why don't french women get fat?

[tricia]

I've been reading some books on this lately and it is all so very interesting. I have no particular question, only what do you all think about the idea?

 

I'd like to add my two cents quick. For over a year I have been calorie counting, losing at first, but of course always going back up. Like a yo-yo but I'm not purposely eating, not eating, eating, etc. Only sticking to my calories and working out while zig-zagging my calories making sure I stay in a deficit so I can lose. THAT SAID. Right before Thanksgiving I did great. So for 5 weeks straight I was nearly perfect with my calories. Gained a pound. AGAIN. So, since July, faithfully exercising and watching calories I've put back on 9lbs.

 

The last 3 weeks or so, over the holidays I might add I took it upon me to eat like a French woman. Go figure, I've lost 3 lbs. Without trying, but of course with continued exercising.

 

Any thoughts? I gotta go grab another bowl of Breyer's ice cream!:lol:

[Whereneverever]

It's a current misnomer. About half of the French are now overweight.

[SJ.]

What does it mean exactly - to eat like a french woman?

[tricia]

It means to get off the American way of fat free diets and get some good, wholesome fats back into bodies. What Americans did was to take their food, strip the fat away and replace it with sugar. Hence, the obesity problem in America. It's the sugar, NOT the fat. The French eat good fats, and lots of it. Whole milk, cream in their porridge, lots of whole milk cheese, whole milk yogurt. Things like that. Oh, and lots of French bread. So much for whole carbs joke! And of course lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

[momto2Cs]

Small portions of tasty food, and a variety in every meal.

[elegantlion]

I read the book a few years ago.

 

My initial impressions were:

 

walk everywhere

eat smaller portions

savor your food

eat real food

dine with people

be French :tongue_smilie:

 

The walkability is the thing that struck out to me. At the time we couldn't walk anywhere from where we lived. Now I can walk to the library and around our little downtown.

 

Think about walking up a flight of stairs in a Paris apartment building? I've only seen them from movies and House Hunters International, but how many people could handle a sixth floor walk up with groceries? I guess that's why you would buy enough for a day or two.

[tricia]

It's a current misnomer. About half of the French are now overweight.

 

From what I understand through my studies they are finding this true since they now are experiencing so much more of the American diet in their culture. At any rate. I'm losing finally!! And until that scale starts moving north again I plan on sticking to what makes physiological sense to me!! Not to mention I feel so much better. My face is glowing again and my hair is coming around and healthier as well.

 

THIS book is amazing. The idea is is that since you feel fuller sooner, then you naturally eat less. Always having a 3 course meal. Begin with the lighter foods such as veggies and salads, and after that course you are beginning to be filled when the main course is delivered, you eat some but not as much because you are full from the raw foods, then you bring on dessert and by then all that is needed is a bite or two and you're done. Hence the less eating. The cheeses, creams, and bread from course 2 are filling enough. Of course moderation is always the key.

[regentrude]

It means to get off the American way of fat free diets and get some good, wholesome fats back into bodies. What Americans did was to take their food, strip the fat away and replace it with sugar. Hence, the obesity problem in America. It's the sugar, NOT the fat. The French eat good fats, and lots of it. Whole milk, cream in their porridge, lots of whole milk cheese, whole milk yogurt. Things like that. Oh, and lots of French bread. So much for whole carbs joke! And of course lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

 

Maybe more important: they WALK.

[tricia]

I read the book a few years ago.

 

My initial impressions were:

 

walk everywhere

eat smaller portions

savor your food

eat real food

dine with people

be French :tongue_smilie:

 

The walkability is the thing that struck out to me. At the time we couldn't walk anywhere from where we lived. Now I can walk to the library and around our little downtown.

 

Think about walking up a flight of stairs in a Paris apartment building? I've only seen them from movies and House Hunters International, but how many people could handle a sixth floor walk up with groceries? I guess that's why you would buy enough for a day or two.

:iagree:

[Ester Maria]

Normal-size portions. American portions are HUGE. And I mean HUGE. A MAJOR cultural shock if you come from a place where you are accustomed to half the food as a regular portion.

 

Also, the culture of walking rather than driving everywhere.

[PeacefulChaos]

My first thought would be the walking, too. Particularly where we are, the US can be very anti-walking. (Our town is in no way walker friendly. :glare: I wish it was!)

