French Women Dont Get Fat

[nutty]

Hi,

Has anyone read this book "French Women Dont Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure" by Mireille Guiliano? See

was watching Oprah & Oprah interviewed Mireille about her book. Apparently French Ladies eat all they want, what they want & dont go to gyms & yet they are all slim! Their secrets are mentioned in this book... One of the audience tried the French method & lost 22 pounds in 3 months.

cheers

[kestrel]

includes eating and chewing slowly .. the french cuisine itself .. way of cooking etc. it's very educational but hard to practice locally unless we know how to substitute the ingredients in the recommended recipes in the book

[nutty]

you think its worth buying the book? i was pretty impressed with the audience member who lost 22 pounds = 55kg (??) in 3 months!!!

besides the eating & cooking of food, what other tips were there?

thanks

[kestrel]

i only flipped through the book abit and read the book review in ST column. hmmm cheaper to buy 2nd hand off amazon?

[nutty]

ok...thanks

[Michele]

I also watched the episode on Oprah.

Frankly speaking, I don't think that it's a must that you have to eat French food in order for the diet to work.

For example, I have the tendency, especially when hungry, to cook instant noodles, dump them in a bowl & eat hastily in front of my computer.

So in the end, I am physically full but I didn't really enjoy my meal at all.

So now instead, I'd sit at the table, eat a proper meal. Not only that, I make sure that I take in the colours & texture of the ingredients. While eating, I'd also chew slowly & try to appreciate the taste & smell of it. So in the end, instead of merely wolfing down my food, I feel full not only in the physical sense. Furthermore, this takes a longer time to finish my meal...so I tend not to eat a lot.

That's my little adaptation.

[kestrel]

argh .. error when i click post. anyways klibby that's what i meant! hehhh only you expressed it way better than i do. the book was written based on the french culture hence if you are the sort of person that would follow the tips through and through, it's not practical because most of the food items will be too difficult or too expensive to buy locally. between this and jaclyn tay's book, i would buy the latter because she's known to be a stickler for healthy living and exercise. alot of the stuff she teaches in both her book and the monday's program is already known facts and now she's put them altogether for the convenience of readers / viewers. one of the cotter's selling this book in her swap list cheaper

[kissera]

The following are a few of her tips from her book:

Keep A Food Journal: You might not eat bread, but you may drink big cappuccinos topped with a ton of sugar everyday. Also you may realize that you ALWAYS clear your plate, even if you weren't really hungry. Guiliano says once you realize, for example, how many bagels you are consuming, it will be easy for you to cut this food out. She writes though, "but if one of them is critical to your contentment, reduce incrementally."

Savor What You Eat: Guiliano believes that guilt about eating is what really has ruined food for American women. There's so much guilt and sin associated with food, she writes, that of course eating becomes a burden for American women. French women, instead, eat with all five senses, she says. This allows them to actually eat less because they are actually paying attention to what they are tasting. The other key factor, she says, is that French women don't eat until they are full. She believes that three bites of a dish are all you really need to enjoy, and she really applies that rule personally when it comes to her weakness: pastries.

Slow And Steady: The author says that if you're looking for a quick fix, this book is not for you. This book is about a lifestyle change not a quickie lose-five-pounds diet plan. She says that a "proper recasting, resetting your body's dials, is a three-month affair. The key is to make it a pleasant three months, not a sentence in Bastille."

Variety: Eating the greatest possible variety of good foods is the KEY to losing weight. She writes that "such variety will go a long way toward compensating you for those things you miss -- you will actually find yourself not missing them so much." She compares eating the same old thing to a bad romantic rut. "Losing that spark -- and just as likely to get you in trouble," she writes. This is a good opportunity to try your hand at cooking, trying new flavors, foods, herbs, etc. And again, CHOOSE QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. PICK THINGS IN SEASON. "A final trick of variety: Since the pleasure of most foods is in the first few bites, eat one thing on your plate at a time, at least at the start of the meal when you can concentrate and enjoy the full flavors. The mouthful of melange (blend of foods) defeats the purpose of variety."

