April French Friday #1

Bonjour to you lovely French people!  Can you believe it is not only Friday, but April?  Spring is taking her time getting dressed this year, and the anticipation has me frenzied, but I think the final product will be worth it.  She is adorning her hair in lots of delicate pink and purple blossoms and the hem of her dress is decorated in daffodils, tulips, and narcissus.  She is merely waiting for the sun to make her grand entrance.

With the arrival of April however, comes not only spring, but also a new book for French Fridays, The French Don't Diet Plan by Dr. Will Clower.  This is a bit of a departure for French Friday since it is an actual plan, but there is so much we can learn from this book and tricks to help us slow down, slim down, and enjoy our food.  I would recommend picking up a copy for yourself or checking one out from the library to understand the nuances of the plan.  Obviously I can't discuss all of his points, but I will be touching on the ones that affect my weight loss journey.

Today, I will be discussing Part 1 of The French Don't Diet Plan which encompasses the introduction, as well as Steps (chapters) 1 through 3.  What was most profound to me about this plan, is that Dr. Clower endorses eating REAL food.  I know you're thinking, "Well, isn't food all we eat?"  But the author deduces that the majority of food in American supermarkets is "faux", filled with inventions and ingredients designed to keep them shelf stable, moist, smelling appetizing, sweetening them, etc.  There is nothing real about these ingredients and they are just designed to fool us into thinking the food is real.  French people eat REAL food which is what our bodies are designed to eat.  The French eat vegetables, cheeses, yogurts, eggs, meats, while Americans are eating packaged lettuce gassed with chemicals to make it last longer, cheese products, "yogurts" with thickeners, sweeteners and stabilizers, egg substitutes, and meat that has been cured with nitrites and flavorings.  Real food grows from the ground, or comes from an animal that had a mother and a father.  There are no inventions or added ingredients in a tomato or an egg, they are just a tomato or an egg, but when you look at egg substitutes, or canned tomato products, you are ingesting a lot more than just egg and tomato.

Dr. Clower recommends a pantry purge and eating only real food.  I completely understand Dr. Clower's recommendation of eating real food.  In fact, when I thought about all of the "inventions" in my diet, it kind of grossed me out a little and made me angry at the American system of food commerce.  However, I know that a pantry purge is going to be difficult for me to do.  Partly because I think of all the wasted money in "food" and I know that my pantry will be mainly empty when I'm finished with the exception of a container of grits, some old fashioned oats, and the baking ingredients like flour, sugar and my stash of high end chocolates.  But all of the rest would have to go.  Am I ready for that?  Do I really want to continue to consume "inventions"?  Do I really want my kids to continue to consume "inventions"?

This morning, I quickly grabbed four products out of my pantry to examine:  Rice Krispies, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Spirals, Carnation Instant Breakfast by Nestle, and Marie Callender's Whole Grain Caesar Gourmet Croutons.  I have always looked at the calories and the fiber in products as to how "good" or "bad" they were, but Dr. Clower is telling us to retrain ourselves to look for "inventions".  Deep breath....okay, here I go.

The Rice Krispies contain rice, sugar, salt (okay so far), malt flavoring (hmmm....) and high fructose corn syrup (doh!  invention!)  And that is in a cereal that I have never thought of as sweet.

Carnation Instant Breakfast by Nestle.  This touts itself on the outside of the package as being a "complete nutritional drink" with "2x protein of an egg and 2x the calcium of yogurt".  I sometimes give this to my children for breakfast with a piece of toast.  Gulp, looking on the back....nonfat milk, sugar (okay, real so far), maltodextrin, cocoa processed with alkali, lactose, dicalcium phosphate, natural and artificial flavors, carrageenan, sodium aluminosilicate, soy lecithin, magnesium hydroxide, sodium ascorbate, vitamin E acetate, vitamin A palmitate, .....ugh, I'm getting weary and disgusted....and I'm only halfway through!

Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Spirals.  This is a twice monthly staple in our house because it is quick to prepare and the kids love it.  The "enriched macaroni product" contains:  Wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, Thiamin monotriate, riboflavin, and folic acid. (I read wheat flour that has been stripped of it's vitamins so the vitamins are added back in).  The Cheese Sauce Mix contains:  whey, milkfat, milk protein concentrate, salt, sodium tripolyphosphate, citric acid, lactic acid, sodium phosphate, calcium phosphate, milk, yellow 5, yellow 6, enzymes, cheese culture)  Bingo, inventions galore!

Marie Callender's Whole Grain Caesar Gourmet Croutons.  I bought these because they touted whole grains and were relatively low in calories.  Looking at the back, they contain:  Whole wheat flour, water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup....and on and on.  I'll stop there since I've already come to two inventions in the first four ingredients!

I know my diet would be better if I stopped eating inventions.  The question is, do I have the guts to actually do it?  I know that making my own croutons from bread that I've baked would be healthier, but can I give up the convenience?  On the same note, can I make my own macaroni and cheese to rid my children's diet of yellow 5 and 6 and sodium tripolyphosphate?  When I think of it in terms of ridding my diet of these inventions, of course I can make my own food from real ingredients, it is just my penny pinching side that is going to have a hard time just throwing these fake foods away.  Perhaps this step will be gradual for me.  As I use them up, just not replace them.

Lose your Sweet Tooth

Dr. Clower goes on to say that when we eliminate these fake foods (like high fructose corn syrup) from our diet, we will eventually lose our sweet tooth.  Real dessert and real chocolate will be a luxurious end to our meals, instead of something we crave and overeat.  American ooey gooey desserts will just become cloyingly sweet and you will begin to love yogurts, and cheeses, and fruit tarts as desserts.

Homework for this week:

1.  Do a pantry purge (if you dare).  If you are like me, at least look at the ingredient lists of things in your pantry.  How do you feel about including these "non-food ingredients" in your diet?  How do you think your diet would change if you were only eating real food?  Think about how eating only real food might free you from calorie counting, carb counting, sugar counting, etc.

Next week, I will continue to discuss The French Don't Diet Plan with Part 2:  How the French Eat.  This section has really helped me with my biggest hurdle to weight loss, eating too fast.  I hope to see you all there!  In the meantime, tie your scarves jauntily around your necks and go out for a stroll to admire Spring's beautiful new dress.

March French Friday #3

Happy Friday gorgeous French people!  Today, I am feeling anything but chic!  I've caught a cold and it's just so hard to feel chic while coughing and blowing one's nose.  But despite this, spring is in the air, and so I am wearing a cute skirt from Ann Taylor Loft, a cashmere blend sweater, and a cute fitted jacket.  I'm doing my best to look cute despite the red nose!

Today, Tangled Noodle and I will be discussing Chapters 7-9 in Brian Wansink's book Mindless Eating.  Please don't forget to pop over to Tangled's discussion.  Here is a little snippet to whet your appetite.  

"The title of another well-known book says it all - men are from Mars and women are from Venus.  And this holds true even with our attitudes toward food. In Chapters 7-9 of his book Mindless Eating, Brian Wansink alludes to gender differences in our attachments to comfort foods, the influence of primary food providers on future eating habits, and the role of 'health halos' in justifying mindless overeating.  But I would like to add my own thoughts on the importance of understanding the ways men and women look at food differently and how it can impact our eating habits. So please join me for Part III of "Mindless" in Minnesota, a discussion of the book Mindless Eating, at Tangled Noodle"

As for me, I will be discussing two studies from Brian Wansink's book Mindless Eating titled, "The Nutritional Gatekeeper and the Good Cook Next Door" as well as, "The McSubway Study and Information Illusions".  Let's begin!

The Nutritional Gatekeeper and the Good Cook Next Door

Are you your family's Nutritional Gatekeeper?  This is the person who does most of the shopping as well as most of the cooking.  The nutritional gatekeeper is consciously or subconsciously in charge of 72% of the food that goes into their family's mouths.  Brian Wansink described a "pop-tart starved teenager" who if there are no pop-tarts in the house because the nutritional gatekeeper did not buy them, can no longer eat pop-tarts.  What if instead that Nutritional Gatekeeper chopped carrot sticks and put them in the front of the refrigerator.  Most likely, the teenager will not borrow the car keys to make a pop-tart run, but will instead start grazing the fridge and will happen upon the carrot sticks.