But I have also heard a lot about the whole fat thing. So that's entirely possible, as well. :)

[usetoschool]

Got this in an email a few weeks ago -

 

8 Reasons the French Are Slim

Published: 12/20/2011

 

 

For years, scientists on both sides of the Atlantic have been trying to unravel the "French paradox" - the finding that despite a high-fat diet, the French appear to have a lower rate of heart attacks (as well as a lower rate of obesity) than other Western countries, particularly the United States. While no definite explanations are available, it may have a great deal to do with how the French approach eating. These eight tactics are the norm in the typical French diet - consider changing your approach and attitude toward eating by adopting these strategies and see if it makes a difference in your life:

 

 

 

Eat smaller portions.

Avoid snacking and eat only at mealtimes.

Eat a wide variety of food.

Don't skip meals.

Enjoy your food and focus on dishes made from fresh, locally grown, quality ingredients.

Stick to your internal cues. When you no longer feel hungry, stop eating.

Eat less sugar. The French eat less than half as much added sugar as do Americans. Recent research indicates that sugar, rather than saturated fat, may be a key dietary contributor to heart disease.

Eat meals with family and friends so that eating becomes a pleasurable experience as opposed to something to "fit into" a schedule or feel guilty about.

 

And I think I would add - more walking.

[tricia]

Normal-size portions. American portions are HUGE. And I mean HUGE. A MAJOR cultural shock if you come from a place where you are accustomed to half the food as a regular portion.

 

Also, the culture of walking rather than driving everywhere.

 

Right, they do a lot of walking. I do workout everyday to Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper but I have been for a year and still not losing. In size of course, but not on the scale. I'm so excited to be losing again. I don't know, of course I can't speak for anyone else but I know I like the results I am getting from my choices of putting a bit more fat back into my diet. Plus I'm never hungry anymore. I love it!:lol:

[tricia]

Got this in an email a few weeks ago -

 

8 Reasons the French Are Slim

Published: 12/20/2011

 

 

For years, scientists on both sides of the Atlantic have been trying to unravel the "French paradox" - the finding that despite a high-fat diet, the French appear to have a lower rate of heart attacks (as well as a lower rate of obesity) than other Western countries, particularly the United States. While no definite explanations are available, it may have a great deal to do with how the French approach eating. These eight tactics are the norm in the typical French diet - consider changing your approach and attitude toward eating by adopting these strategies and see if it makes a difference in your life:

 

 

 

Eat smaller portions.

Avoid snacking and eat only at mealtimes.

Eat a wide variety of food.

Don't skip meals.

Enjoy your food and focus on dishes made from fresh, locally grown, quality ingredients.

Stick to your internal cues. When you no longer feel hungry, stop eating.

Eat less sugar. The French eat less than half as much added sugar as do Americans. Recent research indicates that sugar, rather than saturated fat, may be a key dietary contributor to heart disease.

Eat meals with family and friends so that eating becomes a pleasurable experience as opposed to something to "fit into" a schedule or feel guilty about.

 

And I think I would add - more walking.

:iagree::iagree: Changes I have found that are well worth it.

[pqr]

why don't french women get fat?

 

Surrendering is fairly good aerobic exercise. Throwing your hands high in the air....being marched around the place....Oh....wait a second that is the guys who do that.

 

 

 

It was a joke ladies, a joke.

[LauraGB]

It made sense to me. Sounds pretty basic, actually - eat real food, take the time to taste it and enjoy it, and move. It makes sense to enjoy your food, your meal, and then use your body to get from point A to point B. I think in America we tend to drive everywhere (mostly due to the layout outside large cities) and we don't move as much as our bodies were designed to do. I think even in the French schools, food is a major focus - the lunches are amazing. Being somehow connected with both an understanding and appreciation for our food along with an understanding what our bodies were made to do and utilizing that goes a long way.

[GoVanGogh]

They walk everywhere - lots of street walking, plus stairs to get anywhere.

They smoke like crazy.

And, yes, portion sizes are smaller than in America.

I had been told their food was so much fresher than ours in America, but we eat a plant-based diet (lots of organic raw food) so we didn't think it was that different.

