French Women Don't Get Fat
 

I see this new book is out, written by the CEO of Clicquot, as in the Champagne. So...has anybody tried this? I would love to take off a few pounds while eating mousse au chocolat!

I saw her on ...oh can't remember for sure, Dateline, or 60 Minutes, 20/20..one of those. It's not a diet book, she just says the same things that have been said on the board many times, French women eat small portions, enjoy it thoroughly, don't snack, and walk more than we do. They'll have their cafe and croissant , but they don't have them every day. Maybe the next day they'll just have a yogurt instead. Stuff like that. So, if one were inclined to want to change your life style and eating habits if necessary, the book would probably have value and I'm thinking might be a fun read...I'm planning on getting it. If you have mousee au chocolat you have the little tiny cup of it now and then, not the whole big bowl!!! LOL

"If you have mousee au chocolat you have the little tiny cup of it now and then, not the whole big bowl!!! LOL"

Sigh. I knew there had to be a catch. lol

the idea that French women don't get fat is ludicrous - i've spent many weeks at my French in-laws and many women when they get older, while not obese like K-mart women in the US, get plump. Eating mouse au chocolat will not help you lose weight - i'm no medical whizz but i can tell you that - it's total caloric intake with exercise, that's all.

I read an interview with the lady in the press here, and I believe she also recommended regular afternoon sex. This poses some problems for the working class, although some of my colleagues were known to make the effort during office hours - often without leaving the office.

C'mon...it won't kill you to love the French for just a couple of hours!

As long as I don't have to drink that Champagne, I will try the mousse!
I imagine going on a diet such as this and <u>getting</u> fat!

She also recommends periodic binging on just leek soup and water. Not sure how that affects the sex.

You can binge on LEEK SOUP AND WATER??????????????

I think it was binging on soup and water and then taking a LEEK.

You guys crack me up.

Actually Neil and Patrick are Baaaaad! LOL.

Nothing like a good nooner to work off some spare calories! And that my friends is the true practicality of a bidet!

But when they're bad they're good!

(nods to May West.)

My mouse totally went haywire when I read Patrick's post, I was laughing so hard!

Hey ladies, here is a link to an article our local newspaper did last Sunday on this book. Oh, by the way, my name appears in it as well

http://www.dispatch.com/features-sto...tml&amp;chck=t

Here's an excerpt, in which unfortunately all she tells us is how she gained weight in the U.S.: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/d...p;view=excerpt

Thanks but that is valid , true information except, all the women I know in Weston are thin. I feel fat when I go to a party there.

Many of them smoke to keep the weight off. And they diet like crazy, too. Keeping thin is an obsession there; they're just more successful than their American counterparts. I remember one woman who drank coffee all day, smoked and then just ate dinner. Of course, the no-snacking between meals, walking, and long drawn -out relaxing meals where one's body registers they are full helps enormously, too.

annetti, it's the same here. Several women I know are heavy smokers(as I was once) who are thin and would never give it up for fear of putting on weight, and they stay on the coffee and cig diet.

You are so right. I wonder whether she mentions the smoking in the book.

You know what ...you are a long time dead,eat everything in moderation!
And travel,travel,travel!!

I've heard of &quot;self-abuse&quot; but having a &quot;nooner&quot; using a bidet is such a waste of high quality...well, you know...

One important thing the book does point out is the freshness of food in France (and Europe, actually). In america, we eat too much food that is saran wrapped and filled with preservatives and then don't get any physical activity.

Patrick/Intrepid: I'm afraid that I'm rather embarrassed by my ignorance but what's a 'nooner'? It's not a term that I'm aware has crossed the water to the UK...

PS. I once successfully managed to lose about 2 stone (28lbs) on the Wine Diet, which is kind of French (hence my slight tangent). (Atkins aficionados can use protein alternatives, of course). Something like toast for breakfast, a simple sandwich or baked potato for lunch and then have a glass of wine as soon as you get home in the evening. Then another. By this time you should have lost your appetite. Finish off the bottle and go to bed. It works a bit like starvation but it's a lot more fun!!

Thank goodness! I've been searching for the wine diet! Thank you Tallulah.

Also, I believe the lady who wrote the book suggested, like Parisiennes, one should walk everywhere.

Tallulah, LOL
Are you certain you really lost the weight, or after all that wine perhaps when looking in the mirror you couldn't see straight.
-:)

Tallulah, if they explain the term 'nooner' at any level of detail, this entire thread will be yanked.
Call it an &quot;intimate encounter in the middle of the day&quot;.

Some years ago there was a popular song named &quot;Afternoon Delight&quot;. :)

Aaahhhh!!! Ha ha! Travelnut &amp; Ira, thank you so much for enlightening me. And probably also for alerting me to what's missing in my life!! ;-)

Elaine: Who cares?!! I felt great! And it makes sense, after all there's no fat in wine...

LOL, Tallulah, sounds good to me! ((D))

Perhaps if we combine Tallulah's wine diet with the Veuve Clicquot lady's suggested afternoon activities? I bet we would all look wonderful then.

This is the Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/bo...0b&amp;ei=5070

It's a very interesting read.

111op, is that the original NY Times article? There's yet another one today in the Dining section. This lady's press agent has been very busy.

I do wish that some kind soul would supply this lady's Leek Soup recipe for those of us too cheap to buy the book. It's copyrighted material, so it would have to be a revised, suggested, personal, variation of the official recipe :), but it would be nice to see it.

Here you are Elaine!

Magical Leek Soup (Broth)

Serves 1 for the weekend

Ingredients

2 pounds leeks

1. Clean the leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut off the ends of the dark green parts, leaving all the white parts plus a suggestion of pale green. (Reserve the extra greens for soup stock.)

2. Put the leeks in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and reserve. Place the leeks in a bowl.

The juice is to be drunk (reheated or at room temperature to taste) every 2 to 3 hours, 1 cup at a time. For meals, or whenever hungry, have some of the leeks themselves, 1/2 cup at a time. Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season sparingly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if you wish.

This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish (4 to 6 ounces -- don't lose that scale yet!), with 2 vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or olive oil, and a piece of fruit.

If the leek soup sounds a bit off-putting to you, the next page in the book has a recipe for &quot;Mimosa Soup,&quot; also to be used on the weekend in the same way. In it, the leeks are reduced by a pound and a head of lettuce, about half a pound of carrots, cleriac, turnips are added, as well as chopped parsley and half a pound of cauliflower (last ingredient to be added because of its pungency).

Bon Appetit, all.

Hi elaine, it's from the Sunday Book Review. I'll look for the other one. The review was actually interesting -- some of the quotes sent me laughing. For a while it was one of the most e-mailed articles (I think it's dropped to #3 today).

This is the one today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/09/dining/09lady.html

I'm still reading it -- but was struck by the comment that she and her husband own a duplex in NYC that could accommodate 150 people for dinner comfortably. The going rate of apartments in the city is about 1,000 per square foot. My immediate reaction was to figure out how much the apartment is worth. :-)

&gt;This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish ... with 2 vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or olive oil, and a piece of fruit.&lt;

If you fed this diet to a POW, the Red Cross would accuse you violating the Geneva Conventions. :)