The French Way

I'm curious to see if anybody has read French Women Don't Get Fat. What do you think?

It seems like there are two paths to choose from: schedules meals three times a day (like FWDGF), or a system when you eat solely when you are hungry.

Which one is better?

All of the recent diet books (published over the last 5-8 years) seem to agree that eating regularly is important to weight loss. Apparently it keeps the metabolism active and stable. Skipping meals causes the metabolism to shut down and then hang too tightly onto the calories, converting them to fat rather than as immediately disposable energy. 

Having spent a good deal of time in France (Paris) as well as Italy, there is a very big cultural difference. They are just as productive and industrious as we Americans are, but they have dramatically less stress. Taking time for a meal is a priority. What they eat is not necessarily any more well balanced or nutritious (except that they eat FAR LESS processed foods) than us.

The residents of both countries have dramatically fewer incidents of heart disease despite smoking, drinking and eating sausages and cheese with every meal. It seems therefore that it's not the content of their diets as much as the philosophy of life.

So, the conclusion to this very long-winded answer to you question, in my opinion, the "French Way" does have merit -- a lot by observation and by experience.  Eating regularly, I feel less hungry, and I'm less prone to snacking on bad things. My body seems to also metabolize the food I do eat more efficiently. When I've been in Europe, even if I'm not walking every day, I either maintain my weight or lose a little weight.

I think another major difference is (as hinted above) to reduce or eliminate as much of the processed foods as possible. The more whole the food, the better the body can metabolize it.

Any other thoughts out there?

^kckatl, if you spend a good deal of time in any major city there are big cultural differences from "the rest of the world." It's not true that French people eat less processed foods. Many "city people" eat less processed foods than "average folk." But French people DO get fat: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/25/internation al/europe/25obese.html

OP: The plan that works best is the one that works for you. When whatever you're doing stops working for you, change it.

If it makes you feel special to eat french, then go for it. I recommend the fois gras.

I love that book and tried it for a while, feeling really good that way....you know, just eating very small meals, when strictly hungry, and once I did that, I was always hungry at meals...it is often inconvenient when I'm not at my 0 hunger level and the whole family is eating...guess I just need to let my system be adjusted, but really, for the most part, I eat only when I'm hungry anyway.

What I got out of the book, French Women Don't Get Fat, is that they savor good quality food instead of devouring larger portions or junk. It talked about buying the darker chocolate but just having a small piece of it, instead of say, a Snicker bar. So it was about portion control and enjoying the good stuff. I think it might have mentioned something about drinking water and tea but that's nothing new either.

To sum it up, it didn't really offer me any new information. I can't say if overall, French chicks are fatter or skinnier than anyone else but that's what I learned.

greetings from a french gal,

i think that french people take the time to eat, in family, family meals are important and the biggest difference is portion size.

We went to america one year and our first night at a restaurant was shoking, as we had no clue of american portions we ordered as we would do in france, starter and main, a salad was a bowl of salad and the steak oMG was huge..We hardly finished our plates. French restaurants are known to have small, tiny portions for an expensive price ehehe

But dont think that all french ladies dont get fat, you see it more and more due to the influence of america, more people now eat junk food, less time to cook meals etc.. the size of clothes have changed as well in order to conform to the weight changes of europeans.

People in france as well walk more perhaps, you take paris or other cities, eventhough they use the subway around, they still walk a lot as having a car (gas, parking etc) is expensive...

The size of french people is changing, yes some might slim but more and more are gaining weight just as in other countries due to the same circumstances, not enough exercise and eating more on the run then taking the time as before to eat..

portion control, knowing the good food from the bad food, not eating when you are not hungry (my parents always told me when i said im not hungry anymore to stop as there will be no gain from overeating) and exercise... most important is to walk, move, dont take your car if you can get there by 30 min walking.. etc..

I personally prefer the 'Eat Solely When You Are Hungry' system. But this is because by following this system, I can keep my IBS in check.

I'd heard the French don't snack - at all. What if I'm hungry?

You can choose... Either have a light snack such as a piece of fruit or ignore it and wait until the next mealtime.  If you're going for the traditional french approach you'd probably do the latter.  It would be frowned upon to snack at your desk, or (horrors) eat when walking down the street.. I remember that from when I worked there.  But it's entirely up to you.

Original Post by freshbakedpi:

If it makes you feel special to eat french, then go for it. I recommend the fois gras.

 

Urgh... I could never forgive myself if I tried fois gras after watching a program about how its produced :(

Original Post by sintiachita:

But dont think that all french ladies dont get fat, you see it more and more due to the influence of america, more people now eat junk food, less time to cook meals etc.. the size of clothes have changed as well in order to conform to the weight changes of europeans.

Wait a minute.  It's the US that's making the rest of the world fat?  I thought the French looked down on us, why would they want to be like us?

I think you'll find the US looks down on the french... ('cheese eating surrender monkeys....?).    Actually, the 'influence of America' referred to is shorthand for 'a MacDonalds, Burgerking or Subway opening up on every street corner'....  Royale Au Cheese Eating Surrender Monkey, if you will.

