Stuck

I've decided to move my weigh-in day to Tuesday because, for some reason, I always seem to have breakfast before realizing it is Monday. Hopefully I will not start messing up on Tuesdays, too!

This past holiday weekend went, I think, reasonably well. I got a lot more exercise in since Monsieur is very keen on it. So, we went for a swim on a couple of days and got in a (for me) long bike ride. Yesterday, we rode for almost 12 miles. Took our bikes down to Whole Foods, picked up picnic supplies, and then rode to a park, where we ate under two huge oak trees that housed some very grumpy squirrels. Then, we looped around before returning home, so by the time I hopped off my bike, I felt I had worked out.

I think that my eating was fairly French, but I did indulge in a few more treats than needed. In retrospect, I realize that I often forget about the French mentality towards food. I just haven't yet made it my own and, truth be told, I'm starting to worry.  I don't know if I ever will.

Of course, the books (Losing It In France--Les Secrets of the French Diet and The French Don't Diet Plan: 10 Simple Steps To Stay Thin For Life) that inspired me to try the French diet are by non-French people who discovered the diet/lifestyle's myriad of benefits. Presumably, they have adopted the French diet as much as possible and continue to adhere to it, even after they have returned home. But I'm wondering if it's possible for someone who hasn't lived in France for an extended period of time to actually start to think like a French person...???

I am starting to think that I may actually be stuck and kidding myself by saying things like "my eating was fairly French". Sure, I may be more French than your average American, since I do like to cook and I have cut out things like sodas and most processed foods. But I was like that even before starting my French experiment. It's the rest of the French diet that seems so hard to make my own: portion control, listening to my body for cues on hunger/satiation, and--perhaps most importantly--feeling enough pride in myself to say "I deserve to be svelte and healthy and fit, and I deserve that a whole heck of a lot more than I need that candy".

Maybe I need to re-read those books and remind myself of what is possible?

All I know is that I haven't made that much progress in the three months and that makes me sad. I don't want my French experiment to be a failure.

Getting Back Into The Swing of Things

For some reason, I'm finding it very hard to get back into my French routine. Early in the week, I came up with menus for this week. Tuesday, I was supposed to make a Salade Niçoise, with imported Spanish tuna in olive oil, green beans, hard-boiled potatoes and eggs, and other assorted delicious and healthy components.

But then, it started to get late and I realized I didn't have the right tuna on hand, so instead, I went to Johnny Rockets and ordered this:

Well, at least I didn't get the shake or the fries. But still, it was not exactly the best thing I could have chosen to eat. Still, you could argue that the French diet is all about freedom and not having foods be labelled as "off limits". In a certain sense, that is true. Having a hamburger out is not going to kill you or completely derail you. The problem, of course, is that this was not the only poor choice I'd made this week. Tuesday and Wednesday's lunches were both eaten out, and were both not the healthiest.

Last night, I did manage to go to the market and get ingredients for a home-cooked meal, and it was reasonably French. And tonight, I had some fish with some oven fries and a tomato mozzarella salad. 

So, all in all, there have been some hits and a few misses.  

And that's what got me thinking, "Why is it so hard to get back on track once you've gone off of it??" Is it because I'm still trying to make the French diet second nature and forming a new habit takes time? Or, to put it another way, "Will this ever get any easier??" I hope so. 

Maybe it's just like any other thing that requires some discipline and you just have to keep at it. Today, for instance, I went for a bike ride. I probably did about 6-7 miles when all was said and done, and boy, was I out of shape. Any prior progress seems to have vanished and I was having to shift down sooner and for longer stretches of time. But the good news is I rode, and I pushed myself to go a bit farther than I originally planned, just to stretch a bit. If I go for another ride again soon, then I will notice that I'm making progress and not having to start all over again.  Maybe I just have to do that with my diet, as well. Just make sure that there is always some French element to it, so that I don't feel like I've lost ground and am starting back at ground zero all over again.

Time will tell...

R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Time to see how things are going.