What sorts of food decisions are you making for your family?  Are they healthy choices?  Are you enabling "pop-tart decisions" by keeping these foods in the house?  You may want to provide these choices, just as long as you are mindful of your role as nutritional gatekeeper and are mindfully making these decisions.

This study also talks about 5 different types of cooks:  the giving cook, the healthy cook, the innovative cook, the methodical cook and the competitive cook.  Brian Wansink found that most cooks can be categorized neatly into one of these 5 categories.  All of the cooks helped their families eat better and more varied meals...except for one.  Can you guess which it is?  Which kind of cook are you?

From Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink:

"Giving Cooks (22 percent):  Friendly, well-liked, and enthusiastic, they specialize in comfort foods for family gatherings and large parties.  Giving cooks seldom experiment with new dishes, instead relying on traditional favorites.  The only fault of the giving cook is that they tend to provide too many home-baked goodies for their famil.

Healthy Cooks (20 percent):  Optimistic, book-loving, nature enthusiasts who are most likely to experiment with fish and with fresh ingredients, including herbs.

Innovative Cooks (19 percent):  The most creative, trend-setting of all cooks.  They seldom use recipes; they experiment with ingredients, cuisine styles, and cooking methods.

Methodical Cooks (18 percent).  Often weekend hobbyists who are talented, but who rely heavily on recipes.  Although somewhat inefficient in the kitchen, their creations always look exactly like the picture in the cookbook.

Competitive Cooks (13 percent):  The Iron Chef of the neighborhood.  Competitive cooks are dominant personalities who cook in order to impress others.  These are perfectionists who are intense in both their cooking and entertaining. "

The Giving Cook was the type of cook that did not help their families make better choices.  Because they rely so heavily on favorites, the giving cook can end up in ruts and their families tend to eat the same things over and over.  However, the giving cook is the most common type of cook.  If you are a giving cook, what are some ways you can break out of your rut?  How can you introduce your family to new foods?

The McSubway Study and Information Illusions

The last time you were in a Subway restaurant, you may have noticed how prominently they display the nutritional information of their food.  It was on my cup, my napkin, on the menu, everywhere.  It seems likely that people would then read this information and take it into account to try to make healthier choices.  Brian Wansink discovered that most people who dine at Subway, go for the higher fat, higher caloric subs because they are under the impression that everything at Subway is "healthy".  They even compensate for the healthier choices by choosing chips, cookies, or soda to go with their "healthy" sandwich.  Most people at 200 more calories than they thought they ate.  Contrast this with McDonalds where the nutritional information is very difficult to find (although it's getting easier) and where there is no impression that the food is healthy.  People still ate an average of 200 calories more than they thought (and a whole heck of a lot more than the people at Subway).  The McDonalds eaters ate those extra calories because they liked the McDonalds food, not because they were under the impression it was healthy.

Where do you fall into the "healthy" trap?  My mother in law will serve a Cobb salad for dinner (not really a low calorie dinner) as an excuse to have dessert.  It is the impression that the Cobb salad is healthy for which she compensates with the high calorie dessert.  Do you tend to overeat in situations where the food is perceived as healthier?  Do you offset the health of the food with high fat/high calorie sides?

Next week, Tangled Noodle and I will be finishing the book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink.  Also, don't forget to pick up a copy of April's French Friday book The French Don't Diet Plan by Dr. Will Clower.  See you here next week in our virtual sidewalk cafe.  A bientot!

March French Friday #2

Happy Friday to all of you gorgeous French people!  Welcome to my virtual sidewalk cafe!  Isn't it lovely outside today?  (Okay, it can be in our minds).  Even though it is still winter, the sun is shining and you can just begin to feel a change is on the way.  Spring is almost here.

Today, Tangled Noodle and I will be discussing Chapters 4, 5, and 6 from Brian Wansink's book, Mindless Eating.  As I think I said last week, this book is just PACKED with little tidbits and individual studies on eating and eating behaviors.  I will be picking a few to discuss each week, and Tangled Noodle will as well, but even with both of us discussing things from this book, there is so much to it that we cannot discuss it all.  Be sure to pick up a copy for yourself and read along with us (I found mine at the public library so you don't need to spend money to read along with me).

Speaking of reading along with me, before I get down to business, I have also, with great pause I may add, decided on the book that I will be discussing in April for French Fridays.  I have decided to review The French Don't Diet Plan by Dr. Will Clower.  I say that I chose it with great pause because one, it is a "plan", and two, I don't totally agree with everything the author endorses.  However, for those of you who are readers of my Weight Loss Weekly column, my weekly collaboration with three other bloggers trying to lose weight, you will know that I feel one of the hugest stumbling blocks to my losing weight is how fast I eat.  I think if I could just get that one thing under control, my portions would shrink by 1/3 to 1/2 naturally.  What sold me on making The French Don't Diet Plan my book for April is that it does have two tricks for eating slower that I have been trying out this week and....they have been working for me!  My portions have been shrinking and as a result, so have I!  So even though I do not agree with some of the finer points of Dr. Clower's philosophy, I feel there are lots of little tidbits that we can glean from it to help us on our own weight loss journeys.    Pick up your copy so that you can read along with me in April and let me know what you think.

Let's get back to the present though.  This week, I will be talking about two studies from Chapters 4, 5, and 6 that I find particularly useful in my own weight loss efforts.  They are:  "The See-Food Trap" and "Family, Friends, and Fat".  Let's dive in!

The See-Food Trap

Do you ever find yourself in this situation?  You have put a bowl of M & M's on the coffee table and one on a side table because you are having people over later, but as you are cleaning the house and passing the M & M's, you pop one into your mouth.  Then, you pass the table again and pop another in your mouth?  Or perhaps those stale doughnuts that are on the table in the break room just seem to find their way into your mouth when you pass by them to get your lunch from the refrigerator.  Dr. Wansink and his associates conducted a study where they gave an office building full of secretaries 30 Hershey's kisses.  To some, they gave the kisses in a clear glass candy jar, to others, they gave the kisses in an opaque candy dish with a lid that they couldn't see through.  Every evening, they would go and count how many candies the secretaries had eaten during the day.  The ones who were able to see the kisses through the clear candy dishes ate an average of 71% more candies during the day than the ones with the opaque candy dishes.  This translated to an additional 77 more calories a day.  If Dr. Wansink and his associates had continued to fill those candy dishes for a year, those secretaries with the clear candy dishes would have gained about 5 extra pounds more than the secretaries with the opaque dishes.  It seems that when food is in front of us, and we can see it, we can't help but to dip in and graze a little.  Little by little though, those extra calories here and there mean extra weight we gain without quite knowing why we've gained it!

What can we learn from this study:

Like the M & M's that we can't help but graze when they are out, we can also make healthy choices easy to graze on.  Fill that candy dish with walnuts in their shells, celery sticks, or perhaps a fruit bowl.  Better yet, if you are prone to snacking, put the food out of sight.  Out of sight, out of mind!  I use this idea to get my boys to eat more veggies.  I put a raw veggie platter on the table before dinner.  They are already in the frame of mind to eat, and end up snacking on veggies before dinner.  If they then don't touch a veggie during dinner, I know that they've still had their serving for the meal.

Question to ask yourself:

1.  What "see-food" do I have out?  If I put it completely out of sight, would it help me from snacking?  If not, what healthy choices can I have in my line of sight?

