Obesity Discussion Forums

[SheaGrl]

Who has heard of the "French Diet" or the book Oprah brought a lot of attention to, "French Women Don't Get Fat"?

The premise is that French woman are doing something right when it comes to eating because approx 11 percent of the French population have weight problems versus America's staggering percentage. When the author, Mireille, moved to the US she gained 20 pounds. She lost that weight when she went back to France.

The key to her weight loss success and her book is attitude. "In America, you look at food as bad and guilty,"she says. "In France, we love food and we enjoy food; food is pleasure." French women don't have foods that are off-limits or too bad to eat. "If we want a piece of chocolate or pizza or some ice cream or pastry, "she says, "we have it. But, in small portions...We're not concrned with calories. Once you start counting calories, it takes away he joy of eating."

Also, Mireille says the French aren't obsessed with scales the way American's are. If their pants are too tight, they know they have overeaten.

The French Diet Breakdown:
-Variety, variety, variety. Get out of your rut and venture out to new restaurants (especially those with healthy options). Variety in food is a good way to consume all necessary vitamins and minerals.

-Quality counts. Quantity is not better than quality.

-Pay attention to portions. American's have the mindset the bigger the better. Stay away from "large", "jumbo", etc and restaurants with servings for three!

- Slow down! Take the time to actually enjoy what you are eating! This even includes lunch. This also allows your body to realize it is getting full or full. We over consume when we eat too fast.

- Joie de vivre. French for having a joy of life. Once again, slow down, enjoy what you are eating. Only eat while sitting down. Lose feelings of guilt.

-Sensible pleasures. Treat yourself sometimes to the things you love- just be sensible about it! Depriving yourself only leads to more cravings, frustration, and more overindulgence.

-Exercise....move around! Exercise, walk whenever you can. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

-Don't always go by numbers. How do you feel and look? If you feel your pants getting tight, it may be time to re-assess what you are eating.

-Use our head! If you eat a heavy lunch, have a light dinner or take a longer walk after dinner.

-Drink a lot of water. Sometimes we are really only thisty when we think we are hungry. Drink water in between meals and with snacks.

[matt007]

I've never heard of it, but I think one advantage the French have is they only work 1300 hrs/year. Another is they're (in the city at least) in a better position to walk than drive.

I wonder if that 11% refers to obese, overweight or just self reported weight problems. If it's overweight that's a huge difference from the US.

[SheaGrl]

11% is the "overweight" statistic in France. America's "overweight" statistic is closer to 67%.

And yes, it is very hard to do as much walking as one can do in a lot of the european citites because of the way our cities are set up (especially in the West!)

[monique]

I do think the French have a healthier attitude than Americans to food IN GENERAL.

But, it is simply not true that French women don't get fat. My great-aunt is obese and has been for the last 50 years, and she has lived in France her entire life. My great uncle as well, he is in his 80s and has been obese since at least 40 years ago. And my little sister gained 10 pounds when she moved to France despite living on the 4th floor with no elevator and having no car, although it didn't take her into technically overweight territory because she was a bit thin from living in India when she got there. So one woman losing 20 pounds is not proof of anything but her own eating habits.

It is true that they have less overweight and obese people there but that is partially because it is even more stigmatized there than here. The anorexia rates are much higher and the obsession with losing weight is actually stronger there than here, the women's magazines are just as full as ours of diet tips and weight loss plans.

I think eating slower and enjoying food more helps those without a tendency to put on weight to stay thin, but for those like my aunt, life is really hard. You can't even find plus size clothes easily. My cousin has a large build and though she was never overweight she struggled for years with anorexia before deciding she needed to allow herself to gain weight until her period started back up and stabilized. Under the supervision of a French doctor and a French nutritionist she became so thin she stopped getting her period when she was only only a teenager. All my cousins living there have issues with body image and worry about their appearance at least as much as most Americans do.

I think it's a bad idea to hold any society up as perfect. And I happen to know there is a dark side to their lower obesity statistics.

~Monique

[MichaelB]

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. N'est pas, Monique?

[monique]

C'est vrai, MichaelB!

I find it strange how Oprah is always adopting new diet fads after all she's been through with her own weight battle. Eating small amounts slowly is good advice, but reading generalities about how thin people eat doesn't really teach you to do it yourself.

~Monique

[SheaGrl]

I could definitely slow down and enjoy my food more. When I am hungry I eat so fast and gobble it all up!

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by monique

C'est vrai, MichaelB!

I find it strange how Oprah is always adopting new diet fads after all she's been through with her own weight battle. Eating small amounts slowly is good advice, but reading generalities about how thin people eat doesn't really teach you to do it yourself.

~Monique

Dr. Phil does the same thing...he came out with a diet book.

Flat out the French take longer to eat their food and eat in much smaller portions. Period. No diet needed for that. Oi!

[SunShine]

I saw something about this on TV once. it says the French people just eat small bits at a meal and thats all. It says they eat sweets in the same way.
They do not pile their plates with alot of food like we do over here in America.
It says they have trained themselves to stop eating only after a few bites.

Now thats just what was said on TV.

[azamat]

I agree with Sunshine ... I've been to parts of Eastern Europe and they also have a similar philosophy.

But you got to also realize that its not only on the 'consumer' end that the portions need to be small. In USA, the vendors and restaurants provide large and many times over sized meals and its so easy for a hungry consumer to 'upgrade' to a large French fries (which I've done many times).

If we want to solve this epidemic, not only do consumers have to adjust portion control, but our food providers as well.

