How the French manage to stay slim..the secret?

[artisanbaker]

my dad eats because he's hungry. he does not seek pleasure, only to get filled up.

my friends in france eat because it's pleasurable primarily.

[Susan G]

I thought it was because of fewer cars and more bicycles. And then there's the *extreme* social pressure on (especially) women to remain or become thin. A few extra pounds speaks a lack of discipline, which is about as appealing to the French as a lack of rationality. I carry an extra 20lbs on a tall frame and was frowned at by French women when enjoying my deserts!

[Felice]

And then there's the *extreme* social pressure on (especially) women to remain or become thin. A few extra pounds speaks a lack of discipline, which is about as appealing to the French as a lack of rationality. I carry an extra 20lbs on a tall frame and was frowned at by French women when enjoying my deserts!

This is definitely true. Being overweight in France (Paris anyway) is a definite no-no. I was very surprised to hear my French boyfriend's family commenting on his sister's weight. She had just had a baby and everyone was commenting that she needed to loose the weight she had put on during her pregnancy. They came right out and said she was looking fat and should watch what she was eating.

And the sizes here are so tiny, I can't imagine where you would shop if you had a weight problem. I have friends who would not be considered overweight at home, but who have difficulty finding clothes in Paris because the sizes seem much smaller.

[raisab]

Amen to the sizes in France! The largest you will find is usually what we would call an American size 10.

But I disagree that they don't low carb things. There is the Montignac method, which is a lower carb, lower glycemic reduction plan. They even have a store in Paris for his products. And if you look into any French drugstore, you will notice a huge ad in most windows for products pour maigrir. To lose weight.

But it is true that it is not as prevalent as in the US. Especially in Paris, but once you are out in the country, I see quite a few hefty mamas!

Edited July 30, 2004 by raisab (log)

[Druckenbrodt]

Actually, I've been noticing lots of chubby Parisian women (and yes, they are French - well, they sounded convincingly French when they were speaking). They still manage to dress with style, unlike in England where the assumption seems to be that if you go beyond a certain size, you might as well give up trying and only wear dish-cloth grey or black. Which is so sad and depressing.

Having originally studied art history, I think I have a different attitude to beauty. Admittedly skinny women can look great - that's why we'd all like to be skinny - but rounder women can look fantastic too. Unfortunately there aren't enough role models to show how it can be done - only 'fashionist' retailers who assume anyone larger than a UK size 14 would rather wear a tent than be voluptuous goddess. Look at Lartigue's French Riviera photos from the 1930's. His subjects look fantastic. OK they're not 'fat' but neither are they what one would consider 'thin' these days. More importantly they look like they enjoyed life - and the Foie Gras - as well as dressing up with fancy hats & shoes. Much more attractive than looking miserably guilty for having eaten a macaroon. EAT the macaroon I say! (But maybe while walking round the block a couple of times if it's your tenth of the day...)

[Ocean_islands]

The true French paradox is this: If they have such a low rate of heart disease, why don't the French live significantly longer lives as do the Japanese?

"Average lifespan around the world is around double what it was 200 years ago. It is now around 65 for men and 70 for women.

Japanese women are currently the likeliest to live long lives, on average reaching 84.6 years of age.

Japanese men are the second longest male survivors, reaching an average age of 77.6 years old.

The British rank well down the list. Men come in at 14th in the world table, living to an average age of 75 while women are in 18th place, living on average to 79.9.

In France, there is a big difference between men and women's life expectancy. Men came 16th in the world table, with an average lifespan of 74.9, with French women in fourth place with a life expectancy of 82.4 years. " article

[therese]

I also think that in France people eat real food, as opposed to pre-packaged, ready-made junk. You don't really see diet food, low-fat, no-fat, and certainly no low-carb products in France. I think the key is that people eat fresh food that they prepare themselves and don't worry about it so much.

Historically true, but no longer the case: TV ads and grocery stores both contain all sorts of low fat/diet items, and convenience foods are widely available and used.

And as for not worrying about their (or anybody else's weight), not exactly. They obsess about their own, and obsess about other people's. The topic probably does come up more more frequently when I'm around, as I'm American (was actually known as "the skinny American" when I was an exchange student in high school), but is clearly important all the time.

The social pressure on women is enormous, and has been for a long time. I still remember my stylish French "mom" during my high school exchange some 20 years ago, and her nightly, unvarying meal of steamed fish and spinach. We went to grandmother's house for dinner most nights (both of my French parents worked full-time) and the grandmother prepared this food especially for her, as she had hit her 40th birthday and was no longer finding maintaining her weight quite as effortless. There was no magic involved.