Family, Friends, and Fat

Have you ever noticed that "fat" and "thin" tend to run in families?  What I mean is, if you see people from the same family, they are all heavy, all thin, or all...whatever.  Yes, there is an argument for genetics, but how do you explain husbands and wives who are both heavy, or both thin?  This study talks about eating patterns with friends and family.  Let's say, when you are alone, you eat a certain amount.  If you were eating the same meal with one other person, the average consumption of the same meal rises 35%, with four people 75% and with seven people, about 96% more.  We tend to eat until everyone is finished, and we also tend to pace our eating to those around us.  Which means, we will eat faster when eating with a fast eater, and slower when eating with slow eaters.  When we eat fast, we tend to eat more before our brain registers that we are satisfied.  Also, by the time our brains get the signal that we are satisfied, we have already eaten too much!

What we can learn from this and questions to ask ourselves:

Although you can't control the speed of your family, you can control, and be very mindful of, the speed of yourself.  What are ways you can slow down the pace of the meal?  Who are you choosing to eat your midday meal with at work?  Are they fast eaters or slow eaters?  Don't continue to graze until everyone is finished.  Eat slowly, feel satisfied, then put down your fork and drink water, tea or coffee until all are finished.  This will keep you from matching other's paces and eating more than you should.

I have so enjoyed our time together in our little sidewalk cafe.  Next week, we will be discussing studies from Chapters 7, 8, and 9.  If you have enjoyed my discussion or are interested in learning more, don't forget to pop over to Tangled Noodle's discussion of the book.  While you're there, leave a comment for her (all of us so love to get comments)!  Here is a little teaser to lure you over to her lovely table.

Tangled Noodle says:

“Who do you think has your best interests at heart – your family or your friends? According to Dr. Brian Wansink, when it comes to watching how much you eat, neither group is as reliable as you might think. Please join me at Tangled Noodle in continued discussion of the book Mindless Eating as I explore the reasons why ‘the more, the merrier’ isn’t necessarily so; how convenience and overeating can go hand in hand, and how names really can hurt you.”

March French Friday #1

Happy Friday to you gorgeous French people!  After a few days of sun which promised spring was coming, winter again retook her grip on the region.  It has been cold, dreary, rainy, and windy in our little corner of the world.  However, being French, I must look at the bright side, winter rains bring spring flowers.  Those little seeds that have been laying dormant all winter are soaking up that rain and are going to burst forth soon.  I will just pull my chic scarf a little tighter around my neck as I scurry to our favorite cafe.

I must hurry to our cafe today as I don't want to be late for the discussion that my friend, Tangled Noodle, is leading.  She too is discussing the book Mindless Eating Fridays in March, and I can't wait to hear her perspective on the book. 

Mindless Eating is a little bit of a departure for French Fridays as it is written by an AMERICAN MAN (of all the things!), but after Tangled Noodle recommended it to me, I loved it as I could see so many French principles put into practice (or tested) in the book.  The author, Brian Wansink, Ph.D., is a professor of Marketing and Nutritional Science at Cornell University where he studies food and consumer behavior.  Therefore, this book is vastly different from French Women Don't Get Fat, in that he discusses lots of individual studies of food and consumer behavior and then discusses how we can use that knowledge to help us trim calories by fooling ourselves.  Because of this, I will be discussing this book a little differently than French Women Don't Get Fat.  It would be too hard to discuss ALL the studies without endangering myself of copyright infringement, so I will pick one or two from the section we are discussing that I find most relevant to my own weight loss efforts, and discuss that.

Today, I'll be looking at the Introduction and Chapters 1-3 of Mindless Eating.  My, My!  Reading a book written by an American man has inadvertently put me in the American Mindset.  For a moment it was all business, business, business before pleasure!  I had almost forgotten my citron presse!  Oooh, and look at how wonderful the cafe's croissants look this morning!  I'll be right back!

Ah, that's better.  All settled in now with my citron presse, my croissant, and my good friends.  Let's gather around and see what we can learn from this American man!

Chapter 1:  The Mindless Margin

The first thing that jumped out at me was the very first study Brian Wansink talks about in Chapter 1:  Stale Popcorn and the Frail Willpower.  Here, he set up a study where he gave all of the people in a movie theater free popcorn and a drink in exchange for filling out a survey at the end of the movie.  To half the people, he gave medium sized buckets of popcorn, to the other half, huge buckets of popcorn.  All of the popcorn was 5 days stale so it would all taste equally as bad.  At the end of the movie, those who had been served the large sized buckets ate an average of 173 more calories than those who had the medium sized bucket.  Brian estimates that that was 21 more dips into the bucket that a person with a large bucket ate over the person with a medium bucket....of 5 day old, stale popcorn.

What we can learn from this:

When you serve yourself more, you eat more.  In theaters, or in fast food restaurants, order the small size to avoid extra calories.  Try to avoid buying groceries in bulk, when you have more, you will eat more.

Chapter 2:  The Forgotten Food

In this chapter, there is a study that Brian discusses called, "The Prison Pounds Mystery" where inmates in a Midwestern jail typically would put on 20-25 lbs. in an average 6 month sentence.  They had no idea they had gained the extra weight until they were released, given their old clothes back, and couldn't fit into their clothes.  He believes that it's because their orange jumpsuits are so "forgiving" that they could gain weight without noticing a change in their clothes.  They didn't have their zippers telling them they were gaining weight.

What we can learn from this:

What are you wearing in a typical day?  Is it fitted?  Does it have a zipper, or an elastic waist?  If it is fitted and has a zipper, you are more likely to notice when it gets a little difficult to zip up, however if it has an elastic waist or (oh my!) is a pair of sweats, you are likely not to notice when you gain a few pounds.  Take pride in your appearance!  Not only do fitted clothes look better on you, they will keep you from packing on a few pounds without noticing!

Also from Chapter 2:  Big Plates, Big Spoons, Big Servings

Here, Brian threw an ice cream party for people of his lab.  The attendees were graduate students getting their Ph.D.'s in food psychology, surely he can't trick them!  He gave some of them extra large bowls to put their ice cream in and others medium sized bowls, some of them large spoons, and others smaller spoons, and invited them to take as much ice cream as they wanted.  Those with the large bowls and large spoons dished themselves 57 percent more than those who were given the medium bowls and small spoons.  If most of us finish what we serve ourselves, that is a lot of extra calories!

What we can learn from this:

We can fool ourselves into eating less by eating off of smaller plates.  Have you noticed how plates seem to be getting bigger and bigger?  I have been looking for six months now for a new everyday dish set with small bowls with no luck!  Have you noticed the size of a plate at Applebee's recently?  What if we were to ask the waitress for a salad plate, re-plate our entree onto a salad plate and put the rest in a to-go box?  Would you feel as satisfied at the end of the meal?  Probably.  Probably even more satisfied as you didn't stuff yourself and have the guilt that goes along with it!

This book is FILLED with little tidbits.  It is impossible to discuss them all but there is so much to learn and glean from this book.  If you haven't picked up your copy yet, do so soon!  Next Friday, Tangled Noodle and I will be discussing chapters 4-6.  Please join us!  

Don't forget to pop on over to Tangled Noodle's discussion as well!  Here is a little snippet to get you interested!

Tangled Noodle says:

"Eating is one of the most basic and important functions for life - so why do we hit autopilot when it comes to nourishing ourselves? Stop by at Tangled Noodle as I discuss how our food choices are influenced by personal opinions ("As Fine as North Dakota Wine"), the amount of food ("We Believe Our Eyes, Not Our Stomach") and even the size of containers ("Big Plates, Big Spoons, Big Servings"). It may just give you something to think about."

February French Friday #4

 Bonjour to you lovely French people!  This is our last Friday in February so today we will be finishing the book French Women for All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano.  It is always a little wistfully that we say goodbye to something, but take heart, there is always something new around the corner.  I noticed while walking to our little sidewalk cafe this morning that the tulips are starting to push through the ground, yes, spring is coming.  Along with spring, we will also be reading a new book Fridays in March titled, Mindless Eating:  Why we Eat More than we Think by Brian Wansink.  Tangled Noodle will be joining me in these discussions which are sure to give us lots of tips on how to eat more mindfully.  Please join in for the discussion at our little sidewalk cafe.