So, grades:

• Real, natural foods: B
• Enjoy the dining experience: B+ 
• Portion control: B+
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: B+
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: B 
• Treat yourself: C

Some trends continue. Lunch is still the meal most likely to be eaten out, and that means having less control over the quality of the food (and more temptation to mess up on quantity, as well). Dinners were reasonably good, and there were times when I was very good about portion control. On the downside, though, there was almost an emotional eating problem. Started to indulge in an unhealthy snack just because I was stressed and sad, but caught myself and course corrected. At least that's good!

Weekly weigh-in: 165 (+0.5 lbs versus last week and -2.0 to-date)

Final Grade: B

This week I'm going to focus on building in some exercise every day (even if it's just a walk around our local park) and on menu planning. I was really starting to enjoy seeing that lower number on the scale and I want to see it again, soon. :-)

Eating, French Style

I must admit I am still a little surprised by the reading on the scale this week. To make sure I hadn't imagined it, I re-weighed myself this morning. (Now, I know that it is typically best to weigh yourself only once per week and at the same time each time you do it, but I couldn't help myself.)  Today's weight? 164 lbs. Wow! Not only was the other day's reading not off, but now it's even better! Yay!!

Anyway, that got me thinking, "Why??" Whatever I'm doing that is working, I want to keep doing it!  :)

I started looking over my food log and one thing I noticed is that this week (and one earlier week when I also had good results) I had more yogurt at breakfast time. This may be a coincidence, but I'm going to continue to keep watching to see if there's a correlation.

Usually I eat Greek-style yogurt by Fage. Specifically, Fage Total, which is the "full fat" version. Full fat, it turns out, means 10g of fat per serving, as opposed to the 2% or 0% versions which have 2g or 0g, respectively.

The Fage container I get has 7 oz (200 g) of yogurt, and according to the label, it is considered 1 serving and it has 190 calories.  I get about 4 servings out of this same container because I split it with Monsieur over two days. Usually, I add a very small amount of strawberry jam to my yogurt, or some fresh raspberries if I happen to have them. 

A French-style yogurt that I want to try again is from the Saint Benoit Creamery, up in Sonoma County. This yogurt is sold by Whole Foods near where I live. I looove the small glass jar packaging! (I am a sucker for good packaging, so this is no surprise.)

The Saint Benoit yogurt is sold in a 4.75 oz (135g) serving size. I don't know if I would get two servings out of this size container or if I'd be "forced" to eat it all. I guess it would depend on how yummy it was. It is somewhat interesting, though, that the serving is just automatically smaller (almost half the size of the Fage yogurt). That feels very French to me. 

I'll have to pick some up the next time I'm at Whole Foods and report back.

Speaking of reporting back, I did end up deciding to sign up for the week-long patisserie baking class that Monsieur offered for my birthday. That will be the first week of June so I probably won't be blogging much. The class runs from 7 am to 3 pm, M-F. That means I'll have to be up by 6 a.m. Yikes!! Still, I think that good patisserie is worth a little sacrifice, don't you? 

R.E.P.O.R.T. Card

Not sure what to expect this week. Looking back, there were some good things (dinners were mostly had at home, and there was more exercise) but there were still some areas for improvement (again, lunches are not the best and frequently eaten out).

So, grades:

• Real, natural foods: B
• Enjoy the dining experience: B 
• Portion control: B
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: B
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: B+ 
• Treat yourself: B

A few things worth noting: Only two servings of pasta/pizza this week, when I split a chicken penne dish with Maman for lunch on Friday, and later split a pizza Margherita with Monsieur during our 'date night'. Also, I had fish twice last week (homemade Crab Louis and grilled salmon) and I think eating fish definitely helps. Finally, I went for an 8+ mile bike ride on Friday afternoon. I rode for nearly 50 minutes on a mix of flat and slightly hilly land.

Where did it all get me?

Tuesday morning weigh-in: 164.5 (-2.0 lbs versus last week and -2.5 to-date)

Final Grade: B+

I'm actually somewhat shocked by the number on the scale this morning. I have to confess, my tummy was a bit unhappy last night and this morning, after feeling very bloated yesterday, so I don't know how much that may or may not have to do with this reading. In any case, I'll take it! Now I have to make sure that is a real number by keeping up what's working and continuing to ask myself WWFD and adding in some more exercise. Yay!