 

I have only been to France once, but I felt like I was getting such a small glimpse into French life - like what you saw on the surface couldn't be a true image of the country as a whole.

We saw so few children, even though we had heard that the parks and museums would be full of children on the weekends.

We never saw anyone even slightly disabled, though nothing was handicap accessible - no ramps, few elevators. Bathrooms at restaurants were nearly always downstairs, down a tight spiral staircase.

At one sidewalk cafe, we saw an elderly couple - the only elderly people we saw the entire trip.

I have since wondered if it is really true that French women are not fat. Or if 'we' have such a narrow image of their country.

[sewingmama]

Small portions.

 

Honestly -, I have lived in a few countries - and when I visted the USA I nearly died of shock from the size of the portions an average American eats.

 

I hated eating out because as soon as the meal came I knew I wasn't even going to eat a third of it -it was just too much.

 

In Australia we don't even have the sizes available that you can get in the USA. The biggest drink size you can order here is a large and that is equal to an American medium. There is no supersized anything here.

 

My DH is Canadian and he is always complaining about the "small sizes" of everything here -but he eats enormous portions and yes -very overweight - that is what he is used to growing up in Canada.

 

We lived in Korea for a year -portions are tiny there -my DH lost so much weight when we lived there. When we moved back to Canada after living in Korea was the first time DH "saw" how huge the portion sizes were. He couldn't manage to finsih them at first but he soon adapted with practice :glare:

 

Don't even get me started on the gluttony I saw when I visited a buffet in Vegas - that was when I realised that people really do eat themselves to death. You could have fed a family of 4 with what some people were piling on their massive plates (or platters really). I couldn't believe people would actually be able to eat it all and I expected them to leave half of it - but no -they finished it and then went for dessert :001_huh:

 

I'm not picking on Americans but some of you guys sure can eat :lol:

 

It means to get off the American way of fat free diets and get some good, wholesome fats back into bodies. What Americans did was to take their food, strip the fat away and replace it with sugar. Hence, the obesity problem in America. It's the sugar, NOT the fat. The French eat good fats, and lots of it. Whole milk, cream in their porridge, lots of whole milk cheese, whole milk yogurt. Things like that. Oh, and lots of French bread. So much for whole carbs joke! And of course lots of fresh fruits and veggies.

 

I agree with this too -the more whole fats you eat the longer you will stay full and the less you will eat.

Edited January 6, 2012 by sewingmama

[OnTheBrink]

Surrendering is fairly good aerobic exercise. Throwing your hands high in the air....being marched around the place....Oh....wait a second that is the guys who do that.

 

 

 

It was a joke ladies, a joke.

 

ROFL! :lol:

[tricia]

Small portions.

 

Honestly -, I have lived in a few countries - and when I visted the USA I nearly died of shock from the size of the portions an average American eats.

 

I hated eating out because as soon as the meal came I knew I wasn't even going to eat a third of it -it was just too much.

 

In Australia we don't even have the sizes available that you can get in the USA. The biggest drink size you can order here is a large and that is equal to an American medium. There is no supersized anything here.

 

My DH is Canadian and he is always complaining about the "small sizes" of everything here -but he eats enormous portions and yes -very overweight - that is what he is used to growing up in Canada.

 

We lived in Korea for a year -portions are tiny there -my DH lost so much weight when we lived there. When we moved back to Canada after living in Korea was the first time DH "saw" how huge the portion sizes were. He couldn't manage to finsih them at first but he soon adapted with practice :glare:

 

Don't even get me started on the gluttony I saw when I visited a buffet in Vegas - that was when I realised that people really do eat themselves to death. You could have fed a family of 4 with what some people were piling on their massive plates (or platters really). I couldn't believe people would actually be able to eat it all and I expected them to leave half of it - but no -they finished it and then went for dessert :001_huh:

 

I'm not picking on Americans but some of you guys sure can eat :lol:

 

 

 

I agree with this too -the more whole fats you eat the longer you will stay full and the less you will eat.

 

Haha. So very true. In fact, who knows. Maybe that's it! Maybe it's not the more fat at all, perhaps it's just our portions. But again, for me, I am liking the results.

