French Women Do Get Fat
One of the biggest books in America last year was French Women Don't Get Fat by the CEO of a champagne empire, Mirelle Guiliano. You know what I think? First of all, it's not true, increasing amounts of French women are getting fat. I knew this a year ago and that link supports my feelings.
And secondly, who really cares if French women don't get fat. No offense to France, but without batting an eye I can think of 7 reasons why comparing French women to American women is like comparing apples and oranges:
It feels good to get that off my chest. I've been wanting to rant about this for a while--Thanks for listening!
--Elaine Magee
Related Topics: Feeding Your Child in a Fast-Food World, Weight Loss 101: Snacking Secrets (WebMD Daily Video)
Technorati Tags: frenchwomendontgetfat, obesity, diet, weightloss, americanculture
And secondly, who really cares if French women don't get fat. No offense to France, but without batting an eye I can think of 7 reasons why comparing French women to American women is like comparing apples and oranges:
- Genes account for more than 50% of the change in BMI as we age, according to a new study. Other studies have found that if you expose people to the same environment of excess food and low activity, ones genetics strongly determines who will become overweight or obese. America is a melting pot of genes while France's gene pool is a bit more clear.
- Americans have a higher-stress culture, that's not going to change anytime soon (nor would I want it to--I like my busy life!) We work darn hard. We are lucky to get 2 or 3 weeks vacation in this country while it seems to be standard to get a couple of months off in France.
- Junk food and fast food is everywhere you turn in America. That's not going to change anytime soon either.
- Typical urban American life with commutes and computers sets us up for being sedentary.
- Americans are obsessed with dieting...and fad dieting leads to weight cycling (making it more and more difficult to lose the weight the next time) and overeating issues.
- The "bigger is better" mentality in America feeds into bigger portion sizes (and the more food that is in front of you, the more you will eat)
- Smoking MUST play a larger role in weight maintenance in France than in the US of A, when I've traveled in France (and frankly other countries in Europe), I was amazed at how many more people smoked there. Smoking is one of the only sure fire ways to override the fat gene--it increases your metabolic rate while it decreases your appetite--that's a powerful combination. Unfortunately many women on both continents stay thin with the help of cigarettes. Cigarette smoking is more socially acceptable there and perhaps they didn't get the "smoking causes cancer and increases your risk for heart disease" memo yet.
It feels good to get that off my chest. I've been wanting to rant about this for a while--Thanks for listening!
--Elaine Magee
Related Topics: Feeding Your Child in a Fast-Food World, Weight Loss 101: Snacking Secrets (WebMD Daily Video)
Technorati Tags: frenchwomendontgetfat, obesity, diet, weightloss, americanculture
30 Comments:
This has nothing to do with fat French women. But I'm curious...
Since I've entered my late 20s (and am about to turn 30, my body seems to have become my enemy in some respects. What happens to the way women like myself metabolize food as we age? Do we need fewer calories than in our early 20s? What should I be doing with my diet to adjust to my body's transformation?
Although true that most here in the US have much less vacation time than those in France and elsewhere, I feel that if MORE vacation time was allotted to me, I might have LESS stress and fewer bad eating habits (i.e. eating on the run)....I really enjoy the French cultures view of "we live to work" as opposed to the vast majority in the U.S. having to "work to live." Maybe when WE in the US start believing the former statment, we will enjoy a healthier lifestyle as well.
Oops the above statements became reversed in regard to the "live to work" and "work to live"....I actually posted them backwards....see TOO much stress here...
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I am going to be 30 this year as well. I have 4 children, I workout on my treadmill, I eat healthy( so I thought, my cholesterol is 216!!), and I am always active. I have been told the body does change as it ages and if one does not get enough sleep, you will not lose weight.
This article is only based on stereotypes. Please! I am French (and now American) and I've lived in the US for over 12 years. I very much enjoyed reading the book "French Women don't get fat". You are missing the point - she is talking about eating REAL foods, wholesome, and enjoying it, instead of TV dinners loaded with salt and other processed foods (if it says low fat or fat free, it's lost its nutritional value and is loaded with bad stuff!) Taking the time to eat, and live is also key. I also want to clarify that somking is WAY down in Europe. And I totally disagree with the statement implied that Europeans are slackers because they get more weeks of vacation. They work hard the rest of the time.
I strongly diagree with the assertion "we work darn hard" and its implication that Americans work harder than the French. Sitting at a desk or standing at a cashier for longer hours does not make you a harder work. It's proof that American culture prefers to emphasize image over reality. The image of working is more important in this culture. Our society would be much healthier if we would fewer hours, had more vacation time, and emphasized the quality and integrity of our work rather than than the image of it
It was a great book! Try reading it for meaning and understanding the whole point rather than slamming the title. It's the farthest thing from a fad diet book ever.
