I escaped the UK...here's my experience so far

This is doing me no good! I may block this thread.

You can do that?! Please tell me how!

I craved a fluffy moist American cake with thick frosting but some people in London think it's gross or too sweet.

Yeah there are so many dessert foods that I wuold be like "oh many, really want this!" and would show to people over here and they would be like ".....that looks way to disgustingly sweet..."

Luckily I now work with a person closer to my age who loves American food and stuff (we bond over food mostly....and we go to the gym together at lunch so we can eat more food! haha). She's always jealous when I tell her I'm going back home and what I plan on eating when I do or I'll whatsapp her pictures of all the delicious things. Took a while to find somebody that didn't instantly say "ohhh that's so fatty and sweet and gross!" but it's nice now that I've hit the point where somebody here gets it

and @x0Kiss0fDeath I so missed cream with iced coffee. Husband is addicted to this too.

hah in fairness, I've gotten so used to milk in coffee that it doesn't even faze me anymore. If I make iced coffee myself, I usually even use Almond or Hazelnut "milk" as a substitute as it's eve more less fatty and I think t's creamier and blends with the coffee better than normal skim milk.....but when I get home to the US for visits....Coffee creamer section beware!! haha

You can do that?! Please tell me how!

I think when you reply, you just untick "notify me of replies" if you have it ticked.  Not sure how you block it block it though.

I think when you reply, you just untick "notify me of replies" if you have it ticked.  Not sure how you block it block it though.

Nah, I literally would want to block threads. That or I'm not going to be on UKY over this summer. I was so sick of certain posts last summer but don't want to go looking at specific threads just to see new posts.

Nah, I literally would want to block threads. That or I'm not going to be on UKY over this summer. I was so sick of certain posts last summer but don't want to go looking at specific threads just to see new posts.

There are a couple of Ignore buttons - you can either ignore entire boards so their threads don't show up in your Recent Unread Topics list... you do that through your Profile settings.

Or you can ignore the posts of particular users - by clicking the 'Ignore' button at the bottom of their posts... and their posts won't show up to you anymore.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nah, I literally would want to block threads. That or I'm not going to be on UKY over this summer. I was so sick of certain posts last summer but don't want to go looking at specific threads just to see new posts.

In honesty, I think I had kind of disappeared for the most part from here last summer! So have no idea what kind of posts were happening. A "block" feature is probably great for those incidents though

I am now immensely grateful that I don't really like donuts! Though, after a few years in the UK, I may miss them.

I do the London Walk!  Elbows out, anybody in my way gets a good knock, two knocks if you are on your mobile phone.  If you are walking slow in front of me, it's time for a flat tire.

I'm really curious that the general consensus is that we put on weight while living here, but the things we talk about eating in the US are ridiculously fattening.  Plus, we walk all the time here. 

My theory is that sugar is hidden in every single thing you eat here, including bread. 

I'm really curious that the general consensus is that we put on weight while living here, but the things we talk about eating in the US are ridiculously fattening.  Plus, we walk all the time here. 

My theory is that sugar is hidden in every single thing you eat here, including bread.

Seconding that curiosity because I've not gained a particular amount of weight due to food here. I think my life is more sedentary here compared with working retail in the US so constantly moving around and being active. I mean, I walked around here for sure, but in the US, I was living a pretty unhealthy lifestyle where I wasn't eating enough (so even though I was eating fatty things like Taco Bell, it was probably one Taco Bell Meal that I was relying on for the majority of my daily calories with whatever leftovers there was for dinner and no breakfast). The weight I've gained from moving here is because I now work in an office where I sit for the majority of my day (up until recently when I joined a gym so do that at lunch) and then go home and veg on the sofa - especially in the winter/darker months - to relax. That combined with eating proper meals, therefore taking in extra calories, even though they are the right types of foods for the most part is why I gained a bit of weight since moving. That and not having those friendship groups here that would get me out and active like I'd do in the US.

Yeah, I think sugar is pretty much unavoidable. It's in most everything.

The first time I lived here on a student visa between 2012/13, I gained around 12 lbs. That's a lot for someone who's only 5'2''. It was a slow progression, and I think largely due to a complacency/being happy and eating too much with my boyfriend (now husband) and not enough exercise. I truly didn't realize how much I gained until I tried on a pair of shorts I wore from the summer before, and they didn't fit me at all! It took me a long time to lose it.

Weight's a funny thing for me. I'm a petite UK size 10, but to stay at a weight I'm happy with I really have to watch it. I don't starve myself or anything like that, just have to be mindful. I can gain weight easily. I really believe that everyone's body is different, and many people are naturally predisposed to be larger/smaller than others. I see it in my family. I have a cousin who was a dancer at Juilliard, as active and healthy as can be, but she still had to fight with her weight at times. Had no medical issues that could cause weight gain, it was just "one of those things."

Though I'm active here, I think I'm more active in the US. I think some of that has to do with weather! When it's gloomy or chilly out, I'm less inclined to exercise and just feel like curling up on the couch. When it's sunny or warmer (and Ohio does have better weather on average), I'm more motivated. I run and go on walks here. I'd go to the gym more, but it's just too expensive. Back home, I used to LOVE going on 9, 10, 11 mile bike rides near my parents' house. They live in the country where all the roads are straight and wide. I wouldn't even consider going on country bike rides here, as the roads are so much more narrow and winding.

I'm really curious that the general consensus is that we put on weight while living here, but the things we talk about eating in the US are ridiculously fattening.  Plus, we walk all the time here. 

My theory is that sugar is hidden in every single thing you eat here, including bread.

Sugar is hidden in every little thing in the US too. High fructose corn syrup anyone? It's in everything.

When people have mentioned it i immediately thought of the Freshmen 15 in college. Y'all remember that? People gaining weight because you're in a new place, eating less healthy than you used to, maybe eating a bit too much because it's nice and makes you feel better. Not being as active.

It happens to be the best of us, and its just harder to shift as we're older now.

Though I'm active here, I think I'm more active in the US. I think some of that has to do with weather! When it's gloomy or chilly out, I'm less inclined to exercise and just feel like curling up on the couch. When it's sunny or warmer (and Ohio does have better weather on average), I'm more motivated. I run and go on walks here.

 I couldn't agree with this more!

When people have mentioned it i immediately thought of the Freshmen 15 in college. Y'all remember that? People gaining weight because you're in a new place, eating less healthy than you used to, maybe eating a bit too much because it's nice and makes you feel better. Not being as active.

It happens to be the best of us, and its just harder to shift as we're older now.

This is so true it hurts! I always say that I wish I could weigh as much as I did when I thought I weighed too much...

This is so true it hurts! I always say that I wish I could weigh as much as I did when I thought I weight too much...

I know that feeling. I just found out how much I weigh and it's the heaviest I've been. *sigh* I'd like to go back to my heaviest at 26 please, before I joined a gym.