French Women Don’t Get Fat

I've read other reviews of this book and have been amused at the people who are offended that Guiliano is being superior and calling Americans fat. News flash, Americans. We're fat. Instead of getting offended, I jumped right into this book. It's helpful that I've always loved all things French.

Guiliano didn't pen a diet book. She simply tells us what French women do differently and then gives us advice on how to incorporate it into our lives. Everyone who has ever crashed dieted knows that it's short term and doesn't really work (and potentially does more harm later on). The whole restricting everything lifestyle change rarely works either. Very few people can stick to that for long. What Guiliano suggests is making moderate changes show more and still being able to indulge in the food that you love.

Her first suggestion is to keep a food diary for 3 weeks, no calorie counting, just writing down everything you eat and drink. Then you analyze your weak points, where you eat out of control portions or just plain overeat. Then for 3 months you start pulling back. Make portions smaller (actually, for America, that basically means just eating NORMAL portions and not our steakhouse portions that we're used to).

Guiliano includes several recipes that sound great. I've already started the food diary and managed to increase my water intake by a few glasses a day. I really do feel perkier.

With all my health problems, I was looking for ways to be healthier. I may not be able to change genetics but I can control what I ingest. And if I lose a few pounds with it, I won't complain. show less

I liked the general idea of this book - slow down and actually enjoy the food you are eating instead of mindlessly shoving it into your mouth.
It made me look at my own bad habits (eating in front of the TV and not paying attention to what I was eating and actually enjoying it).
I found it worked for me, slowing down and savouring food made me eat less overall and more of the foods I enjoy. When visiting France hubby and I happily indulged in great food and walked everywhere, and at the end of it were slimmer, fitter and happier depsite all the pain au chocolats we had devoured. We also rarely snacked, and if we did, it was on a piece of fruit from a market stall. The French, regarding their view and culture of food, have it right in that show more respect.

But there were some parts, like the alcohol chapter, that felt outright self-promoting (she works for a champagne company...) show less

I'm pretty heavy, and I've tried a lot of diets -- and failed miserably. Giving up potatoes for life, constantly counting calories or points or carbs, fasting alternatively -- none of those diets worked for me. However, Mireille Guiliano has really inspired me! Gradually, cutting down on what she calls "offenders" -- sweets, bread, hard alcohol -- doesn't seem like a hardship when you know that these favorites aren't banished altogether, just reduced to a moderate amount. Rationally, I knew I needed more fruits and vegetables, but Guiliano comes up with some nice and easy recipes right in this book. I really feel excited to be beginning to live like la femmes Frances!

Next step? Getting the French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook. It might show more take months to get down to the perfect French weight; however, under Guiliano's tutelage, getting their will be an adventure, not torture. show less

Filled with simple recipes and simpler wisdom about life, this guide to a diet of balance will give hope to those who have been frustrated by yo-yo diets and fads. It's a breath of fresh air to hear of slow and easy-going approach to how we as women deal with food. The author speaks from her own experience with a number of tricks to take the tension and stress out of making food-related decisions.

A disclaimer: If you are hoping to find a positive review of this book, you may want to stop reading right now. I really did not like this book at all, for many reasons. I have left a longer review on my own blog, but for the first time ever, I have cut it short for my review here. I should point out that many many people have praised this book, and this review is entirely my own opinion! Please understand that I have no criticism of France or French people – my problems are entirely with this book and the author.

The book is part memoir, part diet advice. The writer, talks about how France does not have the obesity problem which the US – and increasingly the UK – has. She attributes this to the French attitude to food and eating, show more and suggests how everyone can adopt the same attitude, and in so doing, maintain a healthy weight without depriving themselves of the food they love. Sounds great? Well yes, but I have a few problems with this book.

1. I disliked the hypocrisy of the author in initally (and correctly) criticising crash diets, and then going on to suggest that one should kick-start their weight loss with a weekend of eating nothing but boiled leek soup!

2. The book contains many recipes, some of which admittedly do sound lovely, but there is nothing here that you won’t find in other decent cookbooks. At one point, the author suggests piling salad leaves on a plate, adding tomatoes and crumbly cheese. In other words – make a salad!

3. The author also constantly mentions alcohol, to the point where I actually wondered if she had a drink problem. It seems that she does not consider a meal worth having if there’s not champagne or wine involved. There is in fact a whole section dedicated to champagne, and the author seems to practically worship the drink. (She is the CEO of a champagne producing company, which also made me think that she might have her own agenda in such blatant promotion of the fizzy stuff.)

4. The constantly condescending attitude towards America and American people. She is correct that the USA (and increasingly the UK) has an obesity problem. I have no issue with her pointing this out or discussing the possible reasons. I DO have a problem with her sneering attitude towards anything American (although she is married to an American man, and lives in America).

5. The dietary advice provided is somewhat obvious – eat more good stuff, eat less junk, and exercise. Hardly news for anyone hoping to lose weight. What the book fails to do is address the psychological reasons that people gain weight. She is correct that people should not expect to have to give up simple pleasures like good chocolate or the odd dessert, but the problem is not that people don’t know that such things should only be an occasional treat – the problem is how to get your head around the issue.

6. The author is clearly affluent - no criticism from me there. However she seems to forget that most of the advice she gives is just not reasonable for people living on an average salary.

There was one part of the book I enjoyed – in the chapter about chocolate, the author discusses the history of chocolate, and how it became the food we all know it as today. She also says that rather than eating the cheap chocolate which is so widely available today, people should have the best quality chocolate, but only in small amounts (which I tend to agree with). This particular section was interesting, but sadly not nearly good enough to make up for the rest of the book.

I was very disappointed with this book, especially as I had been looking forward to reading it. I did not and do not need or wish to lose weight, but I had a very uneasy love/hate relationship with food in my teens, some of which occasionally crops up to this day – and I had hoped to find at least some insight into the psychological causes of such relationships with food. Unfortunately, I did not find this at all. I’d love to be able to recommend this book, but unfortunately simply cannot do so. show less

I finished it last night and have mixed feelings. I thought the information, tips, philosophies, etc. were all great---just not so doable for the average American woman. Most of us don't live in places where we can walk to the market several times a week for groceries. Most of us can't afford to feed a family with the luxury wines, food, and chocolate she talked about. This book is not for the woman who has a significant amount of weight to lose (which IS the average American woman) and those who only have a minimal amount to lose probably already practice these no-brainer tips.

My biggest takeaway from the book was the reminder that I can say no to foods---even after they've been served to me. I don't have to finish everything on my show more plate. Better to toss it in the trash than wear it on my middle. show less

This book is sold as a diet book, but it really isn't. It would be much more accurate to call it a lifestyle guide. At its heart, the book is really about ditching the unhealthy, guilt-ridden American obsession with food and following those common sense observations that everyone knows, but people rarely act on. It is also about taking pleasure in the simple joys of life of which eating good food is a part. A bonus is that it comes with some very nice recipes for homestyle French food.