Women's Health

Posts Tagged ‘French’

For centuries, people throughout the world have wondered what exactly is French women’s secret to not gain weight, and to look so good.

A French secret is taught to girls before they become women, “Enjoy food. Eat with pleasure. Eat in moderation.” As girls grow up, they learn another French women’s secret to remain slim: to eat small portions of great food cooked with fresh ingredients. Such delightful food makes it mandatory to take time to eat. Yes, you read correctly: “…mandatory to take time to eat.” Small portions of food makes French women ~and men as well~ savor French foods’ heavenly taste and flavor.

As a result, they feel satisfied and fuller sooner.

French women do not see certain foods as forbidden as long as they are taken in smaller portions. French women do not believe in skipping meals. French women prepare great food which leads them to savor and enjoy each bite. French women easily control what they eat and how much of it because they are used to it. French women drink in every meal six ounces ~or so~ of red wine.

Their secret to fat-free and appealing figures have two words written all over: Enjoy & Moderation. In addition, they do not exercise fanatically and obssesively nor they sign up contracts with gyms. More wisely than that, they maintain an active life such as walking one hour or so three times a week plus everyday physical activities.

Do you want their success ?

You can have it IF you turn yourself into a French woman, you accept to prepare finer foods, you eat smaller portions, you enjoy and savor each bite, you do it in company of people you enjoy to be with, drink moderate amount of red wine with each meal ~other than breakfast~ and mimic their lifestyle. What you just read is the opposite of eating processed foods, eating large meals which is NOT to say “starve yourself,” eating in a rush not enjoying food, and wearing out joints and hip jogging and running endlessly.

Yes, all of it is the opposite of French women’s culture. It is why I mentioned above that women get the message when they are young girls. So, invest your efforts and money in quality and fresh ingredients, preparing better foods, eating smaller portions, finding someone you love or truly enjoy being with to share your meals, drinking red wine in moderation, and having an active lifestyle but saving the money of a gym contract.

There is not such thing as “French Women Diet,” but those gorgeous-looking ladies are slender and show a gracious body for a reason. It has nothing to do with a diet printed in book format.

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French women seem to enjoy breads, desserts, and wine, but then don’t gain the weight. American women, on the other hand, just think about snacking and magically put on ten pounds. In her bestselling book, French Women Don’t Get Fat : The Secret of Eating For Pleasure, Mirelle Guiliano reveals the secrets that French women have at staying healthy and trim.

French Women Don’t Get Fat begins with the account of the author, Mirelle Guiliano, growing up in France. By a stroke of luck she was sent to America in her teenage years as an exchange student. In America, she was introduced to brownies and cookies – which quickly became favorites. In no time at all, Mirelle put on twenty pounds. When it was time to return home she was a little nervous about what her family and friends would think of the “new” Mirelle. The story of seeing her family for the first time after being away is funny and heart wrenching at the same time. I can’t do justice to this story, so I would recommend buying the book and reading it on your own. Later, her mother set up a secret meeting with their family physician, “Dr. Miracle”, who helped her to shed the extra pounds, and more importantly, taught her how to live like a French Woman.

This book is not a miracle diet. In fact, French Women Don’t Get Fat isn’t a “diet” book at all. What it does is suggest ways to help you live a balanced, healthier lifestyle. The first thing the book suggests is to take an inventory of what you eat for a couple of weeks. By looking at your food journal, you should be able to see what your “offenders” are – meaning what foods you are overeating. For example, Mirelle’s offenders were sweets. Once you recognize what foods you are eating out of balance, your next step is to identify why you overeat in this category. For example, if your “offender” is bread, you might notice that you are eating a lot of bread when you go to restaurants. You could then decide to only have one slice before your meal comes. The book also discusses changing the way you think. You aren’t skimping on the bread because you are depriving yourself something you love, you are merely saving room for other things. The pleasure of most foods is in the first few bites, as French Women Don’t Get Fat points out. After that we are just eating on autopilot. If you can avoid eating without thinking, you can avoid eating excess food. French women eat with their heads and do not leave the table feeling stuffed or guilty.