Interesting Article

This morning, before I'd realized it, I had already had my breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee before I did my weekly weigh-in. So, I'll be doing my R.E.P.O.R.T. card tomorrow.

In the meantime, here's a link to a pretty interesting article that I found from the NY Times, Always Hungry? Here's Why, which examines whether the prevailing wisdom that calories consumed - calories burned = weight gain (loss) is actually the best way to look at our current battle of the bulge.

There are some interesting insights which track well with the French diet, and it's gratifying to see that people are continuing to look for what might be making us all fat.

A Gentle Reminder

I went to a local bakery for a baguette for tonight's dinner. Monsieur is grilling some thin steaks and we're expecting a friend of his to join us.

While I waited in line to pay, a young woman was tending to her two small, very blonde children, and talking with them in lightening fast French. When the clerk asked her how he could help her, she said (in very good, but heavily accented, English), "For tonight, I'll take one demi-baguette."

I had considered ordering a demi-baguette myself. As a snack. For myself. Alone.

She, however, was going to split a demi-baguette (which really looked like more of a one-third-of-a-baguette instead of a demi) with her two kids.

Next time I'm asking myself WWFD maybe I'll have to remember this lady.

And, as if I needed to say it-- she was slim.

Letting Go

"Experts" say it takes anywhere from 21 to 30 days to break a habit. I don't know if that's true, since I can't recall many instances where I've actively decided to change a bad habit. 

A few times I've had to go cold turkey and give something up. Case in point: I learned I had some food allergies/intolerances. The consequences of eating these foods were unpleasant enough to make it pretty easy to give them up and not look back.

But in general, I have not really had much success in changing my stripes.

For example, this past weekend we ordered a cake for Monsieur's birthday. We were expecting 20 people so I ordered a big cake and it seemed even larger once it arrived. We still have quite a bit left, despite the fact that we had cake on Saturday, Sunday and  last night. And it's still remarkably fresh and tasty.

The point is, though, that both Monsieur and I are having a hard time just letting it go and feeling that it's okay to throw the leftover cake away. Neither of us works in a place where it'd be easy to bring the leftover cake, either, or else this would be an option:

Joking aside, though, why is it so hard to let go? Despite my best efforts to adjust my mindset and ask myself WWFD and think like a French person, my first instinct is to think, "Oooh, cake! I never get a good cake like this! I have to enjoy it!!" 

The idea that I never get cake is what's at the heart of my hesitation but it is a totally erroneous assumption!! I give myself plenty of treats, believe me. And, if I really starting thinking like a French person, I would know that there will always be another opportunity to have cake. In fact, I am allowed to go get myself some cake anytime I darn well please, because, well, "I'm worth it!" and so there is no reason to fear I won't ever have another chance at having a slice of cake again.  

When you really look at what is motivating you (fear) and how your mind is working (irrationally) then you really start to realize how ridiculous it all is!!

So, perhaps the "experts" are right and it is just a matter of time until you can change how you think and drop a bad habit. I guess we'll see.

Anyway, gotta go. Have to go throw away some leftover cake!

à bientôt!

Style Inspiration: Costanza Pascolato

One of the blogs I read regularly is Garance Dore's. She "introduced me" to Costanza Pascolato, of Brazilian Vogue.

Costanza is 74 years old, and the woman has style in spades!  This morning, she made another appearance on Garance's blog. She was asked for her views on age and aging. Here's what she had to say:

“Here in Brazil, it is a very young country, with a new sort of middle class that is very aspirational. The “body” is the new status symbol. This means that women are in search of “eternal youth.” This is achieved, most of the time, very artificially (plastic surgery, treatments, drugs) that are starting to be a huge part of the economy.

