Italian, french women etc are generally slimmer because...

[handlemecarefully]

Was reading an article in Real Magazine (sorry it's not more high brow) which pointed out that us Brits are the biggest in Europe....and interviewed a french woman and an Italian woman about their eating patterns.

They contended that they are generally slimmer because:

• they don't drink us much as us (just a little wine with their evening meal)

*eat only at meal times and don't snack between meals

*don't eat any fast food. Consider food to be a pleasurable experience and make time for three proper meals, rather than treating food like fuel as us Brits are inclined to do and just shoving anything down our gullets...

What do you think? I'm thoroughly confused. Especially by the just eating 3 meals a day thing and no snacking advice. I always thought you were meant to eat little and often.

FG, I would need a personality transplant to be soignee, I really would. Deshabillee I can manage, all too facilement. Helas.

Hmm, I don't think I'd be very happy with my child not being allowed a mid-morning snack, especially when he's 4!

(But I guess French kids don't get sent to school when they're 4...)

Message withdrawn

MI I'm sure you can pull off that beautiful eccentric english style that I can't do for fear of ending up looking like a looney.
ggglimpopo I didn't know that mid morning snacks had been banned, that's stupid! I used to take stuff like dried fruit to school, or the old classic, 'le choco BN'.

doesnt anyone think that the French attitude has its downside in that there is enormous pressure put on women to look beautiful all the time? I gasped at alibubbles comments on going to Uni all dressed up. dont get me wrong I think that its very important to know how to dress smart but surely we all need time to dress down and for me uni was great cos I could wear what I liked (Not sure my mum would agree mind cos I was a hippy chick and she didnt like my dress sense at all ).
Also got to say Ive never been very consious of my figure but was brought up to eat well and to eat small amounts, everything in moderation. I have no idea what I weight at all. I like good food thats well cooked and well presented.

yes senorapostrophe we have a faulty gene we're all beautiful senoritas but get a moustache and get fat as we get older

I reckon french women dont get fat because
a) none of them under 60 do, so the pressure is really on them to stay slim. getting fat under 60 is like rejecting society.
b) they're all obsessed with lingerie - seems to me even the smallest village has a lingerie shop and they only sell in two sizes teenytiny and gargantuan. They dont sell inbetween sizes to warn women who dont fit in the teenytiny ones they're letting themselves go.

how come all the older Italian and Spanish women I've seen are larger and completely swathed in black? (ok, not all! )

They do virtually all smoke as well. Well, not all but...

I love this thread - it has decided I am both slim (HAHAHAHA) and stylish in a beautiful eccentric way.

french women are not fat (after pregnancy) because they have stupid doctors ordering them to only gain 9 kilos in total durign their pregnancies.

Also their chemists are filled with advertisements on how to diet and become slimmer with drugs, etc...

AAARRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Wow, I cant believe so many people are taking an article in 'real magazine' to be gospel. I am of Italian origin, but essentially british, I have lived in both Italy and France and obviously england. I have to say that there are fat and slim people in all 3 of these countries. Most of the Italians I know snack between meals, drink loads and eat good sized meals... have you not heard of the Italian 'mamas' feeding up their families... Of course if you take fashion capitals like Paris and Milan to be examples of the population you will find that most women are underweight, however have a wander along some of the chicer areas of London and you will find the same thing. Basically you can not generalise whole countries and populations. However I do agree that the quality of food given to children at school is superior in both Italy and france

Have I entered a timewarp?