Why are the French so thin?

There's no secret. They undereat and they smoke.

It's all the hot French sex they have. Also, the occasional riot. Keeps one fit!

Cigarettes and Bordeaux.

Being thin is not the same thing as being healthy. A lot of thin people have health problems.

Having spent time in France, I can speak to this, OP.

They don't smoke as much as you think they do. It's the food and the environment that define the French lifestyle. The food is fresh and unprocessed. French people go to the grocery and patisserie at least 3x a week. They also walk everywhere - public transportation is easily accessible. They will often bike across town. Cars are reserved for longer trips. They work a 33 hour week, by law, so they have plenty of free time and less stress. Working parents have state sponsored child care. Healthcare is almost free and focuses on wellness. They get a month's vacation time. Their cortisol levels are much lower than ours. High cortisol and a mostly sedentary life with processed food will turn you into a fattie in no time.

R5. Well said. I would add that they tend to eat small portions yet more often throughout the day. Rarely do they have a “huge meal”. Men and women. It’s just not something they do.

Supermarkets are more for household items etc. Not really much processed foods like you see in American supermarkets. They tend to buy meat and produce every few days at a fresh market.

They don't eat like pigs and their portions are normal-sized, unlike Americans.

The often fatten up as they get older. Even some of their top stars.

They eat whole food in moderate amounts. They have resisted American fast food. Simple.

Sorry previous posters, Frenchies are becoming fatties just like the rest of us.

More about French fatties...

Ever since the first Starbucks opened in Paris in 2004 - the French waistline has been doomed :) #Globalism #LiquidCalories

Btw, this was apparently the humongous queue for Starbucks' syrupy drinks in Strasbourg when it first opened there in 2016.

The Metro article made me chuckle:

[quote] "the city’s residents totally lost their chill. Seriously. They were queuing all across the town square just to get some of that sweet, syrupy coffee. Aren’t French people meant to be cool? Aren’t they meant to go to edgy coffee shops where they can smoke and wear stripes? We expected better of you, French people. But it turns out you’re just as basic as the rest of us. More basic, perhaps, given that these people were queuing for HOURS. You already have great coffee, people of France. You don't need to resort to this MADNESS."

Portion size. I love French cuisine, it’s delicious and just the right amount.

I read a book by an American woman who married a French guy and moved to Paris, and who studied all the thin French women around her. She said it's all portion control and real food. Eat three meals a day, of fresh natural unprocessed food in reasonable portions, and do NOT have second helpings, and do NOT eat between meals. Have dessert, but only a small portion.

Which sounds like a good plan for maintaining a steady weight through the life span, but not for losing weight that's already been gained. But that's what fashionable Parisian women do, maintain the same weight instead of yo-yo dieting.

Even La Deneuve has put on weight, but I still love her.

Most Western Europeans are this way.

The fat slobs you see there are invariably Americans or Eastern Europeans.

They don't drink very much and they eat (non-fake food) in smaller amounts. Also, they smoke.

Well, the Celtic French are quite big. You can tell them apart from their more streamlined compatriots. The ones who look like rugby players with roundish heads and big ears. Not all French are lithe and fashionable, not even all Parisians. Spend time in Brittany, the Dordogne, the north and parts around Marseille and you’ll see how facile this observation is. Smoking is much less common as a lifestyle than we think—it’s part of socializing, not generally something people become addicted to. Offer a cigarette to a French person—Italians too—and they might very well join you even if the don’t normally smoke. I hate the fat American cliché as much as the skinny European trope.

Sorry you hate the truth R19.

Now off to Costco for you.

What a wickedly clever response! R19 is right. But Americans, fat or thin, have a very different relationship to food than many other cultures. I know plenty of fit and thin Americans who talk of nothing but food and it’s dangerous (fattening) qualities as well as fat Americans who don’t obsessively think about food. The problem is less about food than it is about nutrition.

they all have cancer

Their main meal is at lunch. Unlike Americans, who eat huge meals in the evening and then go to bed.

Most of you are taking Parisians as representative of French people. If you only looked at Los Angeles, you'd be saying the same things you do about "The French". The French countryside has plenty of fatties and they do not all run to the market three times a week because they don't live in a large city.

