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Old 07-09-2006, 09:49 PM   #1  
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Default The French Diet--Michel Montignac

Please post any experiences anyone has with this eating plan.

I am about to begin eating the 'French' way and feel pretty confident in its overall premise. I tried Atkins several times, but I think my problem with it is that I don't enjoy the foods that are allowed on it. I am a fruit, veggie, whole grain type of gal, and eating according to the Glycemic Index seems right up my alley. I pretty much eat like this anyway, but not to the letter as the French Diet prescribes. So, I'm ready to begin tomorrow and was interested in people's experiences with this.

Also, I think I can follow this because it doesn't seem like a 'diet' so much as a way of living. It is neither exclusive, nor restrictive. It just seems very well balanced.

Thanks in advance!

Hope
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Old 07-09-2006, 09:59 PM   #2  
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I've not read anything directly about the Montignac diet, but I've read that Somersizing is based on the Montignac diet, and I have been somersizing for about 11 months. It is very much about fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, proteins and low glycemic instead of low carb. Good Luck!
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Old 07-09-2006, 10:27 PM   #3  
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Hello Tammy! Is that what you followed to lose your 100 pounds? Congrats, BTW! Yeah, my plan is to follow the plan and to walk an hour a day; half hour in the morning and half hour in the evening.

How does that way of eating work for you? Do you feel satisfied and content with your food options?

Thanks for responding!
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Old 07-10-2006, 12:44 AM   #4  
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Yes that's what I've used. The first 50 lbs was strictly somersizing. Eat until you're full, no counting anything. It morphed into a calorie counting/somersizing along the way, mainly because I was curious how many calories I was eating.

I love eating this way! Very satisfied and very content with the food options. In the past I would have said that I was a big "sweets" and desserts eater, but after the first week, no more sugar/carb cravings (which seems like a minor miracle to me). This is the first "diet" where I don't feel deprived and I don't have diet-busting cravings. I feel like I'm eating better food that I ever have before. Good luck. It sounds like you have already made good plans.
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Old 07-17-2006, 05:24 PM   #5  
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Default My progress...

Well, today is my third day on the 'French Diet' and I am getting the hang of this. I will be posting weekly updates on my progress and my adjustments to this way of eating. Please, please feel free to respond, encourage, advise, correct or motivate!

So far, it has been fairly easy! My typical meals have been as follows:

BREAKFAST:

Fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, cherries)

Protein (low-fat cottage cheese)

Low GI Carb (2 slices of La Brea Whole Grain bread, toasted, topped with either Polaner All Fruit Spread or Crazy Richards all natural peanut butter, or BOTH)

LUNCH:

LARGE salad (romaine lettuce, black olives, feta cheese, fresh cracked pepper, Ken's Greek salad dressing)

Protein (salmon, blue fish, turkey)

Low GI Vegetable (Yellow squash sauteed in olive oil with pepper and very little salt)

Fresh fruit (cherries, strawberries, orange)

DINNER:

Whole wheat pasta, cooked al dente, with tomato sauce full of veggies

DESSERT:

Baked yam with cinnamon and nutmeg

OR

Small amount of dark chocolate with strawberries

If you notice, there are no SNACKS listed! As the author of this book said, when you eat low GI carbs, you don't feel the need to snack. How right he is! I find myself still full by the time my next meal is due to be eaten! I stay VERY satisfied on this eating plan. I am eating healthier things and have absolutely NO desire to mess up! Because I am able to get my fruit and whole grain bread, I don't need to cheat, unlike how I was on Atkins. I get everything that I LOVE to eat on this plan. I will weigh myself weekly, if that, to see the progress on the scale.

What I have learned thus far, after 3 days:

*Take my time and enjoy my meals
---I had to get used to the idea of not pigging out on 'allowed' foods, in an attempt to overcompensate for not being able to eat the 'forbidden' ones.

*Stop eating when I have a pleasant, full feeling
---Again, since I am able to eat what I like, there is no need to gorge myself on 'allowed' foods to the point of feeling like I am going to explode.

*Reduce my food portions
---I am finding that I need to reduce my portions by half what I am used to eating. Even though these foods are very healthy, it doesn't feel good to feel stuffed off of them. I feel way more energetic and satisfied when I eat just enough to fulfill my hunger. Anything beyond that feels gluttonous.