The article alludes to the smoking culture of France and Europe and states that it helps control weight (depsite that smoking has decreased in these areas). Has the author ever been in the Southern US? Having lived there for 5 years, it is the land of buffets and all you can eat portions, AND is also a tobacco culture. Americans generally are lazier and have no self control or ability to use moderatation with food (or much else for that matter). Furthermore, I live in a country now with generous vacation packages and people work just as hard and seem to accomplish more between 9-5 than Americans do in a 12 hour day. Also, the family unit does things together, not just watching tv or plugging the kids into some technology. Americans need to learn or re-learn personal responsibility, something that has been in decline for a long time, but is present in other cultures.
Here I thought nationality didn't matter...I thought it was making sure that your calories in was less than your calories out and making sure you exercise to maintain muscle mass so as not to allow the metabolism to slow. Nice to know that being an American gives me an excuse to be big simply because of my genes (which, as I understand, are purely European of various descent anyway)!
Pardon my sarcasm. This society uses enough excuses as to why the obesity trend is rising. The calorie equation hasn't changed. We still need to eat less, exercise more to lose the weight, but that takes self-control, and that is what society lacks today.
Alright, I'm down off my soapbox, who'd like to step up next? ;)
I read part of the book and the main point I came away with was this...eat the food you enjoy and enjoy the food you eat. It emphasized slowing down the eating process so that you can savor your food and make the cooking and eating process more of a passionate event rather than a means of stuffing great quantities of food into your body. I am not convinced that the French have cornered the market on this concept but I think that it is a concept we in America should adopt. Slow down. Think about bite of food you take. Get up and out and move. Experience life.
The reason why French women don't get AS fat as American women is that they eat basically an Atkins diet. When I read the book I marvelled at how close it is to Atkins which as another blogger said consists of REAL food, not all the sugar laden junk that so many Americans eat. I enjoy food and have NEVER been healthier. At fifty-four I'm in better shape than I was at thirty-four.
Food
I read this opinion with interest since I have studied and taught the French attitude towards food for years and wrote extensively about it long before the book was published. However, every single "reason" listed, though true, is simply an EXCUSE. And using excuses makes you a victim. No good - not if you want to lose weight permanently. The study that says the French are getting fatter also mentions they are getting taller! Hello! We Americans need to get back to real food, get away from the chemicalized packaged crap American food manufacturers (and many restaurants) offer. Of couse, they'll only do that if we, the public, demands change.
"increasing amounts of French women are getting fat."
Absolutely. There's no denying that.
"America is a melting pot of genes while France's gene pool is a bit more clear."
Wrong. France is the melting-pot of Europe. We have every kind of genetic backgrounds here. If anything, France is even more a melting-pot than America, because people do not stay within their original commnunity, they immediately mix with people of other origins.
"Americans have a higher-stress culture, that's not going to change anytime soon (nor would I want it to--I like my busy life!) We work darn hard. We are lucky to get 2 or 3 weeks vacation in this country while it seems to be standard to get a couple of months off in France."
Wrong again. 5 weeks is the legal requirement. And saying that those 5 weeks are all that matters is ridiculous. There are 47 other weeks in a year, and I can garantee you that they are just as stressing in France as they are in America. Our kids, in particular, live a MUCH more stressed life than many American kids, with VERY long school hours in particular. Mind you, it has one good side-effect: our high-schoolers don't have much time for extra-curricular activities, so they are home for dinner, which is supposed to be a good way to fight obesity in children.
"Junk food and fast food is everywhere you turn in America. That's not going to change anytime soon either."
France is getting more and more junk and fast food too.
"Typical urban American life with commutes and computers sets us up for being sedentary."
Anyone who lives in a moderately big city in France has the same problem. And we do have computers, lots of them.
However, it is true that we do not tend to use our cars as obsessively as we're told Americans do. We more easily walk or use the public transportation systems, which promotes a minimum of physical activity.
"Americans are obsessed with dieting…and fad dieting leads to weight cycling (making it more and more difficult to lose the weight the next time) and overeating issues."
Do you really think French are not similarly obsessed :) ? You should read our women's magazines, they are no better than yours.
"The "bigger is better" mentality in America feeds into bigger portion sizes (and the more food that is in front of you, the more you will eat)"
Which is what is criticised as being maybe the MOST important factor in American obesity. But don't worry, we French are following in your tracks. Well, except for those who can afford to eat in expensive restaurants: the portions in there are absurdly small.
"Cigarette smoking is more socially acceptable there and perhaps they didn't get the "smoking causes cancer and increases your risk for heart disease" memo yet."
Yeah, right. We have those things written in big letters on the packs of cigarettes...
