[.ca] The Fat Fallacy: The French Diet Secrets to Permanent ... (ISBN 1400049199)

Yes, there are Fat Europeans, too...:
...and the French Chef Julia Child was no Vogue model. However, I like the concepts in this book, and I'm going to try them. I have been doing Atkins since the summer of 2003, my "summer of 42". I've lost 30 pounds. But, I missed my summer fruits, and I hate going to the store and seeing nothing but carbs I can't have! I've never been a bread eater. But occasionally, I do like to make my whole wheat biscuits for myself and my friends, and I like the idea that I can now eat them without guilt or having to figure out how many carbs they are! I hear what Mr. Clower is saying about the fake foods. However, as an Atkins follower, I've gotten so used to Splenda, I don't see myself weaning myself off of it anytime soon. I like to use it not only in my coffee, but in my lemonade and my, oops, unsweetened cherry Kool-Aid! I really needed to get my blood sugar down, and the Splenda has really helped me out in that regard. I'm keeping it for now. I really do want to try what Mr. Clower suggests in the book. A lot of it appeals to me: I'm a fish eater, despite the fact that they say there are too many PCBs in it to be safe to eat every day, I want to eat my fish EVERY DAY. I'm time-challenged, and fresh fish is the fastest thing you can cook, especially for breakfast. I also love chicken. I've been using skinless chicken thighs exclusively for years. I've gotten to where I hate chicken skin now, so I won't be going back to unskinned. I absolutely hate beef, and I'm sorry if it hurts the economy if I don't eat steak and bread, but it's not for me at all. So, the FF diet is right up my alley philosophically-speaking. I learned through Dr. Andrew Weil the health benefits of olive oil, and it has been years since I've had a hydrogenated oil product in my kitchen. I fry with extra virgin, I happen to like the taste it gives to even my biscuits. It's not the worst thing you can put in your food! Where I'm going to have problems is the dairy products. I'm African-American, and lactose-intolerant (I've read where for some reason this goes hand-in-hand), which wasn't a problem because Atkins tells you to pretty much stay away from them. However, it's 100 degrees here in Oklahoma, and I like the occasional ice cream, just enough to not send me to the bathroom in pain. I agree 100% with Mr. Clowers endorsement of Breyer's Ice Cream, but you have to be careful, because for some unfathomable reason Breyers has started putting unnatural ingredients in some of their ice cream brands. Stick with the Breyers' Ice Cream in the BLACK BOXES, and you'll be safe. Dr. Weil advises against margarine, too. I've used nothing but butter for years. I hate that you can't even find simple butter cookies in the stores anymore. And I love the idea of a bite of dark chocolate for dessert. And eating it the way my best friend taught me: get a Hershey Special Dark with Almond nugget and just slowly suck the chocolate away until you get to the nut...then crunch! Now THAT takes patience! Eating in courses is tres impractical for me, a single person! But I can certainly learn to put the fork down and chew and take my time to eat. I wish they'd give me time to do that for lunch, though, at work! Losing the grazing habit will be hard. Atkins encourages snacking somewhat, as long as you fall within a prescribed limit of carbs per day. I'm going to have to reeducate my body to a new way of thinking about food. Oddly enough, water isn't discussed at all in the book...it is critical in the Atkins/South Beach diet because of the ketone buildup, but I drink three 24 oz. sportspack of room-temperature spring water per day. However, I LOOOOVE coffee, and love to finish my day off with a nice, STRONG cup of it that I've pressed with my small French press which makes just enough for one cup. In short, I think I'll like this approach because it correlates with a lifestyle I'd been leading anyway yet had been failing to lose weight at. I'd like to combine what's in this book with the New American Plate concept the cancer organizations are touting these days: one part protein, two parts vegetable product, kind of like "the Zone", even for breakfast. I've always hated low fat products, it seems obscenely unnatural, and you know what, my grandmother lived to be 92, butchered her own hogs and chickens, milked her own cow, grew her own vegetables, baked her own bread, and was thin as a rail. How do you argue with that? The older generation knew how to eat healthy, it is we youngsters who have strayed, and who are paying now with all these cancers and weight problems.