[GoVanGogh]

take the time to taste it and enjoy it

This reminded me of another impression we had of France - Paris, in particular. They really don't "walk" everywhere. They nearly run, it is at such a frantic pace. The subway system is a hoot to watch - just scurry, scurry, scurry, through this tunnel, up these steps, down this tunnel, down those steps.

Then they stop to eat.

DH and I always laughed that they didn't sit to eat, they collapsed.

They have got to be dead-tired by the time they actually sit to eat.

We live in a big city, but in the South. Maybe our pace of life is slower than - say - New York? We have been to nearly every big city in the U.S. except NYC and have never seen such a fast pace of life.

It just made me think that Americans, when we walk, we really stroll. Nothing aerobic about it.

We just saw a bit of the country, but even there the French walked so fast! They really have to be burning tons of calories.

[Joker]

I agree the biggest differences are portions and mobility. Dh and I share every time we eat out. He can eat his half and then eats what's left of my half. We're also lucky that where we live now has lots of sidewalks! It was almost impossible to walk anywhere where we've lived before.

[zaichiki]

Eat smaller portions.

Avoid snacking and eat only at mealtimes.

Eat a wide variety of food.

Don't skip meals.

Enjoy your food and focus on dishes made from fresh, locally grown, quality ingredients.

Stick to your internal cues. When you no longer feel hungry, stop eating.

Eat less sugar. The French eat less than half as much added sugar as do Americans. Recent research indicates that sugar, rather than saturated fat, may be a key dietary contributor to heart disease.

Eat meals with family and friends so that eating becomes a pleasurable experience as opposed to something to "fit into" a schedule or feel guilty about.

 

 

Oh hey! I guess I'm French! Who knew? :lol:

Edited January 6, 2012 by zaichiki

[tricia]

Oh hey! I guess I'm French! Who knew? :lol:

 

You know! Perhaps we all are and just haven't tapped into it yet! It all sounds so physiologically sound.:lol:

[iona]

They walk everywhere - lots of street walking, plus stairs to get anywhere.

They smoke like crazy.

And, yes, portion sizes are smaller than in America.

I had been told their food was so much fresher than ours in America, but we eat a plant-based diet (lots of organic raw food) so we didn't think it was that different.

 

.

 

this popped into my head...along with the smaller portions and walking.

[KungFuPanda]

Oh hey! I guess I'm French! Who knew? :lol:

 

You're funny :-).

 

I must be French too. I grew up eating fresh, seasonal food . . . lots of garden veggies and "free range" venison. We rarely ate out.

 

I read the "French Women" books. I like them, but they're full of stuff I do anyway. I like to eat the good stuff because it's more satisfying and a little bit will do. Strawberries with heavy cream ALWAYS sounds better to me than a cupcake.

 

I am a SLOW eater. I chew for a long time and I'm generally last to finish a meal. At my house, we're at the dining room table for at least an hour, often two. When we have company, it's not unusual to sit there for 3-4 hours. It seems like most people take twenty minutes to eat and then they're off. That seems torturous to me. You wouldn't even know you're overfull until twenty minutes after you're finished!

 

I am fortunate enough to live in a very walkable town. Our lakes and woods have paved bike paths, so even with a wheelchair or stroller it's easy and pleasant for a family to walk. I can get to shopping and entertainment without a car if I choose to. We're a quick drive to DC and Baltimore and they give us lots of walking entertainment.

 

I'm incapable of finishing most restaurant meals, but I have NO problem with the portion sizes because it's a bargain for me. I like to share with someone or bring food home and get one or two meals from it :D

 

Where I part from the French Way is that I will skip meals if I'm not hungry, or add meals if I am. I just don't need the clock to tell me when to eat. I also tent to eat until I'm not hungry, rather than full, but this is natural for me and not something I had to learn.

[farouk]

Interesting question.

 

Not sure I can provide any wisdom for an answer.

[fraidycat]

I have no idea whether french women are fat, or not, BUT I refuse to allow "low fat/no fat" labeled food into my house if there is an option for the "real" stuff. If I'm going to eat, it's going to taste GOOD (whole milk, full fat sour cream, etc.). I do not need to lose weight, but I do need to tone. Several people have commented that I've lost weight recently.

Edited January 6, 2012 by fraidycat

[Negin]

I love the book. :) Need to implement it more.

