French Women Don't Get Fat

[letrangere]

There are exceptions, I realise, I have one large French friend and I'm sure there are millions more.  BUT it's fair to say most do manage to combine eating all sorts of naughty things and staying slender.  And before anyone accuses me of sweeping generalisations, French Women Don't Get Fat is the title of a book by Mireille Guillano in which she, supposedly, tells us how we can do it too.  I've written to James to ask him to get LF to review it for us.  M

[SaligoBay]

I read a very scornful review of this recently, might have been in the Private Eye, basically said it was just a load of.

French women might eat all sorts of naughty things, but only in minute amounts.  I don't think there's anything magic going on.   And the smoking helps to suppress their appetites too. 

 

[Teejay]

[quote]I read a very scornful review of this recently, might have been in the Private Eye, basically said it was just a load of. French women might eat all sorts of naughty things, but only in minute amount...[/quote]

Minute amounts. Suppressing the appetite by smoking. Spot on. That's exactly how it is for many women.

It's changing though, as one is beginning to see the signs of overweight children as they consume more and more fast food. The next generation will probably be quite different. Less lean than their parents.

Surely this issue of French Women Don't Get Fat is based on city dwellers. In my brief experience women in rural areas come in all different shapes and sizes.

[GRT17]

Absolutely right Teejay!

Gill

[opas]

I frequent the swimming pool in Perpignan . my eldest daughter often has to drag me back to the present with `Whats up mum?` as I daydream into the distance at a svelt mum with 3 children (looking like someone from a holiday ad) only this week I saw a lady who represented a skinned rabbit and thought ` i`ll stick to my 10 and 1/2 stones!, as SB said , the smoking helps them , but if any of you visit any of the fast food burger outlets often ,you will notice a different shape of French woman.!  Mrs O

[Ormx]

Hard to generalise but I do feel French people have a good attitude to food and attitude counts.

I knew when I had a child that the best way to encourage good eating habits was to adopt them myself (I only dig into the biscuits when she goes to bed, I know, I know she will find out). So I started to drink water, cook and eat loads of veg, and, the hardest for me, force myself to peel fruit - once it's peeled I love it.

I think the French appreciate food, talk about it as they eat, buy local produce, buy seasonal specialities etc. etc. and I find when I do this too I'm much more likely to eat well - and stay thin (well thinnish!!:hehe

[Russethouse]

The bits I have seen about this book focus on balancing your meals, if you have a heavy lunch, you have a light dinner, heavy dinner ? then have a light breakfast.

Only drink alchohol at meal times and do not eat between meals.

Walk to your destination whenever possible etc

Nothing earth shattering, lots of little things

[Alexis]

You are forgetting that normally, a French woman is married to a French man so every afternoon, night and morning, they work their calories off......

[letrangere]

You are forgetting that normally, a French woman is married to a French man so every afternoon, night and morning, they work their calories off......

And quite often between 5-7 pm, at least on week nights, French man helps a French woman who isn't his wife work some more off?  That obviously explains it! 

Yes, but eating anything but in small amounts, I can see them doing that.  Incidentally, I've resolved to drink like a French woman this year.  Chez nous it's easy but at Brit hosted dinner parties it's very trying.

Margaret

 

[Teamedup]

Alexis, I don't think a lot of the french blokes around here have been helping with burning off those calories, at home at least. The divorce rate in this village is really high and this would seem to be one of the problems. These french women don't seem to fancy their husband's anymore. And as far as I am concerned, one needs to fancy one's other half to be enthusiastic and energetic to burn up those calories.

Incidentally most of these newly divorced women are slim, most smoke too.

[opas]

Have you noticed that whenever you see a slim(ish) well groomed lady in their forties there is usualy a dumpy , red nosed bloke dressed like a country bumkin in tow,and the teeth are like hit and miss!

 

[SaligoBay]

LOL, maybe Alexis knows a better class of French man than the rest of us do!   

Five years here, and truly, still only one Frenchman who has had me thinking "hmmm, what a good way to lose calories".

Oddly, in spite of regular and enthusiastic thinking, the calories don't seem to be going anywhere..... I must be thinking wrong. 

[Alexis]

Trouble is, SB, you are reading the wrong books.  You are getting all excited too soon!  I've seen extracts of your reading matter.

Don't forget I am married to a Frenchman.  His idea of a big renovation project might be a half inch brush and 500ml of paint but he has other talents......

Actually, he is getting very adventurous with the renovation now.  Hope it doesn't change him in any way!!! 

