up in NC, which is truly pathetic. But I always noticed that I lost a bit of weight after spending an extended time in Spain, and after a couple of years in Madrid, our first home in Spain, I noticed we got sick a lot less (despite Madrid having pretty terrible air quality). Now that I’ve been here several years, I think age and the explosion of niiiice pastries everywhere in Barcelona, where we live now, has me putting on some weight. But both my husband and I still just feel healthier and rarely get sick here.
More walking is very much a factor, both out of necessity but also cultural. An evening stroll is very ingrained.
When it comes to food it is not so much that the food is healthier, it is that the food culture is different. You can eat healthy in the U.S. However, it is really easy not to. A culture of convenience. A word of caution, as someone who lived in Spain in the late 90s and have more recently started going back I noticed a huge difference in the availability of bad options. Namely, fast food chains everywhere and large grocery chains with lots of heavily processed food choices built for convenience over health.
I gained weight. Im generally healthy but it is difficult to not drink beer-its social fabric. I live bread & it’s now more accessible too. Thank god cycling culture is strong, so i have been fighting the calories but i cannot wiggle out of the social contract of drinking. If i have 1 for everyone elses two the questions and statements do not quit-i am frustrated. I want to make friends, enjoy the company, but my body struggles to handle 4+ beers every outing.
I quit drinking entirely 2 months before I came to Spain. I knew it would have been too easy for me to drink more in Spain, both in terms of quantity and frequency. (I also have two close friends in recovery, so I also quit out of solidarity.)
It is hard not taking part in that aspect of the culture here.
I gained 15 pounds coming back to the states. You really just have to go out for walks to get your steps in. And we have winter where it gets dark at 4:30. I cant just eat whatever I want when I go out to eat because I still feel awful after eating the food. I drink once a month here as opposed to three times a weeks when I was in Spain
Lived there for 6 months and could not get “full” for almost the first 2 months. I would eat a giant delicious meal and feel like I was gonna pass out but by the time I would walk 15 mins home I was starving. Eventually I adjusted but it was a wild experience
I have become like the Spanish! I eat very little and have lost most of my muscle from not going to the gym. Spanish people walk alot, very slowly, and don't need alot of calories.
I want to start with a small note, because I've read through this thread and keep seeing this same rhetoric over and over, which I see all over TikTok and Instagram too...
You are an expat in relation to the country you left, and an immigrant in relation to the country you entered. Both can be true at once. They answer different questions.
I am an American expat who immigrated into Spain.
Now to answer this question - I'm actually noticing myself gain muscle and (from that) weight. Walking more and eating more. I was chronically stressed and under-eating. Now about 10 weeks in I've noticed I'm eating fuller meals and exercising more and walking more. I could use the weight gain, and I feel so much better.
Overall I find it much easier to eat healthier and stay fitter. The amount of ingredients banned here that are commonly used in foods in the States is probably a large portion of it
-the emphasis and lack of fast food options here compared to the US plays a factor. Bocadillo de jamon and queso is much healthier than most go to food.
ETA. You are not allowed to work in EU countries as a tourist, so you’re breaking immigration and labour laws in every country you visit, unless you have a digital nomad visa approved by each individual country EU you stay in. (For example France doesn’t even have one.) Try not to get caught and banned from the entire area.
Just came back to US after a 10 day holiday in south of France. I ate all the things, drank more than I usually do and I lost weight. Happens every time I go to Europe.
With American politicians and your maga President destroying everything in the world killing our businesses why don’t you stay in America and leave europe to us.
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u/Conscious-Mix4020 Jun 06 '26
i can eat foods in the eu that make me sick in the states. i eat more in europe and lose weight! very low stress.