 

We were in Paris last summer. The French are still quite trim. I barely saw any obesity - the obesity that I saw were mostly tourists. And one possibly French woman working at the McDonald's in the Louvre. That was it. The B&B we stayed at - the elderly lady was overweight. But you hardly see any obesity like you do in so many other countries today.

 

I don't think it's just the walking. The walking helps, but it's not the end-all and be-all. The Brits walk a lot. They're more overweight. I think it's the food choices, eating slowly, savoring your meals, and so on. And when food costs so much as it does in Paris, you can't help but lose weight! :) Their portions are tiny compared to other places.

 

Edited January 6, 2012 by Negin in Grenada

[bettyandbob]

STOP. Sit down. Eat slowly. Experience every bite.

 

High quality real food.

 

Small portions, but if you are eating high quality food slowly, you don't really feel you are eating less.

 

Move when not eating

[HSinNH]

walk everywhere

eat smaller portions

savor your food

eat real food

dine with people

 

 

 

:iagree: These are the keys, especially smaller portion sizes. Americans tend to super-size everything! Also, eating whole foods as close to the natural state as possible. If it has "ingredients," it is not a whole food.

[MSNative]

Surrendering is fairly good aerobic exercise. Throwing your hands high in the air....being marched around the place....Oh....wait a second that is the guys who do that.

 

 

 

It was a joke ladies, a joke.

:lol::lol::lol:

 

 

I like a lot of the recipes in her book. It's the only "diet" book my husband likes. However, I lived in France for years and even back in the late 80s when I was there, there were many overweight people. Not as many in the cities - I lived in Paris but spent a few months living with a family in the country. Country folk were more robusly proportioned. They did eat entirely differently than typical American fare. They ate much more like how my grandfather ate: real foods, real meals, fruit for snacks if any. As everyone else has pointed out - many places are better set up for walking. The place I lived in the country was not.

 

However, they also have a different idea of fat and thin (or did when I was there) and a different idea of fitness. Being a normal size, good, being supermodel stick thin - not good. I think this has changed a bit. However, back then I remember walking around and seeing people who "could lose 10 pounds" by American standards. I think because they had a more natural view, they didn't focus on dieting and food so much and therefore stayed at a healthy weight, not our American ideal. I work in the fitness industry and think a lot of people mess with their heads and bodies too much trying to look like celebrities. The French also thought I was bizarre for jogging. Especially people in Paris thought that jogging was strange and almost unnatural. Walking good - working out strange.

 

And there are my pre-coffee musings. If they don't make sense, blame pqr. I had a lovely cup o' joe ready til I read his post and spit it all out over my keyboard. ;)

[Jane in NC]

Normal-size portions. American portions are HUGE. And I mean HUGE. A MAJOR cultural shock if you come from a place where you are accustomed to half the food as a regular portion.

 

Also, the culture of walking rather than driving everywhere.

 

It is not just that Americans are driving everywhere. They are eating as they drive! Or as they watch television.

 

Jane (who is ashamed to admit that she was munching on a piece of quiche as she read this thread...guilty as charged!)

[lailasmum]

Like other people have said I think it is probably portion control and good fresh seasonal food. I remember seeing a TV programme about this last year, it compared the portions of a Mcdonalds in France to the one in the USA, the large in France was the same size as the small in the USA. So I guess people just eat less.

 

I also think that France has a really strong tradition of cooking & food so maybe hasn't bowed to outside influence much as other countries. They've kept their traditional foods and ways of eating a lot more than many and those happen to be healthy and sensible. Probably the traditional seasonal foods of many countries would be healthier than the modern diets, but they have slipped into more junk/convenience type foods. I think that is true here in the UK.

[MrsJewelsRae]

I've also heard that French don't over process the heck out of their food like we do in North America, and this means the breads they eat are lower in gluten...

Edited January 6, 2012 by MrsJewelsRae

[stripe]

Americans eat constantly. Snacking all the time. Coffee cup holders in the car and the stroller, and everywhere else, chewing, chewing all the time. And so much soda. Holy smokes, have you seen the size of European soda bottles?! I brought home the soda bottle after drinking a soda in Heathrow Airport because it was so cute. It held 100 mL.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I read the book a few years ago.