Another secret of the French this book points to is drinking more water. We all know that water is good for us, but how many of us really drink as much as we should? The secret is to add water to your daily routine. Drink a glass of water before you eat your breakfast. Once you have established this as part of your routine, then add another glass before going to bed. French Women Don’t Get Fat reminds us that sleeping is a very dehydrating process. When both of these are routine, make it a habit to drink water each time you pass a water fountain. French women drink water all throughout the day.

Once you are drinking more water, you will probably feel healthier than ever. Since water has no calories, no preservatives, and nothing extra added, you might find that you are interested in the ingredients of the other foods you are consuming. Have you ever read the list of ingredients in a frozen dinner? What is all of that stuff? Why are we consuming things we can’t even pronounce? Another key to eating like the French is what the author of this book calls “Ritual Preparation.” While she lived at home, Mireille’s mother prepared almost all of the food that she consumed. None of it was filled with preservatives, and most everything was fresh. French Women Don’t Get Fat recommends going to the market several times a week, and selecting the freshest ingredients. By market the book is referring to a farmers market, and not the supermarket. Quality ingredients equal quality food. When you are eating quality, you won’t need the quantity to make up for the lack of taste. Also, set the table like you would find at a restaurant – real napkins even. The extra attention to details will help you remember to savor your food. Also, sit down as a family, and turn off the television. Make meal time a ritual.

According to this book, you also need to move like a French woman. We aren’t talking about hours of grueling exercise at the gym. What we are talking about is adding more movement to your daily routine. Walk to work, or if you work too far, then get off the train one stop early and walk the rest of the way to work. Or, add in a daily walk before eating breakfast. Take the stairs instead of the elevator when possible. French Women Don’t Get Fat advised to not avoid precious steps: think of ways to add in more movement to your daily routine.

This book also includes recipes for foods such as Grilled Spring Lamb Shops, Asparagus Flan, Cauliflower Gratin, Grilled Chicken with Rosemary, Egg Omelet with Mixed Herbs and Ricotta Cheese, among many others. Since the French enjoy bread so much, recipes for Baguettes and Croissants are included too. The book has menu ideas as well.

If you need a good book to inspire you to lose a little weight so that you feel good about yourself, then French Women Don’t Get Fat is where you should turn. Because the focus of this book is not about depriving yourself of good things, but about making focused choices to help you accomplish something even better, you will be motivated to change a few of your bad habits into good habits – and therefore live a more fulfilled and slimmer life.

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French women are known for being beautiful, sexy and slim. Women in France walk around in mini skirts looking graceful and lean all while enjoying the greatest pleasures in life. They eat full fat dairy, butter, real cheese, desserts, red meats, pastas, gourmet breads and top it off with a glass of wine or champagne, yet they continue to have a very low obesity rate – especially when compared to that of North America. Read more...

Overview  Author Mireille Guiliano plan is based on her belief that American women should mirror the lifestyle of their French counterparts.  By mimicking the highly-effective French habits, you can eliminate the job of counting calories, watching carbs or other dieting trends. 

The method is simple, common sense and best of all, it works.  By increasing the fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs in your diet, eating just three meals a day, avoiding oversized portions, drinking more water and introducing more physical activity every day, you\’ll still be able to treat yourself with your favorite goodies now and then.  French women who manage to maintain ideal figures in the face of a traditional diet that includes cream, butter, cheeses and meat.Followers of Guiliano\’s diet are encouraged to eat for enjoyment.  Consuming only foods that you take pleasure in will help satisfy your hunger.  She also suggests avoiding the scale and monitoring your weight according to how your clothing fit.  She explains that although French women don’t get fat, they do eat bread and pastry, drink wine, and regularly enjoy three-course meals.  She explains the French attitude towards food to be one of checks and balances, occasional indulgence, but never without a compensation to make up for it.