[Mistral]

If I look at my female colleagues, I would say that a high proportion is slim. I think that tradionally, french people eat a lot of vegetables and generally don't snack between meals.

All that is good, but I would say that quite a few of my colleagues could actually do with a few kilos more to make them look healthy. (and possibly be healthy- so many female colleagues have to take time off for "tiredness") then there are the women who don't actually eat with the rest of their family because they are following a regime. When we have guests, the women often only take very small portions of anything and generally don't have any dessert.

I worry too about my pupils who don't eat any breakfast or lunch and just drink diet coke all day. OK they're thin, but at what price?

[Russethouse]

The first time I visited France I confidently told my friend that there were lots of veg,....... 2 weeks and many plates of frites later......

They may be served at home, but in restaurants they seem to be sadly lacking, except for the salads of course

[letrangere]

"These french women don't seem to fancy their husband's anymore"

Back in the mid-70s I remember reading somewhere that 75% of French women fantasise that the guy they're in bed with is someone else other than their husband.  So it's not a recent phenomenon, they're merely doing something about it at last!

Oh, there are some very nice Frenchmen around, though possibly not in the rural depths.  I could be here all morning listing them...

Margaret

[opas]

MJW, there are also some very nice Englishmen about but just as you are daydreaming about how how lovely he was you come across one with a wide parting, beer belly ,dirty fingernails and bad breath

[chicfille]

I'm new to this forum despite having lived in France for years on and off with my French OH. Liked this thread, here's my contribution...

I was a little chubby when I first arrived here at 21 to spend the summer with my boyfriend his parents' house... and when I left my eating habits were completely different, the spare tyre vanished without effort (nothing to do with illicit activities either, ma-in-law would have none of that under her roof! little did she know...!) and has stayed off to this day, two babies later.

It's all the quantity. I couldn't believe I could eat a 3 or 4-course meal twice a day and lose weight, but when ma-in-law produces a main course for 7 that in the UK would only be considered enough for 2, you don't get much choice. She fries everything in butter, they have a starter (often charcuterie) and cheese (more butter) at lunch and dinner and don't eat as many vegetables I am used to (and those they do eat are cooked to death)... and yet they are still all as slim as anything because they don't have much of each dish. That said, they've all got high cholesterol!

 

[Plato comes homePlato]

Hi..well we are scraping the barrel here! Fat women being singled out  (I am sure I read a list of nono's..including advertising although senior people seem to be able to dodge around the rules!!)...heheheheh

Anyway overweight women are not uncommon in France, nor women with terrible arthritis, especially amongst the older farm workers. In nearly three years in France and environs I have seen about(in my view and looking at exceptional looks only because all countries have beautiful women )  12 or 13 truly beautiful, beautiful women, two at the same bank in the Limousin and they are slim and just stunning,though the French would say  'mignon" .....whereas in UK and Australia and some other places the incidence of quite beautiful women though overweight seems higher than what I have seen in France. Like us the French eat sweets and once the sweets and sugars create those fat cells and their lives are less active they often get overweight. It wasn't mentioned though that the incidence of actually seeing women on the street in France is vastly lower than other countries not at war.

Its very true that their diets are better than most however even more importantly they have long dinner spells and time to digest, eat cheeses and yoghurt too. The incidence of vegetable including zuccini-corgette, broccali and Endives, Lettuce and cabbage-chou is high..all good stuff. As France has a tiny incidence of 'fast food' shops the results are pleasing and the patissieries are not filled with greasy muck of uncertain age. I agree that the carbonated conquest ruins the national health of other countries as much as US Foreign Policy does but fortunately MacDonalds seems more controlled in France than elsewhere. I had to laugh (weep) recently at a terribly profound doco on a doctor who lost weight only eating mackers and nothing else thus syaing what a great binge it was....but he only ate the low cal stuff derrrrrr! its the fatty,sugary trash they serve up that causes the problems not unmayonnaised lettuce.

As one nearly kidnapped numerous times in paris and Toulouse by frantic Lebanese and Chinese cafe owners who try to force one into their shop..in a line of similar shops...I have been both times I tried the stuff..Paris and Toulouse...They sell equally sickly lebanese food as does Australia but with even less hygeine. Nevertheless although my girlfriend made me marvellous dinners every day only hard work kept my weight down. Different metabolism? Any views ?