*Time to incorporate exercise...again
---Self explanatory! A half hour walk, twice a day should do just fine. But the 100 degree weather here doesn't help get me off my butt!

*I need to drink more water!
---Dehydration will hinder my results and overall health.

Last edited by olivia627; 07-17-2006 at 05:51 PM.
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Old 07-19-2006, 05:12 PM   #6  
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Hi Olivia, It looks like you're doing great. I'm curious about one thing. Does your plan require that you eat carbs seperate from protein? For example, on somersizing, you can have whole wheat pasta, but you wouldn't have it with a fat/protein, like a meat. You'd wait three hours between eating those foods That's one of the big things on somersizing and I've always wondered how important it is to actually not eat them together. Just curious how close these plans really are also. Thanks,
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Old 07-20-2006, 02:25 PM   #7  
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Hi Tammy! I was comparing them as well on line the other day. I think I understand Somersizing's concept of food combining, though this French Diet is slightly different. Basically, breakfast can be your choice of either a protein or carb breakfast.

If you choose a protein-fat breakfast, you can have protein (smoked salmon, eggs, skim milk, chicken/turkey breast, ham with the fat removed, bacon, cheese, etc.) and low GI carbs (berries, apples, veggies, oranges, etc.).

If you choose a carb-protein-no fat breakfast, you can have any low GI carb (whole grain toast, fruit, veggies, sugar free cereal, etc.) and low fat or nonfat protein (cottage cheese, skim or 1% milk, low fat yogurt, meat, etc.).

From what I understand so far, you should not combine higher GI carbs with foods that are high in fat, EVER! I didn't do that when I was Atkins either. If I cheated on Atkins, I steered clear of fatty 'allowed' foods. I assumed that while my body would be busy breaking down all of those carbs I just ate, any fat that I eat would just be sitting there, waiting to be stored. I don't know if this is the rationale behind not eating carbs and fat together, but this is how I made sense of it.

Midmorning snacks (if you need them) are low GI choices like fresh fruit, raw veggies, piece of hard cheese or plain yogurt.

Lunch is pretty much low carb. He suggests a 4 course meal with an appetizer (green salad with no sugar added to the dressing), an entree (lean protein), a side veggie (low GI choice), and dessert (low GI choice like fruit and dark chocolate). *You are allowed a sandwich on whole grain bread with lean protein choices, or pizza on low GI dough with low GI carb and low fat toppings (ie, veggies, and low fat cheeses).

Dinner is a choice, as was breakfast. Either protein-fat-very low GI carb or carb-protein-no or low fat options.

With the 1st option, it's open to appetizers with very low GI carbs (salad or soup), main courses with lean meat or fish and low GI veggies, and low GI dessert (fruit compote, fresh or cooked fruit, yogurt, etc.).

With the 2nd option, it's open to low to mid GI carbs without saturated fats (whole wheat or regular pasta cooked al dente, whole grain rice, low fat pasta sauce, soups made with beans and veggies, etc.) and the same type of dessert.

He does mention that fats that are eaten at dinner are more easily stored due to our decreased activity and sleeping phase.

Nutshell:

Breakfast is light, lunch is huge, dinner is light.

Protein + Fat - Carbs = Weight loss
Lean Protein + Carbs - Fat = Weight loss
Carbs + Saturated Fat = WEIGHT GAIN

Let me know if this makes sense to you! I tried to condense it all and give brief examples, but I don't think I succeeded! LOL
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Old 07-20-2006, 02:32 PM   #8  
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Can anyone recommend a vinaigrette with no sugar added that I can either buy or make? I love, love, love my Ken's Greek dressing, but it does have added sugar. So, it's off my menu as of today!
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Old 07-20-2006, 11:20 PM   #9  
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Thanks for the details. It is a bit different, but it sounds like it is similar in that it is very "do-able".

With somersizing, you eat fruit by itself, and you're supposed to eat it at either 20 minutes before a carb meal or 1 hour before a protein meal. This is more for digestion that for weight loss. But I admit that this is one of those rules that I break fairly often.

Most veggies are considered freebies and you can have them with either fats/proteins meal or a carb meal. I love my veggies - now more than ever since I have started eating them so often and I could never limit them as you have to do in low carb. There are a few veggies that you avoid in somersizing, like beets, corn, potatos, carrots.