I am almost finished with the book.  I found a lot of the information to be pretty basic but the principals are good.  Choose to eat quality instead of quantity and move more.  I think it would be a good read for someone just beginning a lifestyle change.  I did take one piece of advice from the book and now enjoy a piece of dark chocolate on occasion.  Until that point candy had been strictly off limits.  Yum, chocolate!

Original Post by kisteel:

Original Post by sintiachita:

But dont think that all french ladies dont get fat, you see it more and more due to the influence of america, more people now eat junk food, less time to cook meals etc.. the size of clothes have changed as well in order to conform to the weight changes of europeans.

Wait a minute.  It's the US that's making the rest of the world fat?  I thought the French looked down on us, why would they want to be like us?

 I agree.  As much as us Canadians LOVE blaming stuff on the US as much as the rest of the world....the US is MAKING France fat??  I don't think so.  The French food culture has been around longer than the US has been a country.  It's up to the French people (and everyone else that would like to eat well) to say "No thanks, we eat real food at home and at fun bistros and stuff" when the MacDonald's corporation knocks on their door.  Didn't do that??  It's your own fault then.

No one makes you eat crap but you.

Original Post by linz78:

Original Post by freshbakedpi:

If it makes you feel special to eat french, then go for it. I recommend the fois gras.

 

Urgh... I could never forgive myself if I tried fois gras after watching a program about how its produced :(

 Suit yourself. More for me!

Keep in mind that a lot of French women smoke and this has shown to cause weight loss.  Not really the path that someone would want to go down.

Yes, I've often wondered what the lung cancer rate is in France...

I read this book, and I truly enjoyed it!   It certainly made me hyper-aware of every ingredient on my food labels.  It IS amazing how many man-made chemicals we consume everyday without questioning them.   For quite a while I was living the philosophy of the book to the best of my ability and continuing to lose weight.   It is nice to remind myself that you can enjoy anything, as long as it's in moderation.

I found it hard, though, to use the advice found in that book (eating by intuition), and calorie counting.  I think that's when I first fell off of counting my calories, and I went astray.  Unfortunately for me, intuitional eating is not my forte.   My emotions screw all of that up.  

I did take some good advice away from it.   Eat well!  Make the calories you eat worthwhile nutritionally AND make sure they satisfy you.  Savor your meal!  And I totally agree with  tciherr!  The square of dark chocolate thing is perfect!   I never thought I could be so satisified by one little square of chocolate.  The trick is to pick a really good brand of dark chocolate.   Then just savor every chocolatey moment of it.   Godiva's my favorite, but I loved those Ghiradelli squares too.   Not a big fan of Hershey's. 

Have you tried Hershey's Special Dark?  It's surprisingly good for corner-store-chocolate. 

If we look around everywhere, asia as well, more and more people are more heavy then they were 30 to 40 years ago as there are more and more fast food or food take away available, people work less phisically as they did before, it is our world that is changing and our cultures, way of life.. 

I know that no one forces you to eat McDonalds or Burger King, like no one forces you to snack on junk food, its just that now compared to before these places are there.. affordable and quick.. I mean to be honest, i have lived in cambodia for 3 years now, here there is no McDonalds, there is only some kind of copy of burger king but its crap.. and everytime i go home to france i go to McDonalds because i miss it.. Perhaps in france there are more quality food, take the cheese for example it is proper, full quality cheese, tastes better, of course it is heavier in calories but you just need to control your portions..

In cambodia, i have the issue that i dont eat enough meat, fish, veggies, and do skip meals because i dont know what to cook.. no time.. and just because i dont feel like it.. i know that when i will go back to france for holidays i will hav a hard time adjusting again to the bigger meal portions as i am not used to it anymore.. i dont limit myself, when i feel like eating something high in calorie i take a few bites and leave it .. just to taste and satisfy the craving.. i mean chocolate, hum havent had a nice piece of chocolate in a long time as it is very expensive here.. cheese thats expensive too here... so we are quite limited..

French people snack, but like for myself i have been taught since childhood to snack on fruits, apples, pears etc..

A tip as well to portion control is using smaller plates. Less space on the plate to pile up the food, thus less you will eat. My parents always told me to eat slow, chew the food, puch the plate away when u feel full.

the french way of eating is just another type of diet book that will cover the same points that all diest book tell you, there are the good food and the bad food. the bad food you can allow yourself from time to time but in controlled portions, exercise, eat when hungry etc..

As for smoking, well a smoker is generally in average 3kg below the weight they should be, smoking burns calories and basically acts like a way to reduce your hunger... but in any case smoking is bad and very hard to stop.. i know i have done the mistake.. and am preparing myself to stop at the end of this month..

Dear all,

I would like to apologize for my first post, perhaps my english was not formatted the way i wanted to explain.. Not blaming anything on the US, evryone is responsible for their own life, weight etc..  what i wanted to explain is that before we didnt have those kinds of fast food.. and now we do i mean the numbers of McDonalds, kebabs, sandwich stall etc are increasing, like in any other country (well i wish they would come here in cambodia, would be a change for once.. im tired of rice eheheh)

Cultures get influenced by other cultures they welcome the new changes, france is just a bt behind america.. but you will see if europeans dont watch out they will be at the same level of america... we are still living in france at a slow pace and takign the time..

but thats my opinion. didnt want to blame it on anyone and sorry if my english was misinterpreted