Drink Water: She believes Americans don't drink enough water. Instead of reaching for a glass of juice or a cup of coffee, drink a glass of water when you wake up. She says that French women understand that drinking water is a powerful way of controlling one's weight -virtually without sacrifice. Water helps keeps your body hydrated, but also helps flush out the toxins that can make our bodies bloated and swollen. Water is lost passively more than people think: sleeping is a good example.

Ritual Eating: Make eating a special time. Turn off the T.V. Don't read at the table. Instead, focus your attention on what you're eating. The reason why people gain more weight when they eat in front of the T.V., is that they are not paying attention and are carelessly eating for the sake of eating. So eat only at the table (even if you're single), using nice plates (no paper). And eat slowly and chew properly; practice putting down your silverware and savoring your bites.

Portion Control: Learn it slowly. Cut back gently. Eating good food is great, but do you really need to eat half a pound of salmon? No. Use a scale, and reduce ounce by ounce. You won't notice that you're eating less, but your body will.

And on a related note, if you are craving chocolate, have one bar of good quality chocolate and have one bite, that's all you really need to satisfy your craving. It's that discipline that really separates American women and French women. American women are so wrecked with guilt regarding food that they tend to go from one extreme to the other.

Walk: She writes that French women don't like sports or the gym. Instead, it's part of their culture to walk everywhere. That isn't the case in the states, but she says even walking a few blocks here and there or climbing the stairs will do wonders.

Ritual Preparations: She writes that "French women love to shop and prepare food. They love to talk about what they have bought and made. It's a deeply natural love, but one that is erased in many other cultures. Most French women learn it from their mothers, some from their fathers. But if your parents aren't French, you can still learn it yourself." She says that you should go to the market two to three times a week and buy only what you need. None of this twice-a-month grocery shopping Americans do, she writes. This way you can bring your own lunch, and make your own dinner. She says that in no time, you will find yourself doing it automatically.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in666429.shtml

[brumeux]

wow.. thanks for the review.
was waiting for NLB's queue, until i don't have the patience anymore, so cancelled it..

[shazzerlyn]

Walk: She writes that French women don't like sports or the gym. Instead, it's part of their culture to walk everywhere. That isn't the case in the states, but she says even walking a few blocks here and there or climbing the stairs will do wonders.

this is so true! I realised that the women in Venice (where the only form of transport if the ferry and the other most trusted "vehicle" are your legs!) are all very slim as compared to other cities. I realised that it is due to all the walking around Venice!

I lost 1-2kg in 6 weeks just by walking while I was travelling despite all the eating!

[kare2711]

I have to agree about walking too! When I went to Europe, I always lose weight. Not because I was not eating (I gobble down cans and cans of Coke; and they say a can of coke is filled with 900 calories!!) but because I was walking everywhere. And I'm not talking about brisk walking.

If my career is walking from 9 to 5pm, I would be as thin as paper!

[kestrel]

i lost more weight walking practically non-stop cause of shopping in HK over 4d3n than 2 weeks of gym. not to mention all that eating. SERIOUS!! think when i came back and measured, i was 2-3kg lighter or something.

[natnatviv]

nutty, i have the book
interested? let me know, i will lend it to u

i seriously think it is all about sensible eating, and really moving around abit, ie walking

[stellazeex]

I have to agree about walking too! When I went to Europe, I always lose weight. Not because I was not eating (I gobble down cans and cans of Coke; and they say a can of coke is filled with 900 calories!!) but because I was walking everywhere. And I'm not talking about brisk walking.

If my career is walking from 9 to 5pm, I would be as thin as paper!

we can substitute it by walking from plaza sing to far east in sg context.

[kare2711]

Yah, but that's only if I'm shopping, I can't do that for my work, can I?