Anyway, the feeling that more Europeans smoke might be simply due to the fact that Europeans are more allowed to smoke IN PUBLIC.
I notice you failed to mention the MOST important factor in my opinion: History. 60 years ago, France was basically starving, people had food tickets, our economy was in ruin. Food was sacred, because it wasn't that easy to come by. People were thin, because they couldn't exactly over-eat. So the only reason France is behind America in the course for obesity is simply that we started later and up until 1 or 2 generations ago we had a different take on food.
But we're getting there, don't you worry.
A French woman.
Oh, for heaven's sake! When was the last time you saw anyone in Europe produce with the speed of American workers? With only 1/2 hour to eat lunch, and on their feet the rest of the time? The supermarket cashiers actually sit while quietly and slowly scanning your purchases. When was the last time you had 13 weeks of vacation or could afford to sit and eat a leisurely lunch or dinner with friends?
Stress has an enormous amount to do with weight gain. Our priorities force us to work longer and harder then we have to. We spend more time at work than at play or with family.
They also get low or no-cost health care! Many Americans can't afford the cost!
Heya, was just wondering about the 'weight cycle' thing here. Can anyone enlighten me about how it becomes more and more tricky to lose the weight gained after the last weight loss? And does it apply to everyone? Sounds like doom to me...
You have got to be joking; these statements are nothing but excuses that have no real fact other than your opinion to support it. You might also want to mention that the American lifestyle is, in only 5 years, going to be killing more Americans than smoking dose, and in fact we Americans unfortunately do smoke a lot and more than various European nations. Take responsibility for your self, and stop putting the blame ells where. Like you said your self the environment isn’t going to change we will still have fast food on every corner but the bakeries in Paris aren’t going anywhere either!
Social life, means -healthy life.
European social life is on a piedestal!
America -sorry...
As a proud American I would just like to respond to the negative feedback some people are posting about Americans being fat. Yes some are and some French people are too, instead of judging other people and where they live, get healthy and take care of yourself rather than putting the blame on others!
I am a French health counselor and psychologist and lived in America (Seattle) for more than thirty years. I wrote a lifestyle/ cookbook a few years ago called "Pace of Provence". It explains how to adapt the French principles of eating to the fast paced America.
I enjoyed everyone's comment, because I give seminars and classes and you guys are my audience!
I wanted to compliment particularly the woman who wrote about stress and its relationship to weight.
Let’s face it, we all need relief valves, and we need to live our lives at a gentler pace. Stress reduction is a vital part of good health. Today’s fast pace of life is putting a toll on us. We live in a world of haste of speed and stress. Unless we learn how to manage stress, we get sick. A recent survey showed that 70- 90% of us feel stressed at home and at work. Under prolonged stress the body depletes its store of nutrients. Stress is a prime suspect in the things that kill us: heart attacks, cancer, accidents... Long-term stress leads to subtle and potentially serious changes in our bodies. Chronic stress increases “bad” cholesterol and depresses the immune system, opening door to many diseases. The biggest predictor of health may not be the contend of someone’s diet but how stressed out they are about eating.
Eating slowly makes a difference. We need to learn the difference between eating for the sake to nurturing our body and eating because we are bored, depressed, tired, anxious, stressed or sad.
Stress can also increase a yearning for extra snacks and high-fat comfort foods. When people are worn out from stress of trying to do too much, they often turn to sugar, caffeine, or vitamins to increase energy levels and help them function. There is no evidence, however, that emotional stress increases our vitamin needs. If you focus on simple ways to get balanced nutrition as we will explore in this book, you will get all of the vitamins and other nutrients you need.
Modern research shows that social isolation and lack of an interpersonal support network are the most damaging factors. Anything that leads to feeling of connection, of conviviality can be healing. The family and social ties in France can teach American much about reducing stress through personal connection. The pace is far more relaxed in France. Life is fleeting, la douceur de vivre...
“But I live in America” you say” and I have to live the American Pace”.
No I don’t think it has to be that way. There are steps to manage stress. Stress is a choice. Set priorities to make the most of your time, simplify your life and concentrate on what is really important for yourself and your family.
In France we eat with families and social networks and believe it’s important for the peace of mind. People make time for their meals, they eat together regularly, they enjoy working in the kitchen, and most of all they delight in the act of eating.