I am a lucky person. All women in my family were strong and positive. They taught me to accept aging. But of course, they were intelligent, elegant, and my mother was very beautiful. The new generation follows their examples: my daughter Consuelo is 50 and looks great. And Alessandra is 48 and looks much younger than her age. We all have a sense that life is a privilege. So we treat our bodies (and souls) gracefully. I do a lot of exercise, eat well etc., but I do not try to look much younger than I am. I only want to look the best for my age (74), and that, happily, makes me stay away from anxiety.”  (Bold emphasis mine)

When I read her comments, they struck me as very in line with the French spirit and with the spirit that I'm trying to cultivate within myself.  I love how she says that the women in her family have a grateful, appreciative attitude towards life and towards themselves.  Although her comments are in response to the question of how she views aging, they also could easily apply to "How do you feel about dieting and weight?" I think her answer would be very similar, "I only want to look the best for my age, and that, happily, makes me stay away from anxiety" and it's one I want to apply to my life as well.

Motivation & Rewards

Many, many diets and weight loss programs that I've read about encourage you to set up goals and rewards at regular intervals.

The treat-oriented part of me always liked that concept. Unfortunately, it didn't ever really work for me.  Maybe because the reality of losing 5 lbs "cost" me a lot more than what a manicure or new lipstick ever did. I mean, honestly, do you know how hard it is to lose 5 lbs, especially if you've been holding onto extra weight for years? (Not to mention losing even more weight!)

Let me just go on record and say that if I manage to lose a significant amount of weight and I can fit into a size 8, you can be darn sure I'll be splurging on something other than a pair of jeans. Something more like this:

This is an Hermes blouse and it's a size 8. I found it on The Real Real, which is an online luxury consignment 'store'. This top, because it is being sold on consignment, cost a bit more than a pair of premium denim jeans. Now that's what I call a reward!

Anyway, when I was reading about the French attitude towards food, diet, and health, I thought it was very interesting to see that there isn't really that same concept of progress and rewards.  Why is that??

Well, I think part of the reason is that French women see being healthy and slender as their right. They deserve to be slim and beautiful and cherished. And likewise, getting a manicure and a haircut is part of a woman's regular grooming or 'maintenance' and not something that has to be earned through weight loss.

So, who's right? Is the American system of goals and rewards actually an effective weight loss tool? Or should we embrace the French way and look at weight loss in the same way as we would look at any other element of living a happy, healthy life? As something that is meant to be and deserved, and not as something that we need to earn. What do you think?

Strategy for Success: Menu Planning

As I've probably already mentioned, I tended to easily fall into the pattern of waiting too long to eat and then grabbing whatever to satisfy my by-then-ravenous appetite. I  was at especially high risk at lunchtime, since that's when I would often be out of the house and away from healthier food options.

But, it could also be a problem at dinner, too, especially if I had been out all day and there was nothing on hand for me to easily and quickly cook up when I arrived at home on the later side. That's when I would often resort to ordering some take-out or going out to eat.

I realized that I needed to be more organized and more prepared, but it was just so hard to change my bad habits.

Then, some weeks ago, I found this handy meal planner at The Container Store:

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This meal planner is divided into two sections. Across the top, there's space for you to enter your meals for the week: lunch, dinner and snacks/dessert. In the lower half, there's space for any important meetings or activities (a.m., noon, and p.m.). 

This planner is marketed to moms and the idea is that you might want to know that on Thursday evening you have Annie's school play, so for Thursday dinner you'll be ordering pizza, or that sort of thing. But mom or no, I think this is still quite a good tool if what you want is to organize your menu and plan your shopping accordingly.

Now all I have to do is be consistent and come up with creative meals to fill in all the boxes!

Lundi: R.E.P.O.R.T. Card

Is it already Monday, again??  Well, let's see how last week went.

First, grades:

• Real, natural foods: B
• Enjoy the dining experience: B- 
• Portion control: B
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: C
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: B+ 
• Treat yourself: B+

I think that this week was a bit better than last week, overall.

