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“It was only when I moved to France that I learned why French women don’t get fat.”
Our family has been living in France for several years. And during this time, I personally learned how French women relate to diets, sports and their weight. I will gladly share my observations.
About six months after our move to France, we were recommended to undergo a medical examination. General examination, height, weight, blood pressure, several tests, etc. The conclusion is made by the general practitioner. “Madam, you have 5 (!) Extra kilos,” the doctor shook his head.
I was surprised. I did not consider them superfluous. At that time, I had 38th French size (44th Russian), and the clothes fit perfectly on me.
The formula for calculating the weight from a French doctor: height in cm – 110 = optimal weight in kg.
Yes, I didn’t weigh that much, even when I “sat on the Ducan” for six months!
Later I began to get accustomed to French women and gradually notice how they relate to food. None of the ladies I know followed the strict “regimen” – that’s what the French call diets.
They didn’t give up on homemade cakes or a glass of rosé. No big eyes and screams: “What are you, I’m on a diet!”
But what allows them to stay slim?
Here are my top 7 habits French women have that keep them fit.
Activity! This is especially noticeable among young mothers with children. They are like instincts. Cycling, outdoor games, swimming pool, badminton. They do not sit on benches if they go out with their child for a walk. They walk, run, play. They are mobile, like their children.
Absolute observance of the food intake: war by war, lunch, dinner. All of France lives on schedule. 8, 12, 16, 20 hours are meal time. The French have learned it since childhood. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner. A 4-hour break keeps you hungry, but just enough to avoid snacking between meals. Coffee doesn’t count.
Breakfast with an abundance of sweet and starchy foods. Many people only eat bread, jam or honey in the morning. This is considered the norm, and no remorse for the “bad” calories. By the way, croissants in bakeries are sold only in the morning. They are not eaten at lunchtime.
Lunch is a compulsory meat or fish dish. Lots of vegetables. Green salads, seasonal vegetables are the basis of side dishes.
Dinner may consist only of salad with cheese or cold fish. Unless, of course, this is a dinner at a restaurant, not a gathering with friends.
But dinner in a restaurant is one or two evenings a week, not more often. A couple of times a week – there may be exceptions and concessions. Then you can allow a three-course dinner and dessert.
Water! Adult French women drink water, wash down food with water, not juices or sugary drinks. They do not add calories to food intake. They are not in the habit of drinking tea with cookies. Do you want to drink? Water!
And not so long ago I read a book Mireille Guiliano Why French Women Don’t Get Fat. And in this book I found full confirmation of my observations. Madame Guiliano is from Alsace, where I live. For many years she has lived in the United States and now holds a leading position in the American office of the company “Champagne of Widow Clicquot”. She compares the French and American views of cooking and dieting: “Most of the diet books are based on radical methods. Extremism has never been supported by the French, except for the brief rule of the Jacobins in the XNUMXth century. ” Her book is full of fond memories of childhood and adolescence in Alsace and is packed with traditional family recipes. But the main thing that Mireille insists on is to tune in to get pleasure from food and from life. Here are some memorable quotes.
“It is natural for a wife, mother, and working woman to neglect pleasure; probably, in your subconscious mind even a thought arises that otherwise you will manifest yourself as an egoist. Understand, however, that the inability to enjoy pleasant moments is not related to altruism. (Because of her, you will not only get fat, but also become irritable.) For the sake of your loved ones and yourself, you must learn to enjoy pleasure and strive for it.
The author of the book gives practical and very simple advice: do not eat on “autopilot!”
“As you learn to replace trash with treats that are truly enjoyable, you’ll realize that the rule ‘little is more than enough’ is not an empty phrase.”
“You should eat wisely, in accordance with the regime, then the mechanism of your body will not creak from hunger.”
“The habit of intercepting here and there appears due to the fact that three meals a day are not followed.”
“If you don’t have the strength to resist dessert and a glass of champagne as an aperitif – good health, but after that you don’t eat bread.”
“The only way to get rid of temptation is to succumb to it,” remarked Oscar Wilde (who died in Paris). Yes, he is partly right. Food is a sensual pleasure! “
Among my French friends there are those who love to cook, as well as those who do not really like it. Some are active in sports, others are not. I cannot say that all French women are thin, they are not. But most of my peers (and I am over forty) are not overweight, do not go on diets, but really adhere to the principles formulated in the book by Mireille Guiliano “Why French women don’t get fat.”