Will Clower's The Fat Fallacy:
As much as the author seems to repeat the same message again and again through the first 80% of the book, I still think the message is a powerful one. It is definitely a wonder why Americans wouldn't look to other countries that have no problem with obesity for answers. This book finally got through to me. It's amazing how easy it is to be content and not need a lot of food when you're surrounding yourself in luxury. It would be hard to read this book and not feel a tad silly about American constructs of weight and how to control it. The book reminded me of when my mom pulled me aside for the hundreth time and told me not to run with scissors. Finally, it sunk in. I'm a hard-core candy and sweet-lover, yet there's something mysterious about how I've lost interest in it. It's almost like reinventing yourself and the way you view food. And I believe that's the author's entire point. Very good book in its ability to motivate and get through to you...

Common Sense Has Prevailed:
If you hate "diets" and love real food, this book is for you. How many times have we tried to be "good" and omit the fatty dressing from our salads, only to end up wolfing down a cheeseburger later on? I have! Will Clower wants you to forget about carbs and fats, and look at food as a wholesome entity. Butter , cream , and cheese should not be seen as "fats", but as real foods that give flavor and variety to the meal. This is not a diet, so it is not designed like a typical fad diet book. I don't even think he defines a portion size in the book. Basically, you eat real foods-i.e if it grows from the ground or on a tree, or if it is pastured or farm raised, or comes from the sea, you can eat it! In other words, reject the fake foods that are manufactured in a lab, and put in boxes. Seasonal , fresh, quality foods. Forget the LOW FAT processed crap. EAT REAL FOODS with REAL FAT...at least you KNOW what's in there. Secondly, you must eat with a new attitude or approach to the meal. SLOW DOWN, chew, eat with family and friends. ENJOY YOUR MEAL! Awareness is the key. I suspect that this is not a flash diet that will cause you to drop 20 lbs in 30 days. You can lose some weight, but it will be more gradual, more natural. Some people have lost LOTS of fat, eating this way, and are at a very healthy weight. It's amazing when you read that you can actually enjoy eggs, butter, cream, whoole milk, bread, wine, pasta, and chocolate along with creamy dressings for vegetables. It's so common sense, and practical. The key to enjoying this stuff is to eat smaller portions. Obviously that is the "catch", b/c you cannot expect to be slim on 1 cup of cream! It may be an adjustment at first to go from super-size N. American portions, to French sized smaller portions. But ironically, that FAT in real food acts like a self limiting agent, causing you to be satisifed with LESS! Ever eaten a TUB of ICE CREAM only to feel SICK? But savour a small tea cup portion of the same ice cream, and it's wonderful, and you feel good. I have noticed how much energy I have, and how good I feel when I reduced my intake of certain foods. I would throw out half the bag of cashews, and drink only a quarter of my soda, and this was ENOUGH! I felt satisfied. So again, this lifestyle is going to be a tough adjustment for people who like to gorge on 4 slices of pizza, and guzzle down a whole bottle of soda. Instead you will have to cut out the soda for sparkling water or wine, or iced tea perhaps, and eat one slice slowly, as part of a multi course meal. It's not about starving ourselves with tiny portions, it's about delighting in quality with moderation. By focusing on the QUALITY of food, you also get lots of fruits and veggies by eating this way. I highly recommend this book.

