French Diet

[Lady Godiva]

I'm reading a book on the French diet called the Fat Fallacy. I've only just started it, but it's pretty interesting. Of course, I read somewhere that the number of diet books that you have has a direct correlation on how overweight you are.

So I guess I shall just have to cut down on diet books. :D

[dgirl]

Heh heh. I saw this title and automatically thought "is there a diet where you can eat wine, cheese and chocolate? I'm so there".

Please tell me there is Lady G. :D

[spoltbrat]

How many diet books do I have to get rid of until I'm a size 6?

I was thinking French Toast, French Fries, French Bread. Eh, one can dream.

[dgirl]

How many diet books do I have to get rid of until I'm a size 6?


Damn, I don't have any cookbooks or dietbooks. Guess I'm just going to have to start throwing away food... :D

[PrincessStacey]

I'm reading a book on the French diet called the Fat Fallacy. I've only just started it, but it's pretty interesting. Of course, I read somewhere that the number of diet books that you have has a direct correlation on how overweight you are.

So I guess I shall just have to cut down on diet books. :D

I saw something about this diet in Allure...It was the most effective out of all the women in the group! Could you please tell us more about this diet?

[dgirl]

I saw something about this diet in Allure...It was the most effective out of all the women in the group! Could you please tell us more about this diet?

Hey Stacey, you might be interested in this article (maybe Lady G too). It is referring to a different book than Lady G is reading (I think) called "French Women Don't Get Fat", but I'm guessing the ideas would be similar.

Discussion of "French Women Don't Get Fat" (http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/personalities/roundtable_the_french_paradox.php)

[Amélie]

I thin you might be refering to the montignac diet, which my mom is successfully on.. you're allowed to eat certain carbs (whole wheat in certain combinations) and chocolate if it contains at least 70% of cocoa, i think..

[Lady Godiva]

Actually, I read the French Women Don't get Fat book and now I'm reading the Fat Fallacy, which was written before the French Women book. Of course, I'm thinking: This American Woman Don't Get Cooking and She sure doesn't shop that often, so I think I'm flunking out already! :)

[Cherie]

I practically grew up in Switzerland (near Lausanne and Geneva), so naturally, France had a large influence on the method of cooking and dining I had become accustomed to. I have scoured over French Women Don't Get Fat, and have found it to be a true diet book - that is, one that touts a healthy, practical, and ever-so-indulgent way of eating for life, rather than the fad diet du jour. And I can personally attest that such a European method of eating was exactly how it is done, and exactly why I had never had a weight problem before coming to the States.

To give an example, a typical meal in Europe for me would have been similar to the following: wake up with a plain croissant and tea, lightly sweetened. Graze on fruit until a lunch of soup and half of an open-faced fish or thinly-sliced meat sandwich. Continue the fruit grazing until a slightly savory dinner such as fondue, roast duck, chateaubriand, etc,. Dessert would have been a few pieces of chocolate, or perhaps a small, sugared pastry. All meals were accompanied by water or wine (and usually a small salad or vegetables of some sort if the dish was not outright vegetarian), and all portions were considerably smaller than what one is used to in the U.S. We rarely - if ever - indulged in midnght snacks, yet we never went hungry and we never felt deprived. And we did not miss the large servings of desserts and such because we learned to savour the taste of the small sweet we were eating and draw the experience out just as we would if we were eating a larger dessert, of course, without the ensuing weight gain.

The saying "everything in moderation" is certainly true. Rather than guilting yourself into starving for a day after eating sugary cereal for breakfast (and then inevitably doubling up on the bad foods the next time you dine), simply restrict in other areas: decline to take from the bread bowl at dinner, choose water in lieu of sugary beverages, have only a few bites of dessert rather than the whole serving, or skip the treat outright in favour of something healthier, such as fruit. It may be a difficult change if you are accustomed to American eating habits, but it is one that is infinitely worthwhile for both your waistline and your well-being. :)

[Lady Godiva]

I think the motive of the American restaurants is to make as much of a profit as they can. If they give you a lot of food, you will feel you're getting a value for your money. However, I wish they'd charge about 1/2 of what they charge and give you about 1/2 of what they give you.

Of course, food is relatively cheap to sell and the markup is high, so the more they give you, the more they can charge, thus the more profit they can make.

This is not helping our waistlines. Their bottom line, yes, but my bottom line, no! :(

[Lara]

Hey Stacey, you might be interested in this article (maybe Lady G too). It is referring to a different book than Lady G is reading (I think) called "French Women Don't Get Fat", but I'm guessing the ideas would be similar.

Discussion of "French Women Don't Get Fat" (http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/personalities/roundtable_the_french_paradox.php)

Hey Dgirl--I just got this book to see what it is about. I will let you know what I think when I am done reading it. :)

Lara ;)

[R!KA]

I practically grew up in Switzerland (near Lausanne and Geneva), so naturally, France had a large influence on the method of cooking and dining I had become accustomed to. I have scoured over French Women Don't Get Fat, and have found it to be a true diet book - that is, one that touts a healthy, practical, and ever-so-indulgent way of eating for life, rather than the fad diet du jour. And I can personally attest that such a European method of eating was exactly how it is done, and exactly why I had never had a weight problem before coming to the States.

To give an example, a typical meal in Europe for me would have been similar to the following: wake up with a plain croissant and tea, lightly sweetened. Graze on fruit until a lunch of soup and half of an open-faced fish or thinly-sliced meat sandwich. Continue the fruit grazing until a slightly savory dinner such as fondue, roast duck, chateaubriand, etc,. Dessert would have been a few pieces of chocolate, or perhaps a small, sugared pastry. All meals were accompanied by water or wine (and usually a small salad or vegetables of some sort if the dish was not outright vegetarian), and all portions were considerably smaller than what one is used to in the U.S. We rarely - if ever - indulged in midnght snacks, yet we never went hungry and we never felt deprived. And we did not miss the large servings of desserts and such because we learned to savour the taste of the small sweet we were eating and draw the experience out just as we would if we were eating a larger dessert, of course, without the ensuing weight gain.

The saying "everything in moderation" is certainly true. Rather than guilting yourself into starving for a day after eating sugary cereal for breakfast (and then inevitably doubling up on the bad foods the next time you dine), simply restrict in other areas: decline to take from the bread bowl at dinner, choose water in lieu of sugary beverages, have only a few bites of dessert rather than the whole serving, or skip the treat outright in favour of something healthier, such as fruit. It may be a difficult change if you are accustomed to American eating habits, but it is one that is infinitely worthwhile for both your waistline and your well-being. :)

That's very interesting. Now that I read that it makes sense. My sister lived in Germany for a year and lost 4 dress sizes. They moved back to the states and she has gained most of it back! I think that's why she wants to move back there. LOL! ;)

[Pussycatdoll]

I spent a month in France 2 summers ago and I lost 10 pounds eating their diet/food there. Weird hey? And I was eating at restaurants a lot and everything. Their food seems so fresh and good there :)