 

My initial impressions were:

 

walk everywhere

eat smaller portions

savor your food

eat real food

dine with people

be French :tongue_smilie:

 

The walkability is the thing that struck out to me. At the time we couldn't walk anywhere from where we lived. Now I can walk to the library and around our little downtown.

 

Think about walking up a flight of stairs in a Paris apartment building? I've only seen them from movies and House Hunters International, but how many people could handle a sixth floor walk up with groceries? I guess that's why you would buy enough for a day or two.

 

When I lived in France, I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Did not gain a single ounce. I walked EVERYWHERE. Carried my groceries home on the bus, carried laundry to the laundromat, if I missed a bus, I'd walk a mile to the bus stop with more frequent busses. I lived on what Americans would call the 6th floor, but in France was the 5th floor above the R.de.C., and we did have an elevator, but it was non-functioning half the time. Had to climb stairs with bags full of books, groceries, etc. I wish I lived in an area where I could walk everywhere. I do walk to many places, but it's not as easy as it was in France.

[Parrothead]

I get that they walk everywhere, but to where are they walking?

 

From home the places I go to I could walk dd to dance (4 blocks round trip) and to church (6 blocks round trip). Everywhere else is on the other side of the 4 lane. Right now I can't walk from my house to the corner because we are covered in ice. The city appears to be broke because we haven't had the roads plowed since before Christmas. We don't leave the house unless it is absolutely necessary right now.

 

Then come spring there is that pesky 4 lane highway to cross to get to the other side of town where the shops are.

 

Something happened here in the US at the advent of the auto that makes it nearly impossible to walk anywhere.

 

Then to top it off there are parts of the country that say culturally if a girl/young woman/lady walks she is asking to be picked up. And not in a nice way. I found that in the south numerous times.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I get that they walk everywhere, but to where are they walking?

 

From home the places I go to I could walk dd to dance (4 blocks round trip) and to church (6 blocks round trip). Everywhere else is on the other side of the 4 lane. Right now I can't walk from my house to the corner because we are covered in ice. The city appears to be broke because we haven't had the roads plowed since before Christmas. We don't leave the house unless it is absolutely necessary right now.

 

Then come spring there is that pesky 4 lane highway to cross to get to the other side of town where the shops are.

 

Something happened here in the US at the advent of the auto that makes it nearly impossible to walk anywhere.

 

Then to top it off there are parts of the country that say culturally if a girl/young woman/lady walks she is asking to be picked up. And not in a nice way. I found that in the south numerous times.

 

I think things are planned for walkers in France, whereas here, they are planned for drivers. I find that it is much more difficult to walk places here than when I lived in France. I lived in Nice for 3 months, in a bad neighborhood where, if I were out after dark, men would drive up on the sidewalk and ask "How much?". I never felt as unsafe there as I would here at night. I would just laugh and say something like, "Do I look like I'm wearing hip boots and a fur coat? (The standard "costume" of the professionals in my neighborhood.)"

 

Then, I lived in Tours for a year, and I could walk easily everywhere. My friends and I would walk to the movies, walk to the bakery, walk to the post office, the flower market, etc., etc., etc. Public transportation was so much easier, too. On a Sunday afternoons, the streets would be full of people out walking and window shopping, since the stores were all closed. There were parks with walking paths in the middle of the city at various locations.

[KungFuPanda]

 

I also think that France has a really strong tradition of cooking & food so maybe hasn't bowed to outside influence much as other countries. They've kept their traditional foods and ways of eating a lot more than many and those happen to be healthy and sensible. Probably the traditional seasonal foods of many countries would be healthier than the modern diets, but they have slipped into more junk/convenience type foods. I think that is true here in the UK.

 

I think this is definitely part of it. Food snobs just don't eat crappy food. It's too nasty and unappetizing to be a temptation. Unless you were taught to develop a tast for twinkles as a child, you probably have no desire for a Twinkie. Some fake foods are just gross. I mean, why even develop a taste for cream of x soup or (shudder) canned ravioli when the authentic versions taste better and are almost as quick to make.

 

I lived in Southern France for a month in the early 90s. Their army food was good. ARMY food! Even their MREs had a duck option. It was nearly impossible to find bad food where I was, and WHY would you WANT to if you have a good thing going? Also, if you put time and care into your meals, you DON'T inhale them in front of a screen. You're supposed to savor meals, not just get them over with to eliminate the inconvenience of hunger.