Now, are we ready to discuss the book?  Mireille is so expressive in her writing that I will be a little less so today as there is not much to add.  However, I feel that adds to my French mystique right?  Bon, let's dive in.

Chapter 6:  Wine is Food

Where do I even begin as this chapter is massive!  Mireille gives us tips on buying, storing, tasting, and enjoying wine.  She also gives us some guidelines on food/wine pairings but of course, her personal preference is that champagne goes with practically everything!  What I love about this chapter is she makes buying wine so un-intimidating.  Just buy a bottle, make a great dinner, drink the wine with food and see how you like it!  That, in my opinion, is a great place to start.  One can delve into wine however deeply they want to and she gives you the tools to start, but at the very beginning, just drink some and see how you like it.  How simple does that get?

Chapter 7:  Recevoir:  Entertaining a la Francaise

Mireille gives us great and simple recipes in this chapter that are "company worthy".  She also gives great ideas for hosting different types of get-togethers.  Entertaining need not be a stressful or budget straining thing, it is merely a time to get together with friends and enjoy each others company.

A Bientot:  A Little French Lesson

Very concisely, Mireille sums up her philosophies of French living by translating a few choice French phrases.    This chapter is great when you need a little reminder of how to pursue you joie de vivre.

I have so enjoyed our time today in our little sidewalk cafe.  As I said before, it is always a little sad when we finish a book, but I am looking forward to our March French Friday discussions!  Don't forget to pick up a copy of Mindless Eating, and I will see you here next Friday when we will discuss the Introduction and Chapters 1-3.  Until then my lovely French friends, a bientot!

February French Friday #3

Bonjour to you lovely French people.  It is time for another installment of French Friday.  Today, we will be discussing Chapter 5 and the Entr'act from Mireille Guiliano's book, French Women for all Seasons.  Seeing as how the weather is overcast and cold today, let us move our little party inside.  It is fortunate that our little cafe has excellent indoor ambiance as well.  I am noticing many more people in our little cafe today as the weather has driven many people inside.  The jostling and indoor noise make a jovial atmosphere though to help us shed our winter blahs.  After today, we will have one more Friday in which to finish French Women for all Seasons.  Fridays in March, I will be reviewing Mindless Eating:  Why we Eat More than we Think by Brian Wansink.  While I am on the subject of March French Fridays as well, let me take a moment to introduce you to another French woman in the making, Tangled Noodle.  Tangled introduced me to the book Mindless Eating and I loved it, as it incorporates so many French principles in concrete forms.  I have asked her to collaborate with me for March French Fridays and she has so warmly agreed to do so.  Doesn't she look so elegant and French with her little doggie sitting so nicely under her chair?

Has everyone a glass of citron presse or their Perrier?  Bon, let us now dive into our discussion.

Chapter 5:  En hiver:  Winter Pleasures

After reading this chapter, I so wish I would have read it at the beginning of winter as it was an instant lift to my flagging spirits.  I have had spring fever so badly that I have somehow forgotten that French women find pleasure in each season.  Mireille talks about exercise being an instant mood lifter during winter.  Not necessarily gym exercise, although if that is your pleasure then go for it, but rather simple ways we can incorporate more movement into our day when all we want to do is snuggle up with a good book and a cup of tea.  She talks about walking and enjoying the cold and snow (I have yet to manage actually ENJOYING the cold however) and incorporating things such as stair climbing, housework, and yoga into your day.  This chapter is also chock full of recipes to enjoy the fruits of winter.  Recipes for enjoying oysters, chestnuts, celeriac, root vegetables, scallops, bananas, oranges and other citrus fruits, duck and fennel are all in a French woman's arsenal on how to derive pleasure from bleaker winter offerings.  Mireille ends this chapter with a discussion of winter flowers and how forcing bulbs indoors can bring pleasure and color to your home.

Entr'acte:  The French Eat What?

This chapter had me giggling as Mireille speaks about the French women's pleasure in eating foods such as frog's legs, rabbit and pigeon.  Although these delicacies can be a hard find in America where the idea of eating Bugs Bunny repulses some people, pleasure is very subjective and what is repulsive to some may be pleasurable to others.  Mireille gives us recipes for rabbit, pigeon and liver in this chapter.  I for one was pleasantly surprised to see rabbit for sale at my local butcher recently and can't wait to give it a try!

These chapters impressed upon me the French woman's ability to derive pleasure from her circumstances, even in the bleakest of seasons.  What brings you pleasure in winter?  For Valentines day, my mother in law bought me a bouquet of daisies with lilies.  They are still gorgeous even 6 days after I received them as I've been careful in changing the water daily.  They bring a little boost of color and spring to my home and table despite the gloomy weather outside.

I have so enjoyed our time together in our little cafe today.  Next Friday we will finish French Women for all Seasons by discussing Chapters 6 and 7 as well as the chapter titled, A Bientot.  Please join me next Friday in our little cafe for that discussion.  Also, don't forget to pick up a copy of Mindless Eating for our French Friday discussions in March!  I found my copy at my public library but I'll also include an Amazon link below.  Until next week, my lovely French friends, a bientot!

February French Friday #2

Bonjour to you, gorgeous French people.  This week, I will be reviewing Chapters 3 and 4 from Mireille Guiliano's book French Women for all Seasons.  I will continue reviewing this book every Friday in February for my French Friday's series, followed in March by Mindless Eating:  Why we eat more than we think by Brian Wansink.  Please join me every Friday for this series.

Bien, now that we have the formalities out of the way, let us journey to our outdoor cafe in Paris.  Tie your scarves ever so nonchalantly around your necks, order your citron presse, make sure your make-up is impeccable and your dress is classic.  Are we ready?  Bon, let's begin.

Chapter 3:  En Ete:  Summertime Smiles

I actually had a difficult time reading this chapter this week as I am so ready for warmer weather I can actually taste it.  Unfortunately, seeing as how it snowed just two days ago, it seems as if winter is going to hang around here a while longer.  Reading this chapter on summer was practically torture for me.  But alas, I endured for you, gentle readers.

In this chapter, Mireille discusses the attributes of summer that help French women stay slim.  One need only embrace the bounties of summer to enjoy this season free from the fear of getting fat.  French women embrace summer produce and make it the main focus of their meals.  Their dress is light, but covered, as a nice pair of linen pants is often cooler (and a whole lot classier) than denim cutoffs.  Jewelry is simple and of course, French women always have their scarves handy in case of getting chilled in an air conditioned building, and for looking chic.  Mireille again talks about different ways to wear scarves in the summer.  The following short video clip shows Mireille demonstrating how to tie a scarf skirt.

In this chapter, Mireille also tortures me by giving luscious sounding recipes featuring summer produce at the peak of its flavor and enjoyment.  Oh summer, why do you tease me so?

Chapter 4:  En Automne:  Fall Ahead

In Autumn, we often get back to the busier routines of our year, the new school year, seasonal holidays, plus the chill in the air all conspire against us and make us naturally want to layer on a little extra insulation.  Unlike bears, however that eat nothing all winter, therefore using their extra fat as energy, we seem to keep piling it on.  Mireille talks about indulging (of course you can), but French women are very mindful of their indulgences and compensate for them.  They also only indulge when it really counts, for example, for a luscious chocolate truffle, not a mediocre one.  Again, she also gives us yummy sounding recipes for the seasonal produce of fall:  potatoes, squash, cauliflower, pears and apples.  Also, she illustrates more ways to wear a scarf.  Inspired by this chapter, I started the day out today with a shoulder wrap scarf, but of course, being American, I failed to pull it off effortlessly.  It looked more like my arm was wrapped in a sling.  So I knotted my scarf around my neck loosely and it worked.  It's all about improvising, isn't it?

Next week, we will read Chapter 5:  En hiver:  Winter Pleasures as well as Entr'act:  The French Eat What?  Until then, you gorgeous French people, A Bientot!