As the French become more affluent, spending more time in front of the television and less using public transit, they are coming to resemble their wealthy cousins across the pond.

[GG Mora]

We need to capitalize on this.  The eGullet diet plan.  Wander around a lot, preferably in search of the finest ingredients, smoke whenever possible, drink wine, nibble a wide variety of very small but tasty rich treats and voilà, you're thin!  I also think spending the entire month of August swimming in the Mediterranean and having sex might be necessary.

Hmmm, being led by a guy named Fat Guy might be a marketing problem though... maybe he can carry a pair of big pants to publicity events and become Monsieur formerly known as Fat Guy?

He could be Guy Le Fatte.

No, how about Guy le Gros??  using more eG's than desired, no doubt ...

Actually, Louisa Chu has already aptly (and, linguistically, accurately) francofied "Fat Guy" as "Gros Mec".

[bleudauvergne]

...as for not worrying about their (or anybody else's weight), not exactly. They obsess about their own, and obsess about other people's. The topic probably does come up more more frequently when I'm around, as I'm American (was actually known as "the skinny American" when I was an exchange student in high school), but is clearly important all the time.

The social pressure on women is enormous, and has been for a long time. I still remember my stylish French "mom" during my high school exchange some 20 years ago, and her nightly, unvarying meal of steamed fish and spinach. We went to grandmother's house for dinner most nights (both of my French parents worked full-time) and the grandmother prepared this food especially for her, as she had hit her 40th birthday and was no longer finding maintaining her weight quite as effortless. There was no magic involved.

I have to agree with Therese on the social pressure.

The grocery stores are increasingly full of sugary gook and corn based snacks here in France, just like anywhere else.

One difference is the social pressure. People here put a lot of pressure on themselves (and on others) to control their weight. That has not changed.

[halland]

I'm reading Food Politics and on p. 16 Marion Nestle states:

"Despite contentions that the French are protected from heart disease by their wine consumption (a phenomenon known as the French Paradox), they are getting fatter by the day and experiencing increased rates of diabetes and other health consequences of overeating and overweight"

This was a shocking statement to me, as I still want to faithfully believe in the French Paradox. Unfortunately she does not reference a source for this claim. I will say that after a week in Paris the contrast in body types was shocking -- coming through O'Hare the line through the terminal faced a large glass window enclosing a Chi Chi's. 90% of the diners in that Chi Chi's weighed at least 50% more than everyone we saw in Paris.

[fresh_a]

They probably stay slim because they're running around and getting stressed all day long (please don't take this as a generality, but simply my own daily experience)

[Bux]

They probably stay slim because they're running around and getting stressed all day long (please don't take this as a generality, but simply my own daily  experience)

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On the whole, I don't think New Yorkers are much less slim than Parisians. I've not made a scientific study.

[fresh_a]

I don't think New Yorkers stress as much for no apparent reason...then again, you know the kind of high-contact, mega-stress-level job I work at!!

[Carrot Top]

It would be my guess that they stay slim in Paris because they love to talk, to argue, to 'discute'. Do that with enough vigor and the calories just run away...

[bloviatrix]

I also think that in France people eat real food, as opposed to pre-packaged, ready-made junk.  You don't really see diet food, low-fat, no-fat, and certainly no low-carb products in France.  I think the key is that people eat fresh food that they prepare themselves and don't worry about it so much.

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Granted, it's only a movie, but last night while watching Confidences Trop Intimes (Intimate Strangers) I was suprised to see that William, one of the main characters, nuking a frozen diner in the microwave. Granted in a scene where he was entertaining you see him making an elaborate chicken dish but I would think that convience foods are available widely. The difference is probably that those who eat them don't supplement them with lots of other crap.

[Freckles]

Parisians are slim, but they do not generally look in the least bit healthy. Not much muscle tone, smokers' skin, etc. Chain smoking definitely has something to do with the lower weight and with the wan, pale look they tend to have in this city. And, it's quite common to see slim parents with very heavy children here; there has been a real break between eating traditional French eating habits in the generation. Mums are working full-time which gives them less time to cook and more money to give their kids. Kids -- from any country -- with 20 euros in their pocket will spend some of it on junk food. The French are not so different from the rest of us. Their societal trends have just trailed ours by about 15 years.

[intraining]

don't forget the wars!!! not a lot of food going around for a long time so lineage teaches rationing. america is abundant therefore so are the waste?lines. it's all a matter of discipline

also, all the pressure of appearing beautiful

Edited September 10, 2004 by intraining (log)

[therese]

The wars and consequent rationing (which lasted well beyond the wars themselves) did have a profound effect on the affected populations---borderline adequate nutrition affected not only the people who lived during those periods (particularly those at vulnerable points in their growth), but their progeny. The Great Depression was another factor both in Europe and the U.S.