On the positive side, I got a few longer walks in (approx 1.5 miles each time, walking home from the train station) and generally felt more 'active'. It was also my birthday last week, and I didn't use that as an excuse to go crazy, so that was good. :)

On the negative side, I probably over-indulged my sweet tooth and I nibbled a bit more between meals. Mostly nuts, but still--the French way would be to not have snacks at all. I also feel that I didn't focus as much on the positive aspects of the French diet, like savoring my food and enjoying the dining experience. I also ate out a few times, and I feel like it is definitely harder to know how much you're eating if you share plates (pizza, Chinese food, or appetizers/tapas, say).

So, as I prepare this "report card" before I step on the scale, I'm really not sure of what to expect. I'm guessing that I didn't go down at all, but hoping that I just didn't go up, either.

Now for the tough part--stepping on the scale:

Monday morning weigh-in: 166.0 (No Change versus last week and -1.0 to-date)

Final Grade: C+

This week I'm going to prepare really delicious, well balanced meals at home, and enjoy the dining experience. To do both, I'll need to get organized and be prepared so that I don't resort to ordering food in or grabbing whatever is convenient.

Dilemma: Baking Enthusiast or Svelte Sensation?

I celebrated my birthday in April, and Monsieur offered me an extra-special opportunity as my birthday gift: a week-long class at the San Francisco Baking Institute on Pastry. The class promises to teach you "how to master pastry doughs and use them to create an unlimited variety of exciting pastries."  

As I may have mentioned before, I love pastries in general, and French-style patisserie (Paris-Brest pastries, éclairs, Breton tarts, etc.) best of all.

So, here's my dilemma: 

If I'm trying to lose weight and I know that pastries are a particular weakness, should I really be signing up for a week-long, intensive baking class like this?? Am I just playing with fire? Courting disaster? Sabotaging myself? [Insert confused look here]

Sounds like it's time to resurrect the old WWFD (What would a French person do?) strategy here.  Going to mull it over and I'll let you know what I decide.

Feedback/comments/advice are always welcome...  :)

Strategy for Success: Keep a Record

After yesterday's disappointing weigh-in, I decided to look back at last week for insight into where I went wrong. I had some general ideas about what I'd done, but I thought I should re-examine the week for a deeper understanding.

Luckily, at the beginning of the year I purchased a weekly planner/calendar that I set aside just to record my meals, since I already had an inkling that my poor lunches were partially to blame for my weight predicament.

The one I got is from Martha Stewart's Home Office line at Staples and what I love about it is that each day is broken up into three general time "zones": morning, afternoon, and evening. Plus, there are two additional rows that you can title yourself, for whatever seems most useful to you. In my case, the two bottom rows are for "Exercise" and "Social/Misc." For instance, if I know I'll be eating out because of a party or dinner invitation, I add it to the "Social/Misc." Or, sometimes I will record if something out of the ordinary is going on that may affect my eating (i.e. feeling down, having a cold, traveling, etc.)

In the morning, afternoon, and evening rows, I jot down what I ate each day. Sometimes, if things are particularly hectic or I'm more forgetful than usual, I will have to go back and add things in, and as a result sometimes I don't have quite perfect record-keeping. But I try to log as much as I can. 

Anyway, when I went back and looked at last week, I realized that I ate out much more than I originally thought. I had lunch at quasi-fast* food places 4 times last week! And the meals that I did have at home were only moderately French (in spirit, if not in cuisine style). 

Knowing what went wrong will hopefully help me make adjustments this week. Another benefit of my food journal is that I can go back to more successful weeks and get inspiration for this week's menu.

What about you? Do you have any experience (good or bad) with food journals that you can share with me? If so, please do. I'm always looking for new strategies for success!


*I think of McDonald's, Taco Bell, and similar restaurants as true "fast food". For me "quasi-fast" food places include like Chipotle or P.F. Chang's or In-N-Out Burger, which I deem not quite as bad/processed as true "fast food", but they aren't really bastions of health either.

Lundi: R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Another Monday, another check in. I have to be honest, I'm not looking forward to today's post.

