Maya Muses: Billy over at Billy’s Lines of Gibberish wrote an interesting piece about why French people manage to stay thin despite all the rich food they eat and it reminded me of an article I wrote two years ago when everyone was talking about the book, French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano, so I decided to post it here.
I was talking on the phone the other day with a friend who bought the bestseller French Women Don’t Get Fat
Well, maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but the truth of the matter is, when you live in Paris it’s really hard to be fat! Why? Because Paris is a city where you walk for miles and no matter if you eat butter or cream, or all those other fattening things, you just burn up all those calories by walking! 
If you take the Metro you still end up walking through long corridors and up and down stairs and if you live in a 5th, 6th, or 7th floor walk-up to your flat, you go up and down hundreds of stairs several times a day! Who needs a StairMaster?!
The only difference (and it’s a big difference) between the French and Americans (I can’t speak for the Australians, Canadians, British, etc.) is the French in general do not snack. Americans, on the other hand, are eating all the time. Even if the French are hungry, they’ll wait until it’s time to eat. Americans will eat anytime, even when they’re not hungry!
That said, and I’ve talked about this a number of times, I say put a Parisian woman in the States, let her continue eating as she does in Paris, (no snacking, but using butter, cream, wine, etc.) and live the American lifestyle of jumping into a car even if it’s only to go a few hundred yards, never climbing stairs, but taking elevators instead and within a couple of months those pounds will start creeping up.
Put an American in Paris, let her continue snacking all the time, eating junk food more often than not, but give her the Parisian lifestyle of walking for miles 
everyday and I guarantee the pounds will start melting away. So as far as Guiliano’s book of savouring your food, taking your time to eat, creating an ambiance, eating her healthy recipes, etc. That’s all fine and dandy, but it’s burning those calories that makes a real difference.
The nice thing about Paris, however, it’s such a joy strolling the streets of this beautiful city that you do it for the pleasure, not the exercise. It’s the best of both worlds….eating great food and staying thin!
I’m sure others may have a different opinion about this so I welcome your feedback!
Photo Credits: Flickr
11 responses so far ↓
1 Kim // Apr 10, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Could not agree more! Portions are smaller as well in France. There is no boxing and taking home of leftovers after a meal out. Some restaurants in the states serve portions large enough to feed a family.
2 Billy // Apr 10, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Fully agreed! Parisians are used to walking a lot indeed. It may be somewhat related to heavy traffic, and how difficult it is to find a place to park, but I would not even think of taking my car to go and do errands, for instance. Unless I have some heavy stuff to carry, I’d rather take metro than my car if the store is far away. Also, we have the Velib now here (and in Lyon, Marseille as well): bicycles stations every few hundred meters in the whole city.
Walking a lot does not only explain why most Parisian women (and men!) don’t get fat, it helps them to build beautiful legs also: a previous blog of mine.
3 Lynn // Apr 10, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Kim, I forgot all about the leftovers for those midnight snacks! Lol. Thanks for reminding me!
4 Lynn // Apr 10, 2009 at 9:11 pm
LOL. Billy, I couldn’t agree with you more! My legs are more beautiful in Paris than when I’m in the States! (I laugh, but it’s no joke! It truly is all the walking and climbing and now bike riding that make them that way!)
5 Billy // Apr 10, 2009 at 9:11 pm
For some reason, the link didn’t appear any more after the comment was published. Second try then:
Link
6 Harriet // Apr 10, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Interesting that you bring up this topic. I am testing a “converter box” that allows me to watch tv5monde on tv via an internet signal, and last week I watched two different shows that interviewed two women regarding renovations of their chateaux, and they were definitely overweight , so much so, that I was kind of shocked.
You are absolutely correct: it’s the amount of excercise that makes all the difference — that having been said, why can’t I motivate myself to exercise more!
7 Lynn // Apr 11, 2009 at 3:47 am
It’s the same for me Harriet! When I’m in Paris, I walk for miles everyday just for the pleasure. When I’m in the States, I tend to drive my car even short distances that I wouldn’t dream of driving to in Paris. The distance could be one Métro stop and I’ll hop into my car without a second thought!
One good thing, when I’m on the beach I’ll walk for miles just for the pleasure.
8 Harriet // Apr 11, 2009 at 8:54 pm
One doesn’t even need to read the book, just take in the message on the cover.
9 Lynn // Apr 11, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Well, if you’re talking about the cover of Guiliano’s book that I have here on my blog, I did go to ‘Paint’ and I changed the title from “French Women Don’t Get Fat” to “French Women Do Get Fat” for the sake of my post if that clears up any confusion! Yes, I’m guilty for tampering…..I admit it!!! Lol.
By the way, Patrick has a comment for you over at Babushka! LOL
10 Michelle // Apr 12, 2009 at 3:14 am
I could not believe how much I walked in my brief two weeks in Paris. Some days I walked eight or more hours per days. I came home feeling so good, had a spring in my step, a sparkle in my eyes, and had shed a few kilos too.
I vowed to walk more once I got home, but truly, it is depressing to walk the suburbs having walked in Paris. I cannot wait to go back. Where else could you eat delicious food, drink wine and come home looking like you’ve been to a health spa for a few weeks? (Well, other than a spa, I mean?)
11 Lynn // Apr 12, 2009 at 5:06 am
I agree Michelle! Walking the suburbs is not the same as walking the streets of Paris! There’s so much beauty to appreciate and so many things to see in Paris that by the end of the day, you don’t even realize how much walking you’ve done!
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