Weight Loss Weekly

Weight Loss Weekly is a collaboration between me and three other bloggers trying to lose weight.  Please join us for this weekly series as we discuss the challenges of losing weight, and our progress towards reaching our weight loss goals.

Our topic for this week is a discussion of the basic principles of the "diet" we are following.  Here is what the other three have to say.

Nurit's response:

“I don’t believe in diets. There’s always something new; eat this, don’t eat that, eat more of this, eat less of that. Fat-free, low-fat, sugar-free, gluten-free, no-carbs… South Beach, Atkins, Whatever… Enough already! Even the USDA can’t make up their minds about the “pyramid”…” To read more click 1 family. friendly. food.

Sunny's response:

"For our weight loss weekly bit we're discussing the main guidelines of the diet we're following which I already talked about last week. But I do have a few new things I'm going to be adding to my plan for my next 6 week challenge." Keep reading at That Extra 20 Pounds

Giyen's response:

Giyen is writing about a slightly different topic today, but you can read her blog at Bacon is My Enemy

My response:

I'm finding this a difficult question to answer because I am not following a "diet" in the sense that some diets are.  None of this 30, 20, 20 nonsense or carb restriction or all carbs, or only grapefruit on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays...yeah, I know you've heard of them.  Rather, I'm following the life approach Mireille Guiliano talks about in her book French Women Don't Get Fat.

I suppose the biggest changes I have made are to look at food and eating as an adventure in sensory awareness.  I pay attention to how foods look, how they are presented, how they smell, how the table is set, the lighting of the room, in addition to how the food tastes.  When you look at eating as more than a refueling stop and instead look at it in terms of taking care of yourself and pampering yourself, you naturally pay more attention to the quality and quantity of food you are eating and eat less.

I say this is a lifestyle approach because I have not only made dietary and meal time changes, but I've changed the way I live my life.  I dress better, I pay attention to accessories, I entertain in my home more, and I keep fresh flowers and plants in my house.  I engage people more and am trying to feel more comfortable in my own skin and with who I am.  I am so much more than how much I weigh or what I eat.

Yes, there are certain diet changes also.  I eat one to two servings of plain yogurt a day, I'm also eating more fruits and veggies, going for a daily walk, and I've also developed a love of prunes!  But it is the diet changes as well as the lifestyle changes that have changed me the most and helped me to become more comfortable in my own skin and to appreciate the little things around me.

If you would like to learn more about French Women Don't Get Fat, sign up to follow my blog as my whole blog is a testament to the changes I've made in my life since finding that book.  Also, tune in every Friday for my French Fridays series, as well as every Monday for another installment of Weight Loss Weekly.

February French Friday #1

Bonjour to you lovely French people!  How have you been doing employing the healthy living principles we learned in French Women Don't Get Fat?  I have had a terribly American week, but I am mentally back on the plane to France as we speak!  This month for French Fridays, we are reading Mireille Guiliano's second book, French Women for All Seasons.  In it, she promises to give us little secrets and refinements to the French lifestyle that she "forgot to mention" in her previous book.  She promises us little tips on living well, dressing well and enjoying life.  This week, we will be discussing the Ouverture and Chapters 1 and 2.  Does everyone have their fashionable silk scarves tied jauntily around their necks?  Did you order your citron presse from the waiter?  Bon, then let's pull up chairs in our cozy little sidewalk bistro and start our discussion.

Ouverture

In this chapter, Mireille begins discussing the clash between two cultures, the American culture (really the globalized culture) and that of the time-honored French culture.  In America, we are so far removed from our food that often times we have no idea what we are putting into our bodies.  We eat mindlessly and on the run.  She gives a very sad example of an eight year old she met at the Greenwich village farmer's market who didn't know what an apple was.  This contrasts sharply with Mireille's idyllic childhood of growing up surrounded by a wonderful garden and fruit trees from which her family would get the majority of their produce in their own backyard.

She also discusses the tale of two airports, that of Chicago O'Hare and the other in Paris.  She witnessed the majority of people in the Chicago airport eating huge portions of food mindlessly at 10:00 am in front of their computers, or T.V. sets.  "Why were they eating at 10:00 am anyway?" she wondered.  Were they between flights and just needed to pass the time?  Why were they eating and watching T.V. or on their computers at the same time?  She contrasted this picture with that of an airport in Paris where the majority of people still sit down in a restaurant to eat with a fork and knife.  Occasionally she will see someone eating Pizza Hut or McDonalds, but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Questions to ponder after reading this chapter:

1.  How many times a week do you eat mindlessly?

2.  How many times a week do you eat just to pass the time?

3.  How many times a week do you watch T.V. or work on the computer while you eat?

4.  How many times a week do you actually sit down to eat with a fork and a knife?

If you start eating more mindfully, with a fork and knife, slowing down, not eating while distracted and emotional, you will naturally eat less!

Chapter 1:  J'ai Oublie de vous Dire:  Something I Forgot to Mention

In this chapter, Mireille had me giggling imagining some of her French friends up in arms at her for revealing their secrets to staying slim.  Mireille would always counter, "Don't worry, j'ai oublie de leur dire..." (I forgot to tell them)....Fortunately, she is letting us in on the secrets now!

Mireille discusses one of the oldest women in the world, a 122 year old French woman, who only recently passed away.  This woman dutifully rode her bike every day into her 100's.  She had a very regional diet, ate at home three meals a day, drank wine once or twice a day and obviously was very healthy.  She attributes this woman's longevity to staying slim, staying active, never eating fast food, eating locally grown produce, and enjoying life.  A lot of diseases Americans suffer from stem from being overweight.  How much healthier would we be if we could all stay slim our whole lives like the 122 year old woman?

This chapter also contains one of Mireille's "gems":  the 50% solution to portion control.  Basically, the 50% solution employs eating mindfully to control portions.  Say you are at a restaurant and are served a dinner.  Using the 50% solution, mentally divide your dinner in half.  Once you have eaten half, stop and ask yourself, "Have I eaten enough to be satisfied?"  If so, stop eating, if not, look at the remaining portion on your plate and again mentally divide it in half.  When you have eaten that half, again stop and ask yourself, "Have I had enough to be satisfied?"  If you continue to do this, you will never eat the whole portion because you keep dividing it in smaller and smaller halves, each time stopping, reflecting, and asking yourself if you've had enough to be satisfied.  Mireille employs this principle not only with dinners, but with dessert, wine, even a banana.

Mireille also has some advice for the dreaded buffets (I could have used this in college!) to save on overindulging.  First, make a pass by the buffet without your plate and see what is offered.  Next, make a small pass (if it is a breakfast buffet, perhaps some yogurt and fruit).  If you are still hungry, make a small second pass (perhaps for an egg or for oatmeal).  Then, if you are still hungry, make a third pass.  In this way, you must ask yourself each time you get up, "Have I had enough?"  It is a stopping and reflecting point.

Questions to ponder after reading Chapter 1:

1.  How can I utilize stopping points such as the 50% solution or the "pass by" system at buffets?  Am I willing to try it?

Chapter 2:  Au Printemps:  Spring Into Life

Mireille speaks about French women being attuned to the changing of the seasons and being aware not only of culinary changes of the seasons, but changes all around them.  It is in their celebrating of the season that leads them to better enjoy l'art de vivre (the art of living).  She talks wistfully of the first spring flowers of the season and how to arrange small vases of them in our homes to enjoy their color and fragrance.  She also discusses the first bicycle ride she takes of spring and how liberating it is to pedal through the French countryside.  (It is not only liberating, but good for the figure!)

Mireille also speaks in rich detail about spring peas and asparagus, how to enjoy them, mixing them with pasta as a trick to eat less pasta, and gives us quite a few family recipes to try.  (If anyone tries one, please let me know how it is!)

With the end of winter comes the shedding of the heavy wardrobe.  Mireille gives us the fashion tips for spring using neutral colors, clean lines, classic tee's and signature accessories.  She also gives us handy scarf tying tricks to be oh so chic.  Here are three short clips that show Mireille demonstrating some of her scarf tying tricks.  Isn't she so cute?