Let's start by grading against each of the French Plan's key goals:

• Real, natural foods: B
• Enjoy the dining experience: C+ 
• Portion control: B-
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: C  
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: C- 
• Treat yourself: D-

This past week saw the end of Passover, a few evenings out, and some personal stress impact my French experiment quite a bit. First, the end of Passover meant that grains were welcomed back, perhaps with arms a bit too wide open. I also ate out (or take-out) almost half the time this week, and while I tried to make healthy choices, sometimes it's hard to know how healthy something really is since you aren't there when it's being prepared. (Other times, you know how healthy--or unhealthy--something is, but it's what's available.) And, finally, as I already discussed on Friday, there were some emotional challenges.

On the positive side, I did try to listen to my body and not overeat. And, I was a bit more active (walking, and some gardening, mostly) and it was incorporated into my day to day life more naturally.

On the negative side, I ate out too much and I snacked when I felt depressed. Sigh.

In terms of treating myself, I gave myself a low grade because I overdid it. The French allow a bit of dessert (typically, fruit) but I ate something sweet most evenings even if I had had a filling meal. It was more about the fact that I could have a baked treat and not about whether or not I really wanted one.

Monday morning weigh-in: 166.0 (+1 lb versus last week and -1.0 to-date)

Final Grade: 

I'm definitely disappointed in how this week turned out. And, the worst thing is probably that I knew I wasn't really following my plan but I sort of gave up over the weekend and tacitly decided to wait until today to get back on the wagon. Now, though, I'm curious to see how much of my previous drop was due to the French diet versus the "Passover diet" of aggressively reduced grains. So this week I'm going to see what happens if I focus just on the French Diet's key elements but still eat some bread, etc. If I can get back on track with just that, next Monday's weigh in and report should be interesting.

Dans le menu: Roasted chicken & potatoes

One of the things that I think will make my French experiment more or less successful will be my ability to prepare a well-balanced, but delicious meal with relative ease.  To that end, I thought I would share some of my stand-by menus.  Tonight, for your consideration, we have the following meal planned:

• Roasted chicken
• Roasted Dutch yellow baby potatoes with parsley
• Green beans with butter

To round out the meal, there's fresh baguette with French butter, wine and sparkling mineral water (my favorite, Lemon Perrier).

What makes this particular meal especially easy to prepare is the fact that both the chicken and the potatoes are roasted for roughly the same amount of time, and at the same temperature. So, they can share the oven!

Roasted chicken

The amount of chicken you make will depend on the number of people you are feeding, but the cooking instructions aren't really quantity-dependent. (Unless, of course, you are feeding an army and need multiple baking sheets and turns at the oven!)  In my case, I am cooking for two and expecting to have a little left over for my lunch tomorrow. 

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, bone-in, skin-on (12-13 oz--it was the smallest the butcher had!)

1 chicken leg/thigh (7-8 oz)

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

Kosher salt

Pepper

Lawry's Garlic Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 °F. If you have convection, I recommend using it. If not, you might need to cook everything a little bit longer.

Brush the chicken with a light coating of olive oil. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, and (optional) garlic salt. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (if you want slightly easier clean up). Roast in oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until the skin is a medium golden brown.

Roasted baby potatoes with parsley

Again, the quantities will depend on the number of people you're feeding and your oven capacity. In my case, I prepared 4 baby potatoes per person. I'm not planning on any leftovers and keeping French portions in mind.

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's Rosemary Roasted Potatoes recipe. I modified it by replacing the rosemary with fresh chopped parsley, which I prefer.

Ingredients

4 Dutch yellow baby potatoes per person

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Pepper

Parsley, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 °F as you would for the roasted chicken. Slice off a bit of the bottom of each potato so that it will not roll around when you place it on the baking sheet. Then, carefully slice the tops about 3/4 of the way down at about 1/4" intervals. Place all the sliced potatoes in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper and then toss to coat the potatoes evenly. Place them on a baking sheet, sliced side down, and place in the oven. 

Roast for approximately 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are a delicious golden brown. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. 