[MichaelB]

Every time I see this subject line come up, I always think about the scene in Better Off Dead, where Lane's mom is listing off all of the menu items that she's cooked in honor of the guest of honor, a French foreign exchange student named Monique:

"In honor of our special guest, I've created dinner mon dieu — including Frahnch fries ... Frahnch dressing ... and Frahnch bread. And to drink ..." (holding up a bottle of Perrier) "Pay-roo!"

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by azamat

I agree with Sunshine ... I've been to parts of Eastern Europe and they also have a similar philosophy.

But you got to also realize that its not only on the 'consumer' end that the portions need to be small. In USA, the vendors and restaurants provide large and many times over sized meals and its so easy for a hungry consumer to 'upgrade' to a large French fries (which I've done many times).

If we want to solve this epidemic, not only do consumers have to adjust portion control, but our food providers as well.

I believe "serving sizes" on all food we buy at the store are larger than they are in Europe. I remember about 8oz of soda being a serving in some places in Europe I visited, whereas in the United States it's 12oz. 50% larger serving sizes can add up after a while!

[SunShine]

I think the servings sizes in Europe are smaller to.
I remember as a kid most the cola drinks were only 8 oz. and the TV dinners my momn would buy was salot smaller than they are not to.

[Obesity Discussion]

Excellent point SunShine....portion sizes have gotten bigger over time

[MichaelB]

The real reason they have smaller TV dinners lies in the difference between Metric and English measurements.

While may pick up a nice new 42" TV at our local Costco, they use the metric system to measure everything and as such, would end up with a 42cm TV instead. Smaller TV == smaller TV dinners.

P.S. - Same thing with the countries over there. Notice how much smaller they are than the US? That's because they measure everything in Kilometers instead of Miles. Think how much bigger Europe would have been if they'd built it 4000 miles wide instead of 4000 Km wide. They could have spread the whole place out a bit, made wider streets, built larger cars, and even raised mountains that would compete with those found in Nepal.

P.P.S. - Hey, OD...is there a tongue in cheek emoticon? I think I may need one.

[SentinelBasch]

On the subject of portion sizes, I'm still amazed that one serving of pasta is 2 ounces. Whoever came up with that idea needs to be hit over the head with a wet noodle.

For us Italian men, it's simply impossible to just eat 2 ounces at a time. Women are genetically wired for chocolate, I'm wired for spaghetti. Simple as that.

P.S. - I really did read that bit about the genetic makeup of women and chocolate. I don't know how true it is, however.

[SunShine]

Just alittle info on the French diet.

Instead of inhaling a burger in two minutes flat, the French enjoy their food. They savor it. So what if dinner takes three hours?
Take it Slow Instead of Taking Out! To enjoy your food, you must focus on it and allow time for it. In France, fast food and take out are uncommon. While the French are slowly adding take-out (called "a emporter" in French), the French as a culture set aside a time and place for food. It is much more customary to eat food sitting at a cafe or at home, minus the rush.
The French may eat food that would never qualify under a Weight Watchers diet, but their portion size is much smaller. They take their time with each bite, so they are able to realize they are full after eating far less.


In America, so many households and so many days revolve around the boob tube. In France, the people instead walk to the market, and then the baker. It is so much easier to go outside and just do something there instead of rotting on the couch. The French are not lazy about the little things. French people take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. The French cities are also set up so it is easy to walk to everything.

The French typically shop at a variety of stores (one baker with the best baguettes, a butcher shop for meat, a market for basics, and perhaps a pastry shop for desserts). They do not drive everywhere to get groceries like we do in America, they love to walk. In the French diet, fresh ingredients, locally-grown produce and quality ingredients are the norm. It is not typical to eat so much processed food there.

[MichaelB]

SunShine: I agree re: France and Europe in general. Here are some comments I posted a while back and in another thread...

Just to preface my comments, I work for a French company and have been over there for several 2 month stints over the last 10 years. So the following observations are just things I noted while living/working in Paris.

---


I think people in other countries have less problems with obesity because:

1. They walk and/or ride their bikes more places. We drive everywhere.
2. Food costs more elsewhere. As a result, they're served smaller portions and have less food for snacking around the house. It'd be insanely expensive to overeat consistently over there.
3. They eat smaller portions and take nothing home. We've never seen a supersize serving we didn't like, and we expect to take home doggy bags.
4. They seem to be more active than us. They walk from their office to their cafeteria for lunch, and after lunch, we'd go out for a 30 minute walk or play soccer for an 45 minutes to an hour. Here in the States, we eat our lunches in our cubicles and/or drive to/from a restaurant for a quick midday meal.

[Obesity Discussion]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

The real reason they have smaller TV dinners lies in the difference between Metric and English measurements.

While may pick up a nice new 42" TV at our local Costco, they use the metric system to measure everything and as such, would end up with a 42cm TV instead. Smaller TV == smaller TV dinners.

P.S. - Same thing with the countries over there. Notice how much smaller they are than the US? That's because they measure everything in Kilometers instead of Miles. Think how much bigger Europe would have been if they'd built it 4000 miles wide instead of 4000 Km wide. They could have spread the whole place out a bit, made wider streets, built larger cars, and even raised mountains that would compete with those found in Nepal.

P.P.S. - Hey, OD...is there a tongue in cheek emoticon? I think I may need one.

If EVERYTHING were smaller in Europe, it's no wonder European women fawn over us American Men.


I scoured the web for a T.I.C. emoticon but found nothing. Maybe this would be appropriate?