Mireille ends this chapter with some sample menus for spring.  

Questions to ponder after reading Chapter 2:

1.  Do I take pride in the way I dress?

2.  What sort of image do I project to others?

So, are you ready for your new French week?  Do you have your silk scarf all picked out?  I want reports and reactions from your week of dressing French!

Every Friday in February I will be discussing the book French Women for All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano.  Next Friday, in my virtual Parisian bistro, I will be discussing Chapters 3 and 4.  Please join me!  

Don't forget:  If you would like to pre-order the book for my March French Fridays to read along with me, I will be discussing the book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink. 

French Women for All Seasons

Please join me this Friday as I start discussing French Women for All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano. This will be an ongoing discussion each Friday in February.  For our first discussion, I will be discussing the Overture, and Chapters 1 and 2. Here is a little teaser of the book by the author herself to whet your appetites.

French Friday #5

This being our last Friday in January means that we are now finished reading French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.  However, don't despair!  I've had such positive feedback from this weekly series that I am extending it.  In February we will be reading French Women For All Seasons also by Mireille Guiliano followed in March with Mindless Eating:  Why We Eat More than we Think by Brian Wansink (thanks Tangled Noodle for that recommendation:  I loved it).  After March I'm not sure of the reading schedule yet, but I'll announce it ahead of time so you have a chance to get the books and read along with me.

What did you think about French Women Don't Get Fat?  What I love about the book is that it teaches us how to pamper ourselves and that it is sensual and feminine to do so.  I have started slowing down and enjoying my food and surroundings so much more.  I don't feel deprived, quite opposite actually, I feel pampered and luxurious when I pay attention to how I present my food, how it smells and tastes and just enjoy being in the moment.

Our reading assignment for this week was Chapters 11, 12, and 12 bis.  Let's get started.

Chapter 11:  States of Desire

In this chapter, Mireille discusses a French woman's sensuality and sexuality as being linked to their ability to enjoy food, life, sex, love, laughter with all of their senses.  They enjoy little moments in everyday life and fully experience them.  In terms of food, it is their ability to not only make food that tastes good, but their ability to extend that food experience to all of their senses that makes them special.  They set feasts for the stomach, yes, but it is their ability to set the mood, plate the food, set the table, set the mood lighting, and find moments to laugh with their loved one that enables them to be completely satisfied and feel more pampered with less food.

It is this joie de vivre, that inspired me to start this blog in the first place and I think what helps me to continue to lose weight.  When my senses are stimulated, I realize that my "hunger" is not related to my stomach at all.  I was eating huge helpings of food because I was bored, I wasn't taking care to think of my other senses.  Live fully in your every day life and enjoy all those little moments to the fullest.

Chapter 12:  Life Stages

Mireille breaks down life into different stages here and speaks specifically about special nutrition requirements or activity requirements each stage needs.  I will let you read your own specific stage.  What I really gleaned from this chapter, especially last year when I discovered this book for the first time, is that yes, I am no longer a teenager any more (I haven't been for a long time!), yet my eating habits were still the same as when I was a teenager.   I needed to look at my eating habits and ask myself which specific "childish" things was I holding onto?  How can I "grow up" my eating habits?  For me, I was holding onto many childish eating habits, eating too late, eating whatever, eating too much fat, not looking at nutrition of the foods I was eating, etc...as I said, the list was long.  If I accept that I am a thirty something woman, I could accept that if I want to be healthy, my eating habits must change.

Chapter 12 bis:  The Plan for Life

So, now that you know the secrets of the "French Paradox" what are you going to do about it?  Mireille looks at specific habits that French women have in this chapter that help them to stay slender.  She says it is her "American" way poking through with her desire to put things in bullet points.

We'll finish this book with one of Mireille's "gems":  "French women don't get fat because they have not allowed new attitudes and modern theories of how the body uses food to overrule centuries of experience.  They see no contradiction in eating bread and chocolate, having a bit of wine, and so on and remaining not only slender, but healthy.  They do, however, understand that each of us is the keeper of her own balance, and when that balance slips, each must devise her own plan of correction, based on personal preferences."  When I realized that I am in charge of my own balance, it made all the difference in the world to me.  I cultivate my own pleasures.  I am in charge of my own health.  I am in charge of my own weight and how I am choosing to live.

Next week, we will continue French Fridays by beginning French Women for All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano.  Your assignment is to read the Overture, and Chapters 1 and 2.  Please join me at my virtual sidewalk cafe next Friday and we'll discuss!

Weight Loss Weekly

My motivation to be healthy

Weight loss weekly is a collaboration between me and three other bloggers where we ask ourselves questions relating to weight loss, and discuss our successes and failures.  Join me every Monday to tune into this ongoing collaboration.  This week's question is:  "Why do I want to lose weight and what I'm going to do about it".  Have you ever thought about it?

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why do I want to lose weight?".  In our culture, it's just assumed that most people could stand to lose a few pounds but have you ever asked yourself that question?  For me, I have tons of responses, most of which have to do with vanity (which aren't motivating in the long run believe it or not) and a few which really get to the core of why.  It is for this reason that this week, I've decided to separate my answers to "Why do I want to lose weight" into two parts, vanity reasons and real reasons.

Vanity reasons:

1.  I want to be the most smokin' hot wife at all of my husband's work parties.

2.  When my sons become teenagers, I would like one of their friends to gross them out by saying, "Dude, your mom is HOT!"

3.  I love to shop.  Ever since losing the initial 34 lbs, I am now able to shop at so many stores I couldn't shop at before.

4.  I like being able to fit into a standard airplane seat.

5.  I just bought THE CUTEST spring dress on super clearance (4 sizes too small) and I want to fit into it before mother's day.

6.  I'd love for my husband's clothes to be a little big on me.

Real reasons:

1. The risk of developing all cancers increases dramatically the more overweight one is.

2.  The risk of developing Type 2 diabetes increases dramatically the more overweight one is.

3.  I want to be healthy enough and have enough energy to play with my sons.  

4.  I have one life to lead, when I go to heaven, I want God to tell me, "Well done, good and faithful servant."  Not to look aghast at me and say, "What have you done to yourself?"

I want to live a healthy, active life and to be around to watch my children and grandchildren grow up.  Yes, the vain reasons are perks of losing weight, but surprisingly have little motivation over me in the long run.  In the short run, the vain perks can help me get through a meal or a day, but when I think of the real reasons, they are enough to take me through the long haul.  

Have you ever thought about it?  What are your reasons?

Now that you've decided WHY you want to lose weight, what exactly are you going to do about it?  I was at my low point (or perhaps high point) last January when I came across the book French Women Don't Get Fat.  The simple approach to looking at eating and life has helped me to lose 34 lbs. so far.  For information about the book, check out my French Friday posts, but I will summarize the points from the book that I have incorporated into my life that have helped me to lose weight and to live healthier.  These changes are not profound, but for me, they were the biggest changes I had to make on the road to weight loss and what I still struggle with.

My secrets to weight loss and my plan for continuing weight loss:

1.  I drink at least 8 pints of water a day.  I drink a pint of water before every meal and another one with it.  I drink in between meals and I drink a pint of water before bed.  Staying hydrated helps me to feel full and keeps me from confusing hunger with thirst.

2.  I eat smaller portions of many things rather than one big portion of one thing.  I consciously think about variety, therefore I plan my meals better and am eating more fruits and veggies.

3.  I eat one to two 8 oz. servings of plain yogurt a day.  This is helping to keep my digestive system happy, gives me extra calcium, and helps my stomach feel full.

4.  I incorporate some activity into most every day.  My choice of activity is a daily walk, but I also try to park farthest away at the grocery store, am aware of bending over to pick up kids toys, and do housework daily.  Basically, I try to move and limit the time I spend on my duff doing nothing.  I may not have time to go to the gym daily, but I do have time to vacuum, do the laundry, dust and go for a walk.

