How French Women Stay Slim

Posted in: Diet & Nutrition, Exercise, Nutrition, Weight Loss | 3 comments

With the popular book “French Women Don’t Get Fat” on bookshelves, many wonder how French women stay slim, especially when our vision of the French diet includes decadent pastries, butter, cream, and other high-fat, high-calorie foods. Despite the rich diet, the percentage of overweight people in France is quite low. How do they do it?

The answer is a combination of many different factors, each of which adds up to a healthy lifestyle. If you were to follow the pattern of the French, you could also enjoy rich foods while staying slim.

They eat slowly. French people tend to take their time when eating a meal. They savor both the food and the company. The typical lunch in France may take two hours, while in America, we spend 15 minutes quickly eating something at our desks while we work. Taking longer to eat your food allows the brain to register that your stomach feels full, which helps prevent overeating.

They enjoy food. French people enjoy food that tastes good and try not to deprive themselves of any one food. Furthermore, they enjoy a variety of foods and will eat several different foods within one meal. When you eat this way, you tend to be more satisfied with the food that you do eat, which helps to prevent indulging in other snacks later in the day.

They eat smaller portions. Even though the French eat foods that are high in calories, the portions are much smaller, leading to an overall low caloric intake. A croissant in France, for example, may be half the size as one in America.

They walk. When a French person needs to go to the store, to work, or to visit a friend, they are more likely to walk or to ride a bicycle. This moderate exercise on a daily basis is enough to keep them slim without resorting to a specific exercise routine.

They wear sexy lingerie. There may be just as many lingerie shops in France as there are bakeries. While this may not hold true for everyone, many French women enjoy wearing sexy lingerie underneath your clothes. This becomes a constant reminder to make the right food choices, so that you still look good in your underwear.

French women follow an eating style that fits with their lifestyle. Ultimately, that’s what’s important to you. If you think that aspects of the French diet will help you to stay slim and healthy, they by all means, work on adding them to your lifestyle.

To learn more about the book, check out the reviews on Amazon.com: French Women Don’t Get Fat