[jlmom]

I lived in France for a year as an exchange student and lost weight, even though almost every meal was followed by dessert and cheese and they used rich, thick sauces on so much. I think the differences were what have already been mentioned: I walked everywhere, every day, portion sizes were much smaller, the food was fresher (no processed foods at all). Meal times were family times meant to be slow and enjoyed. A large celebration would take all night--we'd eat a course, then dance for an hour, eat another course, dance again, etc. We would have a snack after school ( I attended a high school) but it would be fruit or a small portion of cheese. Then we'd go outside and walk to a park or just walk around town. The only thing to drink was water with meals, milk with breakfast, and coffee whenever you wanted it. (The younger kids had hot chocolate with breakfast). We had dessert, but it was a small portion--not the huge pieces of cake or pie that we expect here when we dine out. I guess all these little changes add up. Of course, my metabolism was amazing back then, too!! I miss being 18...:)

[LuvingLife]

:iagree: with all of this, especially eating a lot more whole grain, I have been recently been discovering how much I have been snacking and not losing any weight at all. Now I eat small portions of food that are filling and good for you, I make my own things like bread and muffins (all low fat), and I feel fuller longer.

 

I have also noticed the difference in my weight, I have lost much more on this type of diet than when I was practically starving myself.:001_smile:

 

I am only part French, but a true American!:lol:

[TammyinTN]

While living in Germany I observed several things about European culture that's different from here.

 

1. They walk a lot. They bike a lot.

2. They don't eat diet products...and use butter, cream and yogurt. They are satisfied with less.

3. Usually all meals have a small amount of protein, keeps you full longer.

4. They usually eat a large lunch and a small supper of just sliced meats and cheese and a roll.

5. They seem to get to bed earlier and are up earlier.

6. They garden, plant flowers and generally work outside a lot.

 

These were just my experience and what I noticed that was different.

[jplain]

I read the book a few years ago.

 

My initial impressions were:

 

walk everywhere

eat smaller portions

savor your food

eat real food

dine with people

be French :tongue_smilie:

 

Walk everywhere is a big one.

 

Another one (perhaps mentioned already, haven't read whole thread) is that supermarkets are a lot less overwhelming. You aren't assaulted by 50 different brands of bread and 100 types of breakfast cereal. Fresh, whole food has a much larger footprint (produce, meat, dairy, eggs) in stores. Food advertising is less pervasive. Eating out (whole meals) tends to be more expensive, so you do it less.

 

Oh, and more people smoke. That helps suppress appetite. ;)

[farouk]

They walk more? Just look at their gas prices ...

[fairfarmhand]

 

 

Then to top it off there are parts of the country that say culturally if a girl/young woman/lady walks she is asking to be picked up. And not in a nice way. I found that in the south numerous times.

 

 

WHAT!!!! I've lived in the South my whole life and never heard such a thing. But I live rural. Maybe in the cities?

[farouk]

WHAT!!!! I've lived in the South my whole life and never heard such a thing. But I live rural. Maybe in the cities?

 

fairfarmhand:

 

Yes, I was taken aback at this idea also.

 

Rural life is rather different from many cities, though. One city neighbourhood can be vastly different from another, too.

 

Sounds like you're glad to be a country-dweller, too.

[jplain]

WHAT!!!! I've lived in the South my whole life and never heard such a thing. But I live rural. Maybe in the cities?

My cousin recently moved to Charlotte, and she and her husband caused a scene when they arrived at a little store on foot.

 

"You walked? On purpose? Your car didn't break down?"

 

:lol:

 

:001_huh:

[Jen500]

My cousin recently moved to Charlotte, and she and her husband caused a scene when they arrived at a little store on foot.

 

"You walked? On purpose? Your car didn't break down?"

 

:lol:

 

:001_huh:

 

Yeah...and if you start riding your bike to work some people assume you lost your driver's license.

[fairfarmhand]

My cousin recently moved to Charlotte, and she and her husband caused a scene when they arrived at a little store on foot.

 

"You walked? On purpose? Your car didn't break down?"

 

:lol:

 

:001_huh:

 

 

I have a relative who drives his car to the mailbox. :)