Eating regularly a meal together leads to intimacy and feeling of connection that can be healing. Some reason why people who drink moderately may live longer is that they have more social support than others who do not drink. I suspect that the same benefits would result from having social support in activities not centered around alcohol
Time management, nature walks, music also are great helps. Not forgetting about humor, such a wonderful stress-reducer and antidote to upsets. A good laugh relaxes tenses muscles, speeds more oxygen into your system . Most of my dearest memories are connected to dinner time: the phone was unplugged, candles were lit and the sound of the cork popping signaled time to sit down. I was surrounded by my friends and family, laughing, sharing delicious food, feeling safe, happy and fulfilled... Slow down, relax and enjoy!
www.harmoniecooking.com
Excuses from genes, junk food, dieting, stress, sedentary, bigger portions and smoking. I can think of more. How about Mom is fat so I am destine to be fat? Or Mom forced me to watch all the television so the ads made me fat? Or the school serves bad meals so I am fat and no exercise so I am fat? Lets face it we can think of all the excuses we want. But the truth is most people make really bad decisions. The truth is we are what we eat. Make the right choices and lose weight. Do not go back to OLD habits. Struggled all my life and finally at 60, female am at my high school weight of 149 and am 5' 8" and feel great. Love moderate exercise. No potatoes, no white flour, no sugar and still eat tasty healthy meals and lots of fruits and vegetables. How hard is that?
The excuses in the original post are the very reason why many women all over the world are not able to make lasting changes to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Quite complaining and start making small changes that you can stick to - just because you work long hours doesn't mean you must hightail it to the nearest McDonalds for a triple big mac with a large order of fries! Simple healthy inexpensive meals can require no more than 20-30 minutes. If you don't get as many vacation weeks as the French, spend the time you do have doing something that is fulfilling (and this does not mean watching tv and eating the aforementioned TBM). It doesn't matter where you live or what your genetic makeup, it isn't too late to learn from the advice of others (Including the author of French women don't get fat) and start changing your lifestyle!
Wow, I could not be more embarrased for you. Someone who supposedly is in the health field and should know better; someone who is educated but sees only what she wants too see in a medical article.
Most of your points identifies you as someone who plays the victim (it's someone else's fault..."I didn't want that cake but it was there, I didn't want all those french fries but I had to eat them since they were already on my plate"). When was the last time you face the truth, stood on a scale or in front of a full length mirror and said, "this is me, and my doing - where do I choose to go from here?"
Oh, another study in the book, You the Owners Manual - says that more than 80% of how you look is directly related to you not your genes. Stop blaming others.
If you really read the obesity increase in France article, you would have read that as French women eat and mimic the American Woman's life style than they too become obese. So maybe, just maybe if the American woman mimics the True French life style she too will get healthier.
Oh my!! People are entitled to having opinions and lets stop using "mimic" as an answer to health issues, Americans do not need to mimic the french at all or vice versa, that is nonsense,it is not hard to stay healthy without the use of "mimic" diets! Let it go already.
The book was "cute" - a good way for the author to promote herself & French culture, it was hardly a study of anything, & totally unsupported by any data - an "op ed" piece. The lifestyles are totally different & comparisions don't work. Pick a fluff topic, write a short book, promote something that puts down anything about American life, et voila'! success!
There are very different elements at work in our bodies when speaking of various ethnic backgrounds. There are also cases of obesety in every country found on this earth. My point is simple. The countries who still enjoy a reletively low stress life, those who still shop at markets and cook at home, and those societies that tend to walk and take advantage of the outdoors, those are the ones who tend to be in and of itself healthier. These also tend to be the cultures who still enjoy family, friends, and life itself....many Americans should re-evaluate this...I say this as a young american who has traveled and is fortunate enough to realize this.
NO offense to the writer of the article. But there is a picture of yourself right beside the article. You are not thin, am I right? A few pounds here and there my friend? I hope next time you read a book you understand what the book is trying to say. It is ok to admit that other cultures have good things.. (i.e. the french eating wholesome food as oppose to fast food, or frozen food). Try leaving abroad for a good couple of years.. either europe or latin america, you might be able to lose those pounds that make you write unfair comments about books.
Anonymous:
Read this post.
Not everyone is a beanpole. That doesn't make them overweight or fat either.
Here's my 2 cents: Lifestyle choices are more important than genes in determining weight. The French lifestyle has certain elements that do promote weight loss. I'm American, 5'10" tall and in the first 2 years of college I wore size 12-14. I spent my junior year at a university in Paris, living with a French host family, and came back to the US a size 4-6. My genetics and stress level did not change during that year. If anything I had more stress because I was determined to excel in classes taught in French which is not my native language. What made the difference for me was 1) eating smaller portions 2) walking. I didn't have a car there. Didn't need one. Except for eating less, I didn't follow a diet in Paris. I did not give up sweets, bread or fatty foods. That was 10 years ago. Since then I've been living & working a sedentary job in the US and packed on 50 lbs. I'm back at size 14. But I know it's my fault and I can do something about it. I'm bringing back parts of my French lifestyle. I'm going to start walking to work, walking to do errands, and preparing better meals. No fastfood, no junk. And yes, I'm confident it will get me back into shape, not to mention save me some gas money.
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