Now as for smoking...the fantasy over smoking and slimness goes on unabated.This excuse to contiue smoking has little basis. Some women are 30 stone and chain smokers...would they be 60 otherwise...?..unlikeley and they certainly are not slim. Smokers tend to be environmentally dirty, careless of others, nervy and irritable, that they hate their habit shows in the passion with which they stubb -out if they bother instead of flicking their poison into nowhere or into the fountain toilet or your front yard. I'd be prepared to say that it is all these nervy peripheries, the druggies excuse laden mind and the bad diets including excessive meat pastry and fast food which bloats them which are more involved. Anyone who continues to feast on something which (very cunning psychology) says in large letters "I am killing you" or "I affect your babies" can hardly be classed as normal material. Some are so nervy and wretched they lose appetite and some smoke so heavily they can little afford to eat...the 'smoke to lose weight '  black and white should be stubbed out of our fantasy world. Look more at these people's lives than that its a cigarette they use for abusing themselves to see why they are skinny..any views?

[letrangere]

As one nearly kidnapped numerous times in paris and Toulouse by frantic Lebanese and Chinese cafe owners who try to force one into their shop..in a line of similar shops...I have been both times I tried the stuff..Paris and Toulouse...They sell equally sickly lebanese food as does Australia but with even less hygeine. Nevertheless although my girlfriend made me marvellous dinners every day only hard work kept my weight down. Different metabolism? Any views ?

Wish a Lebanese restaurant owner would kidnap me, ideally forever, they have the best cooking on earth.  Come on, we can only use "sickly" to describe perhaps one or two of their pastries but even these, if made properly, aren't always over gooey.  Think of that fabulous dessert with creme fraiche and pistachio stuffed crepes served with rose water and honey sauce, well made (preferably at home) it's heaven.  Also, um ali, nothing sickly there (rice pudding with cardamom and pistachio).  And when it comes to the mezzes and grills, I would argue Lebanese food is the healthiest on earth.  Think of all those fabulous salads. 

HOWEVER, what makes the Lebanese fat - and they will all readily admit this - is their obsession with bread, most will happily eat the equivalent of an entire basket of what we call pitta before they've even sat down and consume a similar amount with (and in between) each course.  Ever been in a restaurant with a Lebanese where the bread basket isn't on the table when you arrive?  It's like being in the company of a junkie experiencing cold turkey.

Incidentally, there are some superb Lebanese restaurants in Paris 16, many as good as those in Beirut.  

Margaret

 

[Teamedup]

and the patissieries are not filled with greasy muck of uncertain age.

 

I nearly choked on me tea when I read that. Fresh cakes from  patisseries, hmm, you really don't want to hear my stories.

[SaligoBay]

Oh yes we do!! 

I've often wondered who buys these round, glossy things with shiny strawberries and bits of shaved chocolate on top.  Yuck!   I think in 5 years I've only seen one being served in someone's home.   Very rarely see anyone buying them either.  

Which has also made me wonder how long they last, and how long they've been there.....

[opas]

Yup , those pretty looking deserts do nothing for me either, and believe you me I like cake and chocolate , now give me a pain au raison mid afternoon with a cuppa and I`m in heaven

We have a new restaurant near by(on the road to Le BouLou )and it is Lebanese, smells devine when we drive past and am sure we will be tempted to stop by one of these days.

Do you think that perhaps the reason a lot of french women(alegdly) are on anti depressants has something to do with their eating habbits...ie, that they would love to sit down en famile and not be on a regime! 

[Russethouse]

>>I've often wondered who buys these round, glossy things with shiny strawberries and bits of shaved chocolate on top. <<<

Me

you can keep chocolate, bread, sponge, fruit cake etc, give me a decent 'pastry' any time - Fresh though please !

[letrangere]

>>I've often wondered who buys these round, glossy things with shiny strawberries and bits of shaved chocolate on top. <<<

Me

And me!  But I'm starting to feel as though I'm owning up to a hard drug habit and should be back in the thread on tobacco and cannabis!  Talk about making a girl feel guilty!

We used to live round the corner from the queen of patisseries, Hediard, Place de la Madeleine, in fact our kitchen windows looked into their tea rooms.  For several years I guess we ate their dinky little pastries once or twice a week with no (so far known) ill effects.  The chocolate truffle cake one was our favourite - I believe it's generally known as "Opera".  And the raspberry mousse thing is rather good too, I think that has bits of shaved chocolate on the top (yummee).

However, I also wouldn't refuse a still warm pain au chocolat for breakast or a good pain au raisin with afternoon tea but the latter have to be very good, quality tends to vary a lot.

Mrs O, do try your local Lebo restaurant and report back.  The people are also invariably as nice as the food.

Margaret