To wonder why both Duchesses are so thin?

[PleaseDontHate]

Talking about both the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex. And ok, I know IABU, but I thought I'd namechange and put it out there to see if other posters agreed. Putting my tin hat on, as I know I'll get lots of criticism for my gossipy thread. Oh well!

Both Catherine and Meghan are beautiful women with naturally lovely figures. But they are both so so extremely thin! Right now Kate is less thin, I assume because of her recent pregnancy and new baby, but no doubt she'll bounce back to her usual skinniness soon.

Kate was nowhere this thin before getting engaged and married into the RF. Meghan has always been very slim, but is now thinner than ever and I bet she won't gain the weight back. I remember even Diana lost loads of weight as soon as she got engaged and married! And she stayed very thin from then onwards.

Why does it seem like extreme thinness is a prerequisite to be a royal wife?

However judging by lots of people on this thread...many probably think it's better to be a size 8 smoker than a size 14 non smoker.

@formerbabe
Dont be ridiculous. Smoking barely suppresses your appetite at all and ive never heard that given as a reason.

@formerbabe
Dont be ridiculous. Smoking barely suppresses your appetite at all and ive never heard that given as a reason.

is a known appetite suppressant. And combined with caffeine even more so, hence the black coffee and a cigarette for breakfast thing.....

@VogueVVague

The difference between France and the Seriously you go to france amd quite rarely see anyone over a size 14 (and ive lived on loads of different parts of the country).*

Come back to the uk and its the norm.

That is not quite true.

www.oecd.org/els/health-systems/Obesity-Update-2017.pdf

France does have a smaller percentage of the population classed as obese, but it's 15 % compared to 29 % in the UK. (page 3)
And it's increasing in France, but stabilised in the UK (page 4).
Not that different in children 3-17 (page 5).

Clearly, there are differences in cultures and how people eat, but it's still true that given free range over food, most bodies are designed to store fat (although most not to the extent of being morbidly obese).

Then, you have to factor in epigenetics, and factors like dieting with hunger periods, which may trick the body into thinking it needs to store more energy.

@SerenDippitty
Hmm maybe.

But we're talking about fat here. Not about smoking vs overeating or even drinking vs overeating or extreme sports vs overeating. I dont think theres any point in trying to derail or distract in th hope that we drop the issue:

Just overeating and the uk's weight problem, which is something the government is shit scared of tackling because it really is the opium of the people.

The role of epigenetics:
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160128133352.htm

@Lweji
So the bottom line is that currently, britain has twice as many technically obses people than france. Thats pretty astounding.

Id also be interested in the breakdown of that. I imagine "obesity" is a scale, with a low end and a high end.

Im pretty certain that if you looked even more closely at the figures, most of the 15% classed as obese would probably just about have scraped into the obesity category.

I think the French are so much more image conscious and they eat far better food quality wise than us. Ok so steak and butter etc but cannot imagine the French going in for ready meals and packets of crips as the norm.

Startling news story today about obesity in our children, it is such a worrying trend and we are the worst in Western Europe, maybe time to stop criticising the Duchesses quite so much and maybe look towards that kind of living with a bit more thought.

So the bottom line is that currently, britain has twice as many technically obses people than france.
No, didn't say that. It's almost twice the rate. But definitely not nobody vs norm.

As I pointed out, there are several factors that may increase the obesity rate in the population. Most environmental drive, not pure genetics.

What I did say was that such environmental factors (and any population differences) do not negate that the human body has evolved to store energy. Obesity is an unfortunate by-product of that adaptation to low resources.

I think the French are so much more image conscious and they eat far better food quality wise than us. Ok so steak and butter etc but cannot imagine the French going in for ready meals and packets of crips as the norm. The French eat differently. I was an au pair there for one summer and lost a lot of weight. Eating at meal times and no snacking. But that was then. Younger people are now eating more like us now. Fast food and snack food
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_France

At my dc's school (approx 1500 pupils) in Paris there are no fat kids - well maybe one or two - but they really stand out because noone is fat. That is what it used to be like when I was at school in Britain in the 1970s. Go shopping for clothes in Paris and you'll find 14 is the largest size everywhere (and sometimes a small 14 at that). Absolutely no doubt Britain is beginning to be a nation of fatties - I really notice it now when I come home.

Lillian I bet they don't eat crisps and cake for lunch?!

French school canteens serve four courses 😎

It is such a cultural problem here, I was astounded at the resistance shown by the parents' at the schools Jamie Oliver was trying to help with the school dinners scheme.

Four courses of what though? Do they have a light supper later?

Normal dinner at 8pm

They don't eat crisps with any meals - they are considered a nibble to accompany an aperitif. School lunches always include a salad and a cheese course and dessert is fruit or yoghurt. The French only eat at mealtimes - so lunch sometime between 12 and 2pm and dinner sometime between 7 and 9pm. Children will have a small snack or gouter at 4pm. These hours are respected - I remember once visiting Ikea on way back to Paris hoping for a late lunch at 3pm. My son and I were joking that as this was France they would no longer be serving lunch - and we were absolutely right!

@LillianGish believe it or not it used to be like that here in the UK. Pubs did not serve food all day when I was young. They would stop serving lunch around 2pm.

French kids eat brilliantly at school karenlebillon.com/french-school-lunch-menus/

"These hours are respected"

I remember when a French friend was visiting it was Easter Sunday so difficult to get lunch bookings at 12.30. I made a booking for 2pm. He was slightly horrified and asserted that nobody in France would eat at such an hour. After reflection he said "well, maybe a surgeon" :)

This same guy had visited before about 20 years earlier and insisted that if we sat in the beer garden long enough someone would eventually come and serve us!

"it is true to say, nature doesn't favour us slimmies if it was the zombie race to the end!"

Yes, more or less the only benefit I can see to being obese is that you might survive a kidnapping or chemotherapy better.
There was a story out the other day that you'd also be better at fighting off hospital infections.

Am just watching "The Magic Pill" on Netflix which is very good by the way (not least because it is how I eat and it does make you feel very good and stay healthy).

Smoking barely suppresses your appetite at all and ive never heard that given as a reason.

Joanna Lumley once said she stays slim by drinking coffee and smoking fags. It's not so much that fags suppress the appetite, it's the action of putting something in the mouth i think.

Nicotine is a known appetite suppressant as a quick google will show.