C'est simple!:
I have discussed the principles in this book with my French friends for years. They, the French, are horrified and fascinated with the American weight-loss industry, at the same time that they are horrified and fascinated by the American food industry. The French do not believe in regimens, or cutting things completely out of one's diet. The French eat fresh, real, natural food -- none of the preserved and processed foods that occupy the most space in any American grocery store. They eat sensible portions. They do not snack nearly as often as Americans. They generally walk more than we do. They enjoy and prize their meals, taking time to enjoy them. They love food, high-quality food. Also, the French are generally not fat. They also don't generally have the bodies of magazine models, so don't expect dramatically quick changes, or that you will develop the "perfect" body. But if you'd like to become more familiar with a wholistic and healthy approach to eating, this book will teach you simple principles central to France's culture of eating.

Life changing!!!!!:
I rarely feel strongly enough about a book to take the time to write an online review, but in this case I HAVE to share my thoughts. If I could encourage everyone in the country to read this book, I would! I have always loved food and loved cooking. However, I have always felt guilty about enjoying my food because I seem to want to gorge on it. Then I'm off into the want to eat/feel guilty about eating cycle! I am also an emotional eater, and nighttime snacking is my downfall. Over the past 2 1/2 years I have lost about 75lbs, mainly by just eating healthier and exercising. I cut out most processed and fast foods, sodas, sweets etc. and sought to eat more healthy foods. As my weight loss slowed over the past year or so I have gone through the counting calories phase (far too time consuming and tiring to do for long)and the counting protein/fat/carb grams phase (again, too time consuming). The one good thing that came out of these phases was learning to control portion sizes. A week or so ago I read the article in Woman's World magazine that mentioned this book "Fat Fallacy". The themes of eating whole, real foods struck a chord in me, and so I went out and bought it. In the week that I have been following the principles it suggests, my life has been transformed. I don't know that I can even express with words how much! For the first time in my life (and I'm 41), I feel free from the bondage to food. Instead, I feel freedom to really enjoy food and not feel guilty about it! I have not felt the urge to mindlessly stuff myself at night since I began. The concept that has most revolutionized my life from this book is slowing down while you eat. You'd think this would be a basic concept, but not here in the U.S. I was one who would eat in front of the TV constantly, stuffing my face long after I was full. Or at work I ate lunch at my desk, not even realizing what was going into my mouth! I now either eat at my kitchen table (no TV!)at home,or at work I go outside to eat at lunchtime. No more eating at my desk. I eat small bites, put my fork down between bites, and am really learning to taste my food. I'll have a book at the table to read, but I don't read while I'm eating. I'll have a few bites, put down my fork, read a page or two, put down the book, eat a few more bites, etc. This way when my stomach signals my brain that I'm full, I haven't eaten way past the full point to the stuffed point. I've gotten rid of all those supposedly "healthy" foods from my refrigerator and cupboards. No more protein powders, energy bars, low-fat anything's! I now eat whole foods, or at least make sure I recognize everything on the ingredient list if I eat something packaged (and those things are pretty hard to find!). Dr. Clower puts the "How to Eat" chapter before the "What to Eat" chapter for a reason. If you are eating slowly, you will need smaller amounts to fill you up. Then the fact that you can eat butter, olive oil, cheese, bread and chocolate is a wonderful fact, but not an excuse to eat in excess. Just an end note ... I noticed in a couple of the negative reviews that the writers seem to think Dr. Clower is encouraging eating huge amounts of high fat foods (one mentions her sister eats 5-6 slices of bacon each morning). If you read this book and take away that idea, you've only picked out what you wanted to see instead of what is actually there. When it comes to protein Dr. Clower recommends this hierachy ... mostly fish, then chicken, then lean pork, and maybe once a week red meat. I'm not sure how you could get the idea that it's OK to eat bacon every morning from this. I guess it just goes to show you that it's easy for us to pick and choose only what we want to take away from books ... people having been doing that from the Bible for centuries! For the person who didn't like the recipes ... this isn't really a cookbook. There are plenty of wonderful cookbooks out there. I know because I love to read cookbooks :-) Dr. Clower is showing you some basic ideas of how to put whole food meals together. My recommendation ... invest the $12.95 and read this book!