HOW TO BE FULL NOT FAT.

Why I’ve given up all forms of food deprivation.

Life’s too short to eat ….well you know. Yucky stuff. I’m pretty sure you know what I mean. If you don’t you will. When you go to Paris.

Everywhere. Along every rue. On every corner. At every food market. You will encounter extreme deliciousness. Pile upon pile of artfully arranged freshness. Row upon row of absolutely delectable yummy stuff.

IT IS TRULY A SENSORY FEAST.

You will resolve. I need to taste all of this. I need to prepare for multiple pastry pleasures. I need to delete most of the iternary. Focus on the fommage. Check out the chocolates. And there is definitely something about the bread here.

But then something unexpected happens. You can’t choose. You go from window to window. Stall to stall. You feast with your eyes. Your nose. Your heart. You almost don’t need anything to eat. You feel so full.

When you do choose it is carefully. The selected treat is wrapped lovingly. Beautifully. You understand you are meant to take it home. There is to be no gobbling up on the street here. This deserves your full attention.

There are the daily food rituals. Because you have rented an apartment you start to queue. Early. With the locals. For your bread. You wait quietly. Ask for ‘un baguette traditionale’. Add ‘bien coute’. Bravely. And ‘un croissant au beurre d’amande’. ‘S’il vous plait’. Take the warm gems home. For your own petit dejeuner.

You start taking time at lunch. A long time. Allow the waiter to lay everything just so. You stop rushing. You enjoy all the ceremony. Oh why not. Let the meal take as long as it takes. Have a glass of wine. Look forward to a single chocolate square to finish.

You gain confidence at the food markets. You need to. Your domestic goddess is restless. Wants to be Julia Childs. You start with slow looking. You learn not to touch. To wait. To point decisively. Ask for exactly what it is you desire. Take advice if it is offered. Respectfully.

After a few days of eating here. After you have lingered over another long lunch you start to feel certain of one thing. You must eat like this more of the time. No. All of the time.

You realise you need to stop depriving yourself. To approach food from an attitude of abundance. Of fullness.

Then you take the pledge.

I will never go though dry July again.

Or restrict whole food groups.

I will not give up butter or salt or sugar or alcohol.

Not entirely. Not ever again.

And god damn it, I won’t feel guilty about any of it.

I will enjoy food. I will celebrate food.

At every meal. On every day.

I will be full. Not fat.

You have realised that you now know. Oh my goodness. This is it. The so called secret.

This is how the French eat and not get too fat. Not like us. Perpetually swinging between deprivation or gluttony. Fat or thin. Clean or dirty. Being good. Being bad.

They walk a middle path. Nothing too strenuous. So it’s doable. Every day.

Are you like me? Have you battled your weight. Have you been though cycles of dieting. Eaten certain ‘protocols’ for a while. Till it’s too hard. Too antisocial. Or just too boring to keep up with. Will you be starting another diet on Monday? Again.

How did we manage to get something so basic so messed up. Why is going shopping for food like a special mission. On a battlefield. Avoiding corn syrup here. Transfats in there. All the while you are on the look-out. For additives, preservatives and a growing list of cancer causing chemicals.

Well I’m fed up. I’m done. With the food industry. The diet industry. The health industry. In any form. And any other foodism that is the current flavour.

So please join me in walking out on all of it. Take the pledge with me.

Join me on the middle path. It’s one with fresh food. Not too much. Mostly food prepared at home. Simply. There are some treats. Because delicious is fun. And fun is good. Some wine. Most days. Not to zone out. For the pleasure of it.

C’est simple. Real food. Unaltered. As close as possible to the original form. So that’s a YES to full cream milk. They do things to make it low fat. Ditto for the cheese. That’s why butter is better as well. Anyway the fat fills us up.

Buy as little as possible in a tin or a box or a bag. There are things added in there to extend shelf life. Is the list of ingredients longer then one? That’s a big fat NO. And that makes most of the isles in the supermarket redundant.

I don’t know about you but when I cook I don’t add weird shit. Like potassium benzoate or propionic acid. So a bit of sugar or honey is OK by me. I don’t overdo it. It’s for special yummy days.

Best thing is you will feel good. Damn good. More gorgeous. Like the French.

Most of the time keep things simple. Natural. Nice. Satisfying. If you want you can be a bit naughty. No guilt required. As long as there’s no weird stuff going in anywhere.

So that’s the deal. Eat well to live well. To be happy. And full.

As for my weight. Well it’s pretty much stable these days. I’m not fat. I really am finally full.