Hello everybody, just joined! I am a long time dieter, and binger. I am 25, 5'4" and not really sure what my weight is. This time last year I was 135, and I have to be at least 30 pounds heavier. What happened? Quit smoking. Now that I kicked the habit I've started running, because I'm able to. I've always been better at the diet part than the exercise part, but now it's reversed. I can't control my eating, and then I get depressed and eat more. So I decided to eat like a French chick.
http://magazines.ivillage.com/marieclaire/frenchdiet
I'm going to pick up French Women Don't Get Fat this evening, and I have a good start with recipes from this site. I have never done a "diet" before, as in followed a specific eating plan so I'm kind of excited. Especially since this one includes dairy! Rich cheeses! Full fat Yogurt! Real chocolate! Red wine! This, to me, sounds perfect. There are a couple pasta dishes on that site that sound to DIE for. And, because I'm me, I'm baking my own baguettes. I am hoping that this will reprogram how I feel about food...because you're supposed to be hungry! You must long for your next meal like your lover! You don't have to eat a massive bag of chips when you just had filet mignon for dinner! We shall see.
I visited a TOPS meeting on Monday, and I think I'm going to join next week. I have felt so bad about myself for so long - I just want to be pretty again.
Jodi

Hi and welcome. Yeah the "French diet" sound perfect for me too. I haven't read the book(s), but I've read enough articles and stuff to figure out the concept. It's been working for me- I've lost 17 lbs. I just don't call it a "diet". Far from it- I eat whatever the heck I want pretty much (only exception is that I do watch the saturated fat due to high cholesterol), but I be sure to measure the portions very carefully and anytime I make a not so healthy choice, I make up for it the rest of the day. For example, if I have a wheat muffin with peanut butter and fruit in the morning, but then have a chicken sandwich from Jack in the Box for lunch because I was out longer than planned, I will have more veggies for dinner and cut out the bread I may have had alongside the meal. It's all about balance. I don't snack all through the day, and I have discovered the joys of cooking with herbs (but not the joy in cleaning up the mess). I am pretty experimental in the kitchen, but I rarely if ever fry anything- I prefer to grill and roast.

Actually, I started out by keeping a food diary and writing down everything I ate and the calories in it and then started replacing the "not so good" things with better choices- which cut the calories significantly. What that has done is created some leeway to have higher calorie foods like eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce (BAD BAD BAD!!!) and know how to not let it lead to weight gain (Only have one egg instead of two and use a whole wheat muffin, add a little FF milk instead of using all butter in the sauce, and only use a tablespoon of the sauce- and be careful the rest of the day ).

Anyhow, welcome. Everyone here is supportive if long winded...

I have read the one featured on the front page of 3FC at the moment, The Fat Fallacy, also based on the French diet. I incorporate all sorts of things in my diet plan, low GI, a bit of French.....it works for me!!!

Good luck, and keep in touch with your progress.