"French Women don't get fat"

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Forum -> Health & Wellness -> Healthy Lifestyle/ Weight Loss/ Exercise

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crbc

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 3:36 pm

did you like this book by Mireille Guiliano? I thought it was very cute and sensible. I wonder what other people think, esp. imamothers from France. LOL

flowerpower

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 3:49 pm

I didn't read the book but if it has something to do with the title of the book then I might consider moving to France.

HindaRochel

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 4:40 pm

From what I understand of the French eating style (and it does sound like a great book) the French eat well prepared, tasty meals, eat slowly (probably more than 1/2 lunch), till satiation (not till they feel full but so they don't feel hungry) and regard food as something to give them pleasure. Real foods and not junky foods, at least that seems to be one of the keys to success according to the comments.

Rochel? Are you available for comment?

sho770

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 6:24 pm

Ha ha ha!!! Wink

IÂ´m not french, but belgian, and let me repeat: ha ha ha!!!
If it was that easy...

Maybe itÂ´s all the publicity stuff that makes us think that way, or even the women we see who act in politics, who are usually thin and well-dressed, but frankly, except for maybe eating less fast-food than the average american (even though "Macdowells" and others have prolifered in Europe too), people do get fat in Europe or France too.

Maybe more women in France, being subject to / influenced by the way others look at them, are more conscious of what theyÂ´re eating and try to eat consciously healthier, but I wouldnÂ´t say itÂ´s a general trend.

bluebird

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 6:37 pm

I found its overall theme (everything in moderation) to be good, but it was patronizing in parts.

happyone

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 6:57 pm

Didn't read the book, but yes, I'm gonna be moving to France. Too much effort to become/stay thin here in the states.

Fox

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 8:17 pm

sho770 wrote:

Ha ha ha!!! Wink

IÂ´m not french, but belgian, and let me repeat: ha ha ha!!!
If it was that easy...

I did read the book, and the basic concepts are obviously good (eat what you want but limit quantities, drink plenty of water, and walk). But I agree with sho770: it's easier said than done!

One critique of the book criticized it for neglecting to mention that the rate of women smokers is much, much higher in France than in the U.S. Don't know if that's accurate, but it made me think about other cultural factors that might also figure into the equation.

Clarissa

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 8:35 pm

I read somewhere that now that French people are smoking less, the women and everyone else are getting fatter. Apparently tobacco helped them stay skinny.

This isn't where I read it, but this is from the New York Times:

But smoking, or the decline of smoking, may also play a role. Nicotine is a stimulant, which means that smokers burn calories faster. And it's an appetite suppressant, which means that smokers eat less. Consider "French Women Don't Get Fat," the best selling book. Some critics said that the real reason chic Parisian women stayed trim while gorging themselves on croissants was that they smoked more than their American counterparts.

amother

Tue, Jun 03 2008, 11:02 pm

Never heard of the book, but I've been to France and saw plenty of fat French ladies there.

Ruchel

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 6:53 am

hahaha indeed
Ridiculous...

HindaRochel wrote:

The French, at least the upper class, would LIKE to eat that kind of meal. Generally, ppl come home from work and put something in the oven and that's it... most people don't know of eating only until you feel satiation.

Many people go to McDo 1, 2, 3, 4 times a week. Many people eat French fries every day. Many people are fat. 1 out of 4 16-22 girls is obese, I read.

The average French woman, will not OBESE, is 1m63, 64 kilos, and a US size 12. Not my idea of "thin".

HindaRochel

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 7:03 am

Ruchel wrote:

hahaha indeed
Ridiculous...

Oh well. It sounded great. Never having been in France I had to rely on reports in the papers.

Quote:

The average French woman, will not OBESE, is 1m63, 64 kilos, and a US size 12. Not my idea of "thin"[/code]

.

No, but that is a healthy weight according to my readings, and the average American woman I think is overweight.

Raisin

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 7:21 am

Ruchel wrote:

hahaha indeed
Ridiculous...

HindaRochel wrote:

there maybe be plenty of overweight women, but I don't think you see the truly ginormas people you may spot in the USA. And the average U.S. woman is 5' 3.7 (162 centimeters) tall and weighs 152 pounds (69 kilograms). thats 5 kilo more then french women, for about the same height.

Actually they just did research, and they found that woman who are just slightly overweight (size 12 or so) are likely to live longest. longer than thinner woman, longer than very overweight women.

So heres to size 12! Cheers

Raisin

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 7:23 am

sorry those statistics for american women were out of date! Now, it's 163 pounds (74 kg) and 5' 3.8" (162 cm).

That is 10 kilo bigger than french women. (20 lbs!)

Ruchel

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 7:56 am

I agree that Americans are fatter. Totally.

Quote:

I don't think you see the truly ginormas people you may spot in the USA.

this is true. You see one sometimes, but not as regularly as in America. I remember that from my trips there.

amother

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 8:16 am

A size 12 is considered fat shock

whose doing these surveys!!!

Ruchel

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 8:16 am

I don't consider a size 12 fat, but not THIN on a 1m63 woman!

Ruchel

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 8:17 am

unless it is muscle, which is NOT the case for most French women!

louche

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 11:08 am

I wasn't impressed with the book. The only reason it's a big hoo-hah is that it has the word "French" in it, and the French have done an amazing PR job convincing the entire Western world that they alone are the guardians of civilization's "secrets" of feminine beauty.

The book says nothing that my grandmother, HS hygiene teacher and cardiologist haven't been saying forever. Eat a large variety of fresh, nutritious foods; eat slowly and savor your meals; treat yourself once in a while but not too often; walk, don't ride; get plenty of sleep and fresh air; drink lots of water.

There is a similar one-up book called "Japanese Women Don't Get Fat...or Old." More of the same, except the recipes are Japanese.

Choose your weapon: poisson or sushi? En garde!

Last edited by louche on Wed, Jun 04 2008, 2:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

chavamom

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 11:51 am

HindaRochel wrote:

Quote:

The average French woman, will not OBESE, is 1m63, 64 kilos, and a US size 12. Not my idea of "thin"[/code]

.

No, but that is a healthy weight according to my readings, and the average American woman I think is overweight.

Actually, that's pretty similar to the average American woman.

HindaRochel

Wed, Jun 04 2008, 12:45 pm

Raisin wrote:

Actually they just did research, and they found that woman who are just slightly overweight (size 12 or so) are likely to live longest. longer than thinner woman, longer than very overweight women.

So heres to size 12! Cheers

Does that mean I should toss out my diet book?

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