5.  I chew my food thoroughly.  This is new for me but is really helping me to slow down while I'm eating.  Slowing down gives my stomach a chance to catch up with my consumption.  How thorough is thorough?  I chew until it's liquified.  Gross, but effective.

6.  I eat my main meal at lunch.  Eating my main meal at lunch enables me to eat a small dinner without having screaming hunger.  Since dinner is when I often make the most high fat/high calorie foods of the day, not being too hungry for dinner saves me tons of calories.  Also, I know I have finished digesting by the time I go to bed.

7.  I wind down in the evenings with a glass of water, a cup of herbal tea, or hot water with a tablespoon of lemon juice squeezed in it.  I used to be a nightly dessert eater.  Not only am I saving calories now, I sleep better since I'm not hopped up on sugar.

8.  I journal my food intake.  You can follow my food journal on Twitter.  This has really helped me avoid the snacking temptations knowing that I have to write it down.  Also, if I have a bad day where I have eaten way too much and have eaten mindlessly, having to write down what I've eaten helps me to be aware of foods that I habitually overeat and the act of writing down a bad day forces me to recommit to a healthier lifestyle.

These are not hard habits to adopt.  I am not depriving myself of anything, yet making these simple changes allowed me to lose 34 lbs. and is helping me to lose the rest of what I need to.  If you are interested in following my French Friday posts where I review French Women Don't Get Fat, or reading last week's "Weight Loss Weekly" the links are below.  Also, don't forget to check out the other "Weight Loss Weekly" posts from my fellow "weight losers"!

French Friday #1

French Friday #2

French Friday #3

French Friday #4

Weight Loss Weekly for 1/19/09

My Fellow "Weight Loss Weekly" bloggers are Sunny, Nurit and Giyen.  Check out their posts below!

Sunny's post:

"One of the biggest reasons I want to lose weight is because I just turned 30 in November. And that makes me mad..."  Keep reading at www.ThatExtra20Pounds.blogspot.com

Nurit's post:

"I'll tell you the truth.  If I lived in a time and place where being roundish was an object of beauty waiting to be captured by the most talented painters and then admired by millions of people, I might have re-evaluated the situation.  But you know..."  To read more, click 1 family. friendly. food.

Giyen's post:

"I think I've talked about why I wanted to lose weight ad nauseum, let's get to the "how"...read more at Bacon is my enemy

French Friday #4

Happy Friday everyone!  How did your week go being French?  For me, my week went very well (except for last night and this morning, I'll get to that in a moment).  I was very mindful of eating well planned, balanced meals, with plenty of fruits and vegetables, and lots of water.  I ate my main meals at lunch time which made me consciously eat a small dinner.  This saved me lots of fat and calories as I usually prepare the heaviest meals of the day at dinner.  I enjoyed small portions of the dinner entrees, but was mindful that my stomach was not screaming with hunger after I had had a larger lunch.  I walked every day for about 25 minutes despite the below freezing temperatures outside.  I also consistently journaled my food intake on my new Twitter account.  I think this act alone helped a lot of the mindless snacking I fall prey to during the day as I would have had to write it down if I did.

Last night however was horrid!  I had had a headache all day long and by dinner time was just worn down from it.  I made bacon, egg and cheese burritos and ate mindlessly without enjoyment and ate FAR too much bacon (yes, 10 slices).  This morning I again woke with the headache, (it has dissipated now thank goodness) and ended up eating two bowls of cereal.  The act of typing those two meals into Twitter however was very therapeutic and forced me to recommit to eating healthier and more mindfully.

Despite last nights, um, indiscretion, I realize what I accomplished this week just eating mindfully, slowing down, chewing my food thoroughly, planning my meals, and walking a little ever day,  was a weight loss of 4 lbs.  Four pounds merely changing how I think about eating and being more mindful of it.  Plus, eating mindfully the rest of the week still compensated for a loss of control for two meals.  Amazing.

This week we will be discussing Chapters 9 and 10 from Mireille Guiliano's book French Women Don't Get Fat.  Are we all sitting in our imaginary bistros, immaculately dressed and ready to discuss?  Fabulous.

Chapter 9:  Bread and Chocolate

Mireille talks about the French's love of chocolate.  Yes, French women love their chocolate and consume it on a regular basis without getting fat.  American women see chocolate as a sinful thing some even going so far as to "give it up" for Lent (or when dieting) whereas French women see it as an essential pleasure.  Why?

Americans were brought up on the idea that chocolate is that light brownish stuff that comes from Hershey.  The amount of cacao in a Hershey product is small however compared to the amount of sugar and cocoa butter in it.  It all is uniform and tastes the same.  When Mireille speaks of the French women's reliance on chocolate as an essential pleasure, she touts the complex flavor profiles and high cacao content of high end, dark chocolate.  Again, it comes back to quality.  If you have really great chocolate, you will be satisfied, and feel so much more pampered, with less.

In this chapter, Mireille also talks about the French love of bread.  Bread is not evil, but eating it mindlessly is what can lead to weight gain.  Enjoying a slice, or two, of bread WITH meals (rather than gorging on the bread basket before meals) is what bread is for.

Chapter 10:  Moving Like a French Woman

I really relate to this chapter.  A few years ago we belonged to a gym.  It was a really nice place, but after driving there, dressing down, working out on a little machine in front of a T.V. next to sweaty, huffing people, showering, dressing and driving back home again, it took a good two to two and a half hours!  Once I had children, I just couldn't afford that luxury in time.  Plus, I just hated the smell of that room with the sweaty people in it huffing on machines.  Mireille reassures us that French women hate to sweat and don't like to dress down.  This is something I hate as well.  It is so much easier for me to leave my house in the same clothes I wore during the day, with the addition of some walking shoes, walk for 20-40 minutes around my neighborhood, rather than going to a gym.  I can easily fit 20-40 minutes into my day rather than waiting until I have a huge time block available to go to the gym.  I can even walk with make-up on which makes me feel very French indeed.  Having two rambunctious boys at home also, I love the quiet that a walk affords me.  I get so few moments of quiet during the day and really relish that time.

Besides formal walks, French women also find ways to fit little movements into their days.  They walk up stairs instead of taking an elevator, they walk down the hall to deliver a memo instead of putting it in interoffice mail, etc.  I love cleaning house as a way to up my activity level.  It is very gratifying to have wake up to a clean house and I know I burn extra calories making the beds, bending over to pick up toys, scrubbing out the sinks, etc.  How can you fit tiny extra movements into your day so they seem second nature and not like "formal exercise"?

My goals for this week:

1.  Continue to eat mindfully and eat two servings of yogurt a day.

2.  Continue to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.

3.  Continue to go for a daily walk.

4.  Continue to use my Twitter food journal.

5.  Fit a "little pleasure" into my day.  Perhaps a square of chocolate, or fresh flowers.  Hopefully this will quell my "need" for a day of gorging next week!

What are your goals this week?  Next week we will finish the book with Chapters 11, 12 and 12 bis.  However, I have been enjoying French Fridays so much that I am going to extend it into the month of February (and beyond with a monthly book feature).  In February we will be reading French Women for All Seasons also by Mireille Guiliano.  You can read a description here.  In this book, Mireille not only shares more tricks French women use to stay slim, she also goes into more detail on how to dress and live "French".  We will start with the first couple chapters on Friday, February 6.

In the meantime, bonne chance living French this week mes amis!  

French Friday #3

How did your second week go being French?  My third week is starting well with a nice breakfast of a small bowl of shredded wheat with milk, a hard boiled egg, coffee and a clementine (and of course I started my day with a big glass of water).  My natural inclination is to fall back into the habit of having only a huge bowl of cereal with milk and some coffee, but when I remember that French women eat small amounts of many things to please their palates, I am happier, I eat a more varied diet, and I truly do feel satisfied with less.

