Hunger, Appetite & Gluttony

Last night we went out with some friends who are visiting from Spain. They are used to eating late, so we made dinner reservations for 9 pm and agreed to meet at a preliminary location for drinks at 7:30. I was definitely feeling hungry, though, by around 8. Since my stomach sometimes revolts if I wait too long to eat, we ordered an appetizer to share and that calmed down any urgent food cravings.

The restaurant where we ate dinner serves mediterranean food, so there are plenty of small plates that are perfect to share among friends. We ordered a slew of them plus a single (but large) entree to share, and were finally eating at around 9:30.

At some point during this delightful meal, I thought to myself, "Am I actually hungry anymore, or do I just want to keep eating?" I confess, I didn't linger on the thought and ate some more. When I finally put down my knife and fork I did a mental check to see how I felt. Was I satisfied? Still hungry? Over-stuffed?...I was satisfied and then some. I was almost over-stuffed, and I could have stopped sooner and felt just fine.

I have noticed that there is a very definite difference between feeling hungry and having an appetite. Sometimes, I just want to eat something, or eat more. I know whatever I'll be having will be delicious and I just enjoy the experience.

At what point does indulging that appetite turn into gluttony? It seems like a question that I need to seriously consider and that part of succeeding on the French Diet is learning to master yourself so that you give your body some of what it wants, but without caving into every craving and whim of your appetite.

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.

Sweet endings

If I had to identify my single biggest weakness, diet-wise, I'd have to confess it is my sweet tooth. I love, love, looooove sweet treats. My favorites are ice cream, chocolate, and pastries like the patisserie that the French are known for the world over. In fact, my favorite shop in all of Paris is probably
Ladurée.  
Last time I was in Paris, I even snuck a few photos at the store in St. Germain:

So, I have to confess that when I embarked on this French experiment of mine, I wondered about the French attitude towards all these delicious confections. I mean, what is the point of being able to make all these wonderful treats if you are never going to enjoy them?

Then, as I did my research, I started to understand how they French did it. Again, the key lies in balance and moderation.  Sure, the French eat dessert and they have access to delicious croissants and macarons and other baked works of art, but they view them as treats, not everyday staples. Their typical weeknight desserts come in the form of fruit, not frangipane! And breakfast bread is baguette, not croissants or pain au chocolat. Those treats are reserved for the weekend or some other special occasion.

Luckily, I am not a big fan of dessert. (Hmm...maybe because I always tended to overeat and was too stuffed for dessert??) But, in my former eating life, I would eat something sweet every single day (!!), usually with an afternoon coffee. 

So, it was a wonderful surprise to read in The French Don't Diet Plan: 10 Simple Steps To Stay Thin For Life that the author, Dr. William Clower, recommends incorporating an "ender" into your daily diet. That is, as he describes it, some small sweet treat that you enjoy some 10 minutes after you finish a meal (a meal that didn't already include what we would normally think of as dessert, like cake, ice cream, or pie!) and that serves as a sort of epicurean punctuation mark and tells your brain, "Okay, I'm done eating now until my next regularly scheduled meal." 

With this in mind, I looked for that special item that I would use as my "ender" and I found it in the form of extra-dark chocolate from Lindt:

As Dr. Clower recommends, I take a small amount of this super rich chocolate and I let it melt in my mouth, savoring the flavor and letting it cover every taste bud. With chocolate that's this high in cocoa a little goes a long way, so you don't need much to feel satisfied. I'd almost go so far as to say I think it would be nearly impossible to overdose on such dark chocolate!

In any case, I've found that having just a bit of chocolate after lunch or dinner really makes me feel like I got a "treat" in, but it doesn't derail me like a daily raspberry-chocolate-mousse-tart or eclair might. 

C'est magnifique!