What we like about this plan.  It is a lifestyle plan.  It focuses on the simple pleasures, enjoy the moment and avoid anything that demands too much effort for too little pleasure.  Enjoy dining in as much as dining out, and love to entertain at home.   She encourages drinking water all day long.  The books recipes are delicious and full of flavor. It also encourages exercising with natural movement during the day (walking, jogging), and frown on the American practice of \”working out and sweating at the gym\”

   

What we disliked about this plan.  There is an online plan which cost $19.95 a month to join, which is a bit pricy.  Recommending only 3 meals day is not great for one who likes snacking or who likes to graze.  She jump starts the plan with a two week leek soup.  A two-day leek soup fast jump-starts the French Women Don\’t Get Fat plan, followed by meat or fish, vegetables, and a piece of fruit.   This recommendation, to start dieting through a semi-fast of primarily leek soup is a dislike because it is not nutritionally adequate.  Some of Guiliano philosophies are life lessons, others like “Dress even to take out the trash, follow fashion closely, but don\’t follow trends”, are a bit unusual.

  

How Healthy Is this plan?  The plan is a healthy one.  It is not a fad diet; it is a full lifestyle change.  The leek soup beginning does have nutritionists alarmed about its safety in addition to the fact that one will not be able to follow the beginning.  Following the principles and suggestions of this diet plan will undoubtedly improve one\’s general health, as it promotes choosing and eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water and moving as much as possible during the course of one\’s day.   Emphasizing the virtues of freshness, variety, balance, and is always pleasure.Mireille recommends eat with all of your senses and be more mindful of every bite so you taste and savor the food and recognize when you are full. \”Three bites of food are all you need to really enjoy it,\” Guiliano says. Sit down, slow down, chew thoroughly, and eat without distractions – turn off the television, put down the book, and focus on eating. These and other tips make this book worth the read and make the plan a healthy plan.

Here’s The Bottom Line  First and foremost, French women do get fat and the obesity rate in France is growing quickly.  French Women Don\’t Get Fat, like many other diet books, is a frustrating blend of real insight, and sheer assumption on the author’s part. Guiliano is not a nutrition or weight loss professional and even though she doesn\’t claim to be, bases her advice on personal experiences and observations of life in France. With this plan, knowing that no food is off-limits could be very powerful to followers as they can control portion sizes and the majority of food they choose is nutritionally sound, like vegetable soup and low-fat yogurt.Again, the book is worth the read; however this is more of a “non-diet” than a structured plan.  If you require a more structured plan or are an emotional eater, read the book for the tips and insights but use another healthy lifestyle plan with exercise to reach for weight loss goals.

© 2008 – 2009 Which Weight Loss

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Losing weight and developing a new found love for eating “real” foods by slowing down your meals is the way of the French people. Naturally, a French diet plan is not a low fat diet or a low carb diet. It doesn’t need you to cut down on calories or sacrifice eating meals. You can actually eat anything you want as long as it is natural and unprocessed. Click Here For Rite Slim Limited Free Trial!Lower obesity rates are evident among the French as compared with the Americans. This is because they follow the French diet plan. They most likely avoid the processed foods that Americans would tend to eat that contain lots of fats and carbohydrates. Plus they do not take supplements and would take their time in finishing their meals. They always make sure that they have a healthy dose of wine during lunch and dinner. Managing a slim figure despite all the breads, cheese, chocolate and butter they consume is almost unbelievable. It just so happens that the French are more particular with the way they are eating and eating only necessary real foods. They are also advocates of living the good life. This means they are active without really exercising but simply just having fun, laughing, having a playful spirit and getting enough sleep. The French diet plan also lets you view your food in a whole different light. It is also better to have a variety of foods on your plate like greens, fruits, pasta, poultry and the like. This will make it less boring and helps you enjoy your meals well. If you do not have time to exercise, it would also be best to have your food taken in portions, small portions. The rule of the French diet is simple. Don’t overeat and over drink. That’s about what you should always remember. Discipline and control. Avoid having too many sugars like in sodas and other sweets. Insulin would kick in your body and would tend to convert glucose in your blood to fats. Just remember to have a healthy dose of water in your system. It’s good for you and your body.Click Here For Rite Slim Limited Free Trial!

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