Our reading assignment for this past week was Chapters 7-8 of French Women Don't Get Fat.  Here, we are really getting to the crux of Mireille Guiliano's argument or why French women don't get fat, and really learn some concrete tips to help us in our own French journeys.

These chapters are just packed with little gems to help you enjoy your food more and feel satisfied with less.  I cannot do justice to these chapters in this discussion because they are so jam packed, but here is my feeble attempt to summarize.

Chapter 7:  More Recipes That Will Fool You

Mireille starts by talking about eating seasonally.  When you eat seasonally, naturally the produce is more flavorful and satisfying.  Compare a juicy, ripe peach at the height of summer, to one flown in from halfway around the world out of season.  It's just not the same.  

Mireille also talks about the French habit of eating courses.  Yes, the French may have 5 courses, but they are small portions of each thing.  Contrast this to the American version of a "main course" being what we eat the most of.  However, eating a large amount of one thing leads to boredom for your taste buds hence making you less satisfied mentally and thus making you eat more of that thing to achieve satisfaction.  Eat small amounts of many things, rather than large amounts of one big thing is what it boils down to for me.

Mireille gives us quite a few recipes in this chapter to get us started in our French journey.  From appetizers to main courses to desserts.  I can't wait to try the floating island.  I've never tried anything like that before and it sounds interesting.

The secret power of plain yogurt in giving your stomach satisfaction is also discussed in this chapter.  Especially when you are starting to pare down portions, yogurt helps fill your tummy and gives you extra calcium.  If you are thinking of making your own, here are some directions.

Chapter 8:  Liquid Assets

How much water are you drinking?  Mireille speaks in this chapter about the miracles increasing your intake of water can have on decreasing your appetite, cleaning out your body, and clearing your complexion.  Aside from drinking more water, soup is also a way to increase your water consumption.  She gives some lovely recipes for soup that I am excited to try out.  (I may try her carrot soup for lunch!)

Mireille also discusses in this chapter the French love of wine and Champagne and how they can heighten one's pleasure of a meal.

Homework

My personal homework for this week is going to remember to eat small amounts of many things rather than having a huge amount of one main dish and then trying to stuff in some vegetables after that.  I am going to pay attention to my menu and try to plan more varied meals.  I am also going to be keeping a food journal this week.  I think it will help me plan better and to think more consciously about portion sizes and variety.

*Side note* 

On Monday, I will be joining three other bloggers in a continuing weekly series titled "Weight Loss Weekly".  Don't worry, my focus for this blog is and will continue to be recipes, food and my appreciation of food, that will not change.  However, "Weight Loss Weekly" will be an added post series that I hope will keep me accountable to not only keeping off the weight I've already lost, but to inspire me to continue on my path to a healthy weight.

French Friday #2

How did you all do on your first week being French?  Did any of you try the leek soup weekend?  For me, I admit I was not perfect.  I ate mindlessly and too much more than once.  However if I focus on the positives, I realize that it wasn't a total failure.

Positive changes I made this week:

1.  I drank at least 8 glasses of water a day

2.  Less than 8 oz. soda the whole week

3.  I ate at regular times

4.  I ate breakfast every day

Now that the snow and ice have melted (hooray!) my goals this week are:

1.  Going for a 20 minute walk each day.

2.  Eating slowly, savor every bite

3.  Don't stock my offenders at home

4.  Eat two daily servings of plain yogurt a day.  (For a recipe and directions, look here)

I am going to keep my goals small this week in order to be successful.  I realize that I didn't have specific goals last week so when I first started writing this post I felt I had failed miserably all week.  It was when I started thinking of the positive changes I made that I realized it wasn't all bad.  One step at a time right?

So how did you like Chapters 4-6?  Isn't Mireille Guiliano a great food writer?  The way she speaks about fresh melons, tomatoes and strawberries makes your mouth water doesn't it?  But I am getting ahead of myself.

Chapter 4:  The Tales of the Three C's

In this chapter, Mireille highlights three women whom she has known in her life that have struggled with their weight.  She highlights their specific offenders.  For one, it was too much convenience food, for another, too much sugar, and for the third, mindless and emotional eating.  Did you see yourself in any of these women?  Maybe a little bit in each one?  

The first woman, Camille, had a habit of drinking a bottle of beer every night before she went to sleep.  It was a habit she had picked up in college, but when questioned, didn't truly enjoy the ritual.  What old eating habits are you holding onto?  Are you truly enjoying them?  When I first found French Women Don't Get Fat, I was eating dessert every night.  Was I truly enjoying it?  No, I would often just eat anything sweet.  I weaned myself off this habit by drinking a hot citron presse when I would usually have dessert.  The ritual of having something was satisfied and I slept better for not having that sugar before bed.  After a week or so, I didn't crave the dessert anymore.

Caroline, the second woman, was a sugar fiend.  Can you see yourself in her?  What did you think of Mireille's trick of savoring two bites of dessert and passing it to someone else?  I could never see myself doing this, but it all boils down to the quality of the dessert.  If it is a richly flavored chocolate dessert made with cocoa of high percentage, I feel satisfied with just two bites.  If it is an inferior dessert, I do not feel satisfied with just two bites.  Quality in everything!

I identify with Connie the most, but I have a feeling, most stay at home moms do.  She learned to shop from her mother who did her grocery shopping at the supermarket and made it a twice monthly affair.  Mireille wants us to shop every couple of days but seriously, I think I'm going to have to work around this one.  When you're toting antsy children with you to the supermarket, you do what needs to be done.  I do think though that if you plan your meals and stay away from the convenience foods, you can still live somewhat French.  Connie, was single however, and really took to being able to shop for her food at the market in the morning and plan her meals on a daily basis.

1.  Can you see yourself modifying any of your bad habits using the French tricks Mireille taught these women?  Which specific ones?

Chapter 5:  Il Faut des Rites

In this chapter, Mireille writes about the rituals of the table.  French women take their meal times seriously.  There is no eating in front of the T.V., no reading the paper while you're eating, no eating at the counter.  French women know how to serve their meals in courses, plated in the middle of exquisite plates.  They put their food on real plates, use real napkins, and real silverware.  When I first discovered this book, this is the chapter I loved the most and which has sadly fallen by the wayside for me.  I loved plating my food on nice plates.  I served myself courses and ate them in their individual dishes.  I didn't mind the extra plates as I have a dishwasher and it was easy to pop them in.  French women do not serve their whole dinner on one big plate.  I need to get back to this again.  It just made the whole meal seem so special.

Chapter 6:  The Season and the Seasonings

Mireille talks about the importance of eating seasonally in order to enjoy food at the height of its flavor.  She makes my mouth water as she describes the perfect summer tomato.  It's true.  When we eat fruits and vegetables at their best, they alone seem like feasts.  French women eat many more fruits and vegetables than American women and their waistlines are the better for it.  The question is though, in the dead of winter, how can we incorporate this idea into our menus?  For me, I have been eating clementines, bananas and prunes for fruit.  For vegetables, I have been eating frozen veggies.  I justify that frozen veggies taste better this time of year than the "fresh" ones because they were picked during the summer when they were ripe and then frozen rather than being picked unripe and shipped halfway around the world.  I do find winter very hard though.  By March, I find myself drooling over the photos of fresh peaches in Rick Stein's French Odyssey and the tomato tarts in My French Kitchen and dreaming of the first fresh vegetable to arrive once the growing season starts.

Homework for this week:

1.  Set small goals for yourself.  Imagine tailoring your diet as Mireille talks about tailoring a fine Chanel suit.  (Don't you feel more French already?)

2.  Eat at least one meal a day at home and treat yourself like you are at the finest French restaurant.  Plate your meal on a nice plate, eat sitting down, chew slowly.

Not too much to ask huh?  Whenever we are re-training ourselves we must go slowly.  Remember, this is not about deprivation, but about finding pleasure in eating and in rituals and in this way we will feel completely satisfied and pampered with less.  We will be discussing chapters 7 and 8 next Friday.  Until then, bonne chance!