Sauteed Green Beans with Butter

Ingredients

French haricots verts or other thin green beans (small handful per person to be served)

Kosher salt

Pepper

Butter

Instructions

Boil some salted water in a small sauce pan. When the water is boiling, add the green beans (washed and trimmed) and boil for three minutes. Immediately remove the beans from the hot water and place them into an ice bath to stop the cooking and ensure a vibrant green color is preserved. At this point, you can either throw them back into the sauce pan or put them into a saute pan back over low heat. Add a small pat of butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the beans so that they are covered in the melting butter and, once all the butter has melted and covered the beans, serve immediately.

For some variety, try swapping these roasted potatoes with some couscous, oven fries, mashed potatoes, or rice. Other vegetable options include sauteed spinach, sauteed broccolini, green salad, or tomato salad.  

Enjoy! Or, as they might say in France, Bon Appetit!

Resisting temptation

Every once in a while, I am tempted to revert back to my bad (eating) habits. When that happens, I have a sure strategy to emerge victorious. Let me share how I came up with it.

Not too long ago, I had planned on preparing a very healthy, very French sort of dinner. I was going to grill some tilapia and serve it with a small side salad and a baked potato. But then, in the afternoon, my husband called to ask if he could meet a friend who was going to be in the area for dinner. Suddenly, the idea of preparing the menu I'd planned, just for myself, seemed wholly unappealing. As I drove home that evening, temptation struck.

The guy in red said, "It's late and by the time you get home, do you really want to start cooking? Cooking fish? Tilapia is so...boring. Why not have something that you wouldn't eat with Monsieur? What about Chipotle? Mmm...a burrito with some chips and some guacamole would taste soooo good!"

The one in white said, "But you already thawed the tilapia! It has to be cooked today or it will go to waste. And the meal you planned is so balanced...so French!! Besides, it will take just as long to stop and pick up food at Chipotle as it would to just prepare what you have at home. And a Chipotle burrito is huge!"

There I was, in the middle, much as poor Homer is in the cartoon above. What should I do? 

Then, all of a sudden, it hit me. I shouldn't be asking myself what should I do, but WWFD--What Would a French (person) Do?? 

That single question was the answer to all my dilemmas. Once I asked it, the answer was obvious. A French person would definitely not stop for a burrito at Chipotle when there was a perfectly good meal waiting to be had at home. So, I went home, I made my dinner, and I have to say, it was so tasty and I felt so proud of myself afterwards. 

So now, whenever that naughty guy in red shows up I'm prepared. I ask myself what a French person would do in that particular situation and I'm able to choose the right thing.

Lundi: R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Ah, Monday morning. Time to check back in and see what progress (if any) was made.

Let's check in against each of the French Plan's key goals:

• Real, natural foods: A-
• Enjoy the dining experience: B+ 
• Portion control: A-
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: A-  
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: D 
• Treat yourself: B

This past week was an interesting one. It was Holy Week, so on Good Friday I did my best to fast, and when I did eat, there was no meat. And, it was also Passover, and since my husband keeps Kosher there were no grains (wheat, corn, rice) allowed. For the first time this year, I abstained almost entirely from grains, too, to provide moral support. As a result, this week we had fish 3 times for dinner, and most nights we had a vegetable or salad and some potato dish (oven fries, mashed potatoes, etc.) Pretty healthy.

Almost all meals were home cooked, and I avoided snacking for most of the week. (I can recall one snack and a few handfuls of hazelnuts eaten between meals.) And I continued trying to listen to my body and not overeat or eat mindlessly. I found that I often stopped feeling hungry when there was still food on my plate, so I would simply stop eating. I'm learning that I can feel satisfied with less.

My weakest point was exercise--again. There was no good reason or excuse for it, either. I just did other things instead.

In terms of treating myself, I did have a couple of small desserts this last week and I also treated myself to a couple of cotton dresses for summer. So, I had a mix of food and non-food pleasures to enjoy.