Particularly extreme examples of the phenomenon are seen now in the U.S. among progeny of immigrants from southeast Asia and central America: 10 year old girls who've grown up in the U.S are not infrequently taller than either of their parents, and their children will be even taller.

Historically poor parts of the U.S. (like Appalachia, where my mother was born) have seen similarly dramatic changes over the past five decades.

The French may be able to keep from succumbing entirely to this "disease of the affluent", but probably only by taking fairly extreme steps vis-a-vis public policy. Fortunately the French are culturally adept at adopting or eschewing certain behaviors.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

"Despite contentions that the French are protected from heart disease by their wine consumption (a phenomenon known as the French Paradox), they are getting fatter by the day and experiencing increased rates of diabetes and other health consequences of overeating and overweight"

I think that Halland's quote is quite true. As a whole, Parisians do seem to be trim. Perhaps we assume that the overweight people we see on the streets are tourists. But get into the country a bit and you will find grossly overweight people as a matter of course. We spent several weeks in Burgandy this summer and a couple later in the Charente, and were appalled at the number of middle-aged and very young people who were clinically obese (like 40 to 75 pounds overweight). The percentage of overweight people we see seems to be climbing yearly. It is interesting that we see almost no overweight seniors. Perhaps they adhere to the habits of war rationing, of eating more natural foods, of not eating on the run, of doing more manual labor. In addition, we are noticing increasing warnings in the French press about the urgency of addressing diet, weight, nutrition, excercize.

[hazardnc]

Skinny French women do not drink Coca Cola --- fat ones do

I was in Paris at Chrismas in 2003 and while I agree I did see a few more French women who were larger than a size 2, I only saw one woman who was clinically obese. She was in the oyster bar with her friend and she ordered a Coca Cola. The waiter gave her a look of tremendous disdain. When the waiter brought her the Coke, she returned it, telling the man she had ordered a Diet Coke.

My family was in the Dordogne and in Catalonia in June of 2004, and I did not see any obese French women. In Barcelona and Girona, Spain I saw plenty of obese Spaniards. I attribute the fat to Coca Cola. The only fat people we saw were sitting at cafes drinking Cokes as oppsed to coffee or wine. Barcelonans seem to have a particular affinity for Coke. It was not unusual to see them gathered at the cafe tables drinking a few cokes and smoking (they do chain smoke)

Fat Americans are more likely to get the industrial sized soft drinks at convenience stores. I noticed that the price of a Coke in Europe has dropped significantly, making it more affordable for the masses; therefore, more people will become addicted.

Remember Christina Onassis? She fly in 10 cases a diet coke from America a day and was known to drink as many as 25 cans a day. That's addiction.

As for the smoking - while more French people smoke, I never see them chain smoking, at least not by American chain smoking standards (and I smoke). The French seem to take their time enjoying a cigarette and they do not immediately pick up another to puff away.

Edited September 10, 2004 by hazardnc (log)

[Bux]

From le Monde's weekend magazine section today, Mauvaise graisse l'obesite, une epidemie qui gagne la France. Interestingly enough the article is illustrated by a photo of what appears to be a chubby French woman looking at a picture of a american supermodel in her youthful prime. It's the last of a series of articles on le fast-food--McDo Made in France.

[Felice]

Here's is an amusing article from the NY Times which compares American and French eating habits.

Not sure if this link will work, as you need to sign in , but if not you can find it in the magazine section.

Our National Eating Disorder

[mighty quinn]

has anyone considered the size of refridgerators outside of the U.S.?? i find that when i have less food in the "reefer" and i have to go to the market daily (especially when i WALK) i tend to plan my meals more carefully, eat at more reasonable times and snack less. big american fridges are full of all sorts of crap to eat and one doesn't get much exercise going from the couch to the fridge.

[cxt]

has anyone considered the size of refridgerators outside of the U.S.??

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I agree! US refrigerators and also ovens are crazy-enormous! I am planning an american thanksgiving dinner in Copenhagen and am getting a lot of comedy mileage out of asking if I can get a 10 kg whole turkey to feed 15 people. I won't find one, which is fine, but even if I did, it would never fit in a danish oven!

I don't think small fridge size necessarily equals low population obesity rates, but maybe it IS a reflection on the overall food philosophy. Read the Pollan essay in the NYT recommended by Felice. It's great fun.