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Friday, June 17, 2005

French Women Don't Get Fat



Reading French Women Don't Get Fat is like listening to a chic Parisian tell you the secret of life while you both sip your drinks in a metropolitan cafe. Of course, there is more to the secret of life than not getting fat and what Mireille Guiliano tells the readers of her book is not just how to be slim and trim but how to have pleasure in your life. With Mireille, life is about quality - not quantity. She recommends fresh foods, real chocolate, and fine table linens. I am sure canned fruit, Hershey bars, and paper napkins never enter her home. I wouldn't expect anything less, though, from a woman who avoids the gym but frequently takes the stairs up to her 15th floor apartment. Although we do not all live the life of Mireille (a French CEO living in New York), her philosophy of life could help all of us - even a Southern, Stay-at-Home mom in Florida. Who among us is not seeking the best of life, which is what Mireille proposes?

French Women Don't Get Fat includes Mireille's tale of exchange-student weight gain, her subsequent weight loss due to wonderful advice from the family physician, examples of women whose lives were changed due to Mireille's advice, menus, recipes, and more. The book is in fact so full of wonderful advice and information that I am thankful I was not able to borrow it from the library and had to resort to buying my own copy.

So, does her advice work? In the week since I finished reading the book and began following her recommendations, I have lost 4 pounds, eaten ice cream once, haven't exercised, haven't counted one calorie, and have drunk more water than I do normally. I eat at the table instead of at the computer. I incorporate more activity into my life. I've made her recipe for homemade yogurt. I've included more fresh foods in my diet. I've eaten smaller portions but eaten what I wanted, including that ice cream. I have examined the quality of my life and, having found it wanting, have taken Mireille's advice to seek out what I find pleasurable - to make thoughtful choices and only choose what brings true happiness and satisfaction.

I highly recommend French Women Don't Get Fat
(as if you couldn't guess). For more information on Mireille Guiliano and her book, check out these links: