image: Chic & Slim Special Correspondent Kat at the Keukenhof near Amsterdam.

|| 10 May 2018

Slim in Amsterdam

Our Chic & Slim Special Correspondent Kat reports on the state of slimness in Amsterdam with comments on the role of exercise in staying slim.

Spent the morning at Keukenhof, and just had to send you these! 32 hectares of botanical gardens, and bed after bed of tulips and other bulbs in full bloom. Amazingly lovely!

En route from Amsterdam, we were informed that the Dutch are not only proportionally the tallest people in the world , but also the slimmest in Europe! Since we arrived yesterday we have seen a non-stop streetshow of people eating waffles and fries and drinking beer. The only fat people spotted have been British tourists.

The explanation given is that everyone in Holland cycles or walks everywhere. I have read time and time again that exercise, though good for fitness, has little effect on weight. The Parisians walk A LOT. So do the New Yorkers. The majority of them are slim. And since I arrived I have clocked up 20,000 plus steps a day. Double the London average. Same happens in Paris, New York or wherever I choose to take a City break. I eat more than I do at home, and do not gain weight.

I can only conclude that the people who write these articles are wrong. To lose weight one must eat less, sure, but unless one gets off one’s butt one must eat so much less that one loses the will to live, let alone stick with the diet!  I had a small glass of “designer” beer with three little deep fried bits of something for lunch today. Delicious!

Have finished your new book. Equally delicious. “Old lady hair” doesn’t seem to have caught on in Amsterdam, thank God! Beautiful city, with attractive and friendly people of all ages. It’s been over 30 years since I last visited. Then, my only decent pair of shoes fell victim to the cobbled streets! This time round, two pairs of Fit-Flops! Ageing has its compensations!

Best,Kat

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