I was in the library last week and on the "new books" table they had a copy of "Fench women dont get fat - The secret of eating for pleasure" by Mirielle Guiliano
I was intrigued by the name and because I was in a hurry I just grabbed it and brought it home to peruse.
I would not normally read a book about diet/weitght control, but after reading the first chapter I am hooked.
The author writes that French women dont get fat because they dont deprive themselves, but they do exercise restraint.
I found this idea fascinating. I have always thought that restraint akin to deprivation and this is probably where my problems with food have stemmed from.
So a little back ground about my situation.
I have had body and diet issues since I was a teenager. (As so many of us have!) And one of my chosen coping mechanisms was to deny myself food and then when I gave in (which I inevitably always did) I would completely over indulge, sometimes to the point of feeling bloated and sick.
I never considered this an "eating disorder" until recently when there was a discussion in my GAPS group about this very problem. Several women shared their own struggles and journeys, with "bingeing" (for want of another word) and I realised that I have been struggling with this same very powerful foe most of my life.
They say that knowledge is power and the the online discussion definately started me contemplating why I live this way and how I might change it.
Reading Guiliano's book I realise that it is a my way of thinking about food that has caused me grief. Because I think I cant have something I want it all the more, and because I am denying myself this thing that I desperately want, I have to eat as much as I can when I have the opportunity because it might be a long time before I get the chance again! (This isnt Guiliano's point it is just what I have discovered about my own thinking).
So back to the book. Guiliano spent a year in US during her teens and gained a lot of weight, eating the average American diet while living with a homestay family. The book is a response to that experience and the ensuing problems and breakthroughs she had when she returned to France.
Basically she had brought back an American diet mentality. One that sees "treat" foods as everyday foods. So her healing journey involved thinking like a French woman again, as they indulge in many fat/sugar rich foods but they only do it as a treat not every day.
I am finding the book fascinating and am allowing the new way of thinking to settle into my psyche. Maybe soon I too will be thinking like a French woman!
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When Damien and I cut out white sugar initially I found it really difficult. There was so much restrain in avoiding a lifelong addiction, though with some practise, I found ways to be balanced about it.
Apparently in France people are starting to become more overweight, due to the increase in eating a more American style diet. But overall they are still much trimmer than the Brits, who are on par with Aussies. It was interesting to see how much more physically active they are on a whole compared with the English speaking cultures.
What I found interesting is how different the pastries are in France. I've not come across a pastry shop in Adelaide that can make anything like what is available there. Even though they still used white flour and white sugar, I found their pastries really satisfying, and less sweet, compared to buying the local equivalent. I suspect though now with our new diet, they'd be too sweet now too.
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