Actually, you probably have more options with the french diet than with somersizing. For example, eating a low GI pizza dough with any fat in the cheese would be eating level 2 in somersizing, what you do when you're ready to maintain.

By comparison, a typical day for me (today) was

Breakfast:
FF yogurt
Fresh strawberries and blueberries
2 Tbsp. Grape Nuts added for crunch


Lunch:
Cabbage Rotel Hamburger casserole (leftovers from dinner)
green beans with mushrooms and bacon
Pumpkin custard (not really legal for somersizing but it sweetened with splenda and made with cottage cheese and pumpkin)

Snack:
1 oz. cheddar cheese

Dinner:
Roasted chicken breast
steamed broccoli cauliflower with lemon and butter
Green salad - I have a no sugar ranch dressing that I mix with taco sauce

Fresh strawberries with whipped cream sweetened with Splenda

Thanks for getting back with me. I appreciate the information. Good luck. It sounds like you're doing great.
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Old 07-21-2006, 01:37 AM   #10  
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Wow, that does sound pretty similar. I could eat that exact menu on this plan. I remember reading in the book that he suggests fruit for breakfast, followed by cottage cheese or whole grain bread with no sugar added fruit spread. So, there must be something to eating the fruit first, on an empty stomach and by itself.

The only other thing is that he strongly suggests avoiding butter. I do okay with this because I'll either saute or oven roast my veggies in olive oil, instead of butter, or I'll steam them and use a little I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spray. There's no saturated fat in it, so I assume it's safe!

Anyways, I don't see much movement in the scale, but again, I'm still learning to reduce my portions and to stop when I'm full. I find myself still overeating. Also, I just gave up my Ken's dressing that has some sugar in it. We'll see. Even if the scale doesn't move super fast, I am willing to give myself time to get used to this way of eating. It's certainly a healthy way to go!
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Old 07-31-2006, 01:55 PM   #11  
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Hi there!

I was reading this thread and I'm intriged. I'm following Atkins right now and have lost 15 pounds so far but I'm really missing fruit, bread,yogurt and
cearal. Yesterday I gave in to my sweet cravings and had some haagen-daz!

I honestly don't see how I can stick with this for must longer. I was going to
go back to Weight Watchers because I did lose the most weight on that plan but I feel better eating low sugar and low carb. My mind is calmer and for the
most part I'm not craving. Except for yesterday.

So, if these plans are similar then I should just check either out the library
and read them over.

I am so tired of my weight being an issue. I don't want to be thinking about
food all the time! I just want to eat healthy and lose weight too. And even
though I've lose 15 pounds I really don't think having eggs every day for
breakfast is healthy.
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Old 07-31-2006, 10:14 PM   #12  
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Catcookie, All I can say is that it works for me. I've been on it for 11 months, so I've tweaked it some to make it something I love and can live with the rest of my life. I also decided to start counting calories about 6 months ago. I agree with a lot of Atkins principles. I know I ate far too much sugar and refined flour. I don't think fats are bad for us. I eat fruit and yogurt every day. Usually several servings of fruit. Veggies are unlimited. Those two things go a long way towards keeping me from being hungry.

I know lots of people have success on WW, but I've tried it twice in the past, and I stayed hungry a lot. Maybe I wasn't working the program like I should have, it's been too long ago to remember, but the hunger led to cravings which led to cheating, etc.... I also remember still eating a lot of weight watchers deserts, things that I now know were full of sugar, and probably led to more cravings.

I know our libraries have the Suzanne Somers cookbooks, which describe the plan. One of the best ones, IMHO, is Eat, Cheat and Melt the Fat.

I hear you on being tired of weight being an issue. It all gets so tiring sometimes. And I love eggs, but I don't want them more than once or twice a week.
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Old 09-05-2007, 11:59 AM   #13  
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Default Anyone still following this plan?

I just really started focusing on the French Diet by Michel Montignac. I had previously read Mirielle Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat which was very enjoyable but somehow didn't seem to give much to go on in the way of structure.

I started reading Montignac's book and was thrilled to realize that he advocate an eating plan similar to The Zone/40-30-30 type plans. So I decided to give it a try.

I'm wondering if folks have any links to recipes or other sites that support this eating plan?
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