Tuesday 17 March 2009

a lot of little

On the occasions that I have visited Paris, I have always marvelled at how everybody in France is not morbidly obese. With all that bread, butter and oil in crepes, waffles, baguettes, frites, croissants... I know I would be.

Apparently, their secret is to eat a little bit of everything. They allow themselves any indulgent 'bad' food, but once they have tasted it, that's it. It makes sense, I suppose. When you're not eating for hunger, which is normally when you're putting on weight, you're eating for the taste. And one bite tastes just as good as twenty.

I have never been like that. I am not a fan of hugely unhealthy foods; they make me feel uncomfortable and queasy. Popcorn may taste nice, but the feeling afterwards is anything but. However one thing I do do is eat, and eat, and eat. I have been known to consume five portions of plain rice, one after the other.

But I am not happy with the way I eat. It's not nice to look at a slice of cake and immediately see warning signs flashing in front of me. Or getting so full on 'healthy' foods and never even tasting the indulgent stuff.

I haven't consumed chocolate for around two years - I've lost count, it's either two years next month or three years next month. It was a sort of test of willpower, to see if I could do it; I don't like chocolate that much so I wondered if I could cut out something which is really the bane of so many people's diets. I didn't find it hard at all, and now 2-3 years later the thought of having some chocolate somehow scares me. It's weird and I definitely don't understand it, and would probably need 2-3 years of psychoanalysis to get to the bottom of it.

But I do know that it's something to do with my issue with 'bad' foods and my lack of attention to portion sizes. Last Friday, seriously enjoying a wonderful slice of cake, I wondered about the results of turning to a more French way of eating. I know I'll never be able to completely resist unhealthy temptations, but if I'm eating smaller amounts the whole day round, there's nothing wrong with that.

So I have set myself a limit of one portion per meal, for seven days. So far, Monday and Tuesday have gone wonderfully. Yesterday, I enjoyed a small handful of toffee popcorn and looked far less green around the gills than my less portion-aware counterparts. Today I had two digestive biscuits and no guilt at all.

I don't think I'm quite ready for chocolate yet. But how gorgeous are these cupcakes from Cakeadoodledoo - cupcake heaven in Devon??

7 comments:

  1. That sounds like an EXCELLENT plan, lady. Do-able, healthy, and effective.

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  2. That's so true what you said about french people !
    I love the rose cupcake it looks so yummy and cute :)

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  3. Oh yes, the art of eating. It's one of my life goals to become an "intuitive eater" where I only eat when I'm hungry, eat only what I like and take the time to enjoy whatever I'm eating. It's hard to allow this to happen when you're surrounded by a diet culture, where food is either 'good' or 'bad'.

    Kudos to you for doing this! Good luck and let me know how it goes :)

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  4. I admire your will power, I eat healthily daily in work but if I'm eating out I don't hold back! I think you're right, its all about moderation. And I could NEVER resist a cupcake, that one looks particularly delightful!

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  5. Great post.Thanks for sharing it to us.;D
    Hope to see more from you..;D
    Good luck friend.

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  6. This is a great idea - it sound chic too to eat like the French! I'm gonna try it out with you, if you don't mind :)
    As for chocolate - take your time.

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