Monday morning weigh-in: 165.0 (-1.5 lbs versus last week and -2.0 to-date)

Final Grade: 

This was definitely a great week and I'm very excited by the results. I'm a little bit curious about how much of the week's loss is due to the French diet versus the Kosher diet versus the Good Friday fast/diet. In any case, I think that adding a moderate amount of discipline with regards to pasta, bread and baked items and incorporating more fish into your diet are never a bad idea, so I may have to keep that up, even if not as strictly as I did this past week. Overall, I'm definitely happy and feeling optimistic and encouraged to continue on this path!

Lundi: R.E.P.O.R.T. card

Last week I launched this blog and continued implementing my French experiment, with some successes and some failures.

Let's see how I fared against each of the Experiment's key goals:

• Real, natural foods: B
• Enjoy the dining experience: B+
• Portion control: B
• Only at mealtimes--no snacking: B+ 
• Run around--incorporate exercise naturally: D
• Treat yourself: C

For the most part, I was able to stick to the plan. I had a few big successes, where despite poor pre-planning and temptations to take the easy way out I still cooked a healthy meal or avoided snacking. But I also had some challenges due to unavoidable circumstances (a family trip to the ER/hospital), and over the weekend I mostly ate take-out. The good news there, though, was that I still mostly managed to listen to my body and not overeat or eat mindlessly. The weakest link, by far, was in terms of exercise. Other than parking a bit farther away than usual, I really didn't do anything. For this week, I'll say that it was only because my schedule was upended thanks to the hospital visit, but only time will tell if that was the case or just a carried over bad habit.

Monday morning weigh-in: 166.5 (-0.5 lbs versus last week and to-date)

Final Grade: B+

Overall, I think I did pretty well last week. My goal for this week is to focus on planning healthy and delicious meals (breakfast, LUNCH, and dinner!) and to work in some regular exercise, even if it's only for 15 minutes a day.

Le Plan

Setting the Foundation

The most important part of succeeding at my French diet experiment will not be whether or not I root out every last bit of high fructose corn syrup from my pantry, or whether I eat on proper plates at a nicely set table (as opposed to eating from a Chinese food to-go carton). Instead, success will depend on how completely I believe and adopt the French mentality as it pertains to bodily well-being.

It's no coincidence that the French brand L’Oréal Paris' tag line is, "Because you're worth it." That sentiment accurately reflects how the French feel about themselves, and that mentality translates into everything they do.  These are not a people that suffer from low self-esteem! Rather, they love themselves and they think they do, in fact, deserve the best.

This attitude naturally leads to the basic principles that form the foundation for their eating (and exercising) philosophy.

• The French believe in balance & moderation
• The French are trained from an early age to listen to and & respect their bodies, and
• The French value quality over quantity

Of course, the big question is, "How do I incorporating the French Philosophy into my American life?"

Basics of "Le Plan"

These are the key parts of the French "Diet" that I'll be trying out as part of my little experiment. 

• Eat real, natural, preferably organic, foods. 
• Say goodbye to processed foods and their artificial or chemical ingredients
• Eat at regular mealtimes ONLY.  No snacking!
• Exception: as I retrain my "eating clock", allow myself to be like a French child and have the occasional goûter (a light snack that's eaten around 4-5 pm)
• Enjoy your food and your mealtime experience
• Eat slowly and savor your food.
• Make the dining experience pleasurable by setting the stage accordingly (eat at the table, use your good china, decorate with flowers, or light some candles!)
• Practice restraint in portions
• Serve yourself a bit less up-front. You can have more later if you want, but as you learn to listen to your body, you may be surprised to see that you do well with less if your food is satisfying
• Incorporate exercise naturally
• For me, that will mean going on occasional walks or bike rides, and fighting the urge to find the closest parking space everywhere I go!
• Treat yourself
• Abolish all thoughts of "bad" foods (processed foods excepted) and don't be afraid to indulge every once in a while
• Incorporate non-food treats, as well. Get a manicure. Buy a new lipstick. Go to a movie.

As you can see, "Le Plan" is relatively simple and straight-forward. I started incorporating elements of it into my lifestyle about one week ago, but I still have a few parts to work in. My goal is to completely switch over to this plan by this weekend.  After that, the proof will be in the pudding!