Glam Diets – How to Stay Fit and Eat Great Food

Recently, someone sent me a book entitled French Women Don’t Get Fat, which of course I had page through immediately and with suspicion. Normally, I would have been offended at the arrival of such an unsolicited item, but there is such a thing as truth in titles. I could only smile.

Yes, I have put on a few pounds lately. Late night eating. It’s a killer if you do it all the time. And I have been keeping late hours & eating great food and enjoying the late winter glam before all the strappy shoes come out, along with the bad pedicures.

In New York, where the food and glam are more exciting that anywhere else in the world, late night eating is a requirement. Eating before 9PM is often just not possible –
either because work keeps you occupied or because there are no reservations to be had before 9:30 or 10. It is the price we all pay to live in this town. And late nights can lead to pot bellies, especially if you don’t have a personal trainer to yell at you and make you feel as fat as you really are. It is up to you, afterall.

But people in France eat late and have their wine and their
chocolate and somehow manage to maintain a slimmer line than we do.

Is it luck?It is a well-kept secret?

">No, it’s portion size. It’s food selection. And it’s about walking.

A few tips for those who do not want to give up to the good life:

1. Put on a pair of shoes that allow you to walk at least 10 blocks without having to break out the band-aids.

2. Choose a restaurant that is several blocks from a subway stop. Take the long way there. Make the most of those ten blocks – in each direction.

3. Once in the restaurant, drink a glass of water – first thing. Then have a glass of something you really want, like some hot new cocktail or the featured wine. Before ordering a second, drink another glass of water, or at least try to.

4. Do not wolf down your food .

5. Order at least one salad-like appetizer.Salads require chewing. You eat more slowly. Eating too quickly canlead to unpleasant gaseous reactions. So chew.

6. Do not order anything deep-fried. Deep-frying requires oils that are harder to digest and which are purely fat-and-sugar delivery devices. And there are so many more interesting ways to prepare good food.

7. Order items that contain a fair amount of vegetables. Aside from the vitamins and whatnot, vegetables contain less fat and in general calories. They also contain a lot of flavor.

Note: Remember, there are more vegetables than the potato. Look for other choices, like squash dishes, roasted root vegetables, grilled Mediterranean style offerings, and steamed varieties.

8. Do not turn up your nose at soup.One of the preferred evening meals in France. As a late night offering, it can be savory and filling without loading up on calories and fats. On a cool night, there is nothing more satisfying that a bowl of well prepared soup.

9. Desserts – choose fresh fruits or sorbets. Or share your dessert.

Do not go right to bed after gorging. Walk it off. Do sit-ups or crunches before bed.

10. Do not eat more calories than you expend.

The fact is that we must expend more calories than we take in if we wish to maintain a nice outline. That is a fact of the Human Body.

Control is everything. Start with the choices you make and the portions you eat.