There’s a great French pastry and bread place in Palm Springs called Pennisula. The nice French woman there told me croissants in France are Sunday only..plain rolls other days with jam no butter. Her chocolate cake is so good and not very sweet which is very European in general. I do think the portion sizes in America are bigger too and yes walking is a way to keep slim.

What do disabled people in Paris do for exercise? Or anywhere else? Walking is good exercise, but what about people who can't do much, or any walking?

They eat more veggies and whole grains than meat. When having a fatty dish, it is extremely small portions. The French really do not like rich, fattening dishes too much. The eat a lot of lettuces and fresh herbs dressed with a light vinaigrette, as their main bistro side.

This notion that French people take a stroll to the local corner shops every single day for fresh food is completely outdated, you guys. Most French people shop at large supermarkets just like Americans at this point. But, there is a trend moving back to the farmer's market and local shops, just like in other Western countries. Less French people smoke than ever, just like other Westernized countries. More French people eat fast food today, just like other Westernized countries.

And what R19 said is true. There are a lot of different French people and body types in France. This very American romantic assumption that all French people - especially women - are lithe and chic, with a scarf ties jauntily around their shoulders - is just not true. Sure it still exists. But it is far from the norm. Jesus. Get out more.

There are plenty of fat people in France - its just as obese as any other country. Never used to be that way.

Yes they eat smaller portions but what they eat is much more filling. They eat fat. Butter on their bread and in dishes, cream or whole milk in coffee, olive oils and tapenades. Hams and meats. I think the key is that they are staying full with fats. This is what I witness and eat (myself) when I regularly summer there. It always astounds me that I’m pouring cream in my coffee and putting butter on things and I never gain a pound at the end of the holiday. They also take time to relax and destress and they walk and bike a lot.

We eat less. That's the only difference.

Very little snacking between meals, allowing yourself to become hungry before eating again

Reasonable portions, not Buca di Beppo punch bowls filled with pasta. Still filling - they love individual pizzas, for example

Sit down for meals - no eating while walking, at the desk, in the car

Consistent mealtimes

More frequent grocery shopping and always including produce and other ingredients vs prepared foods. There are a ton of small stores that make it easy to pick up a few fresh vegetables for dinner. I live in a student area and have often seen male college roommates shopping together and buying leeks at the supermarket, for example.

That said, in the past 10 years they have been getting fatter. Burgers, kebabs, fast food, home delivery. I think even the availability of electric scooters will take a toll on walking and biking.

Drink water (often bottled, flat or sparkling)

Very petite older sister visited France. Typical French lunch was salad with a light vinagrette dressing, lentil - vegetable soup, a small croissant and a tiny pat of butter. Most Americans don't eat nearly as many high fiber, high protein, legumes, beans and cooked vegetables as compared to the French.

Also French like Asians prefer desserts that are far, far less sweet but much more flavorful than typical in America. Portions are very small too.

It's so we can more easily steal Anglo women, OP!

because we can't afford food

Why do French guys have hefty cocks, automatic social politeness combined with sexy intellectual disdain?

[quote]They eat more veggies and whole grains than meat. When having a fatty dish, it is extremely small portions. The French really do not like rich, fattening dishes too much. The eat a lot of lettuces and fresh herbs dressed with a light vinaigrette, as their main bistro side.

That is so off base, you are clueless about their diet. You sound like an American who learned nutritional tips from the 1980's. The French eat a lot of fats like butter and whole milk and cheese just for starters. Where do you think Foie gras comes from? They just dont eat massive volumes of like like Americans or fake shit like Almond Milk.

They drink daily but rarely binge. They can make a glass of wine or a beer last all night. They're also crazy about the great appetite suppressor caffeine. Also be that they've experienced bouts of near famine over the centuries has taught them rigidly maintained eating habits (as opposed to the States where it's all about consumption and more more more). That, along with genetics (a fairly homogeneous bunch who stick/breed together) , and mostly healthy obsession with body image, makes them skinny minnies.

This is particularly true of people in the bigger cities and/those who are upper class. If you go in the countryside, particularly the north, you'll find some a lot more chubsy-wubsies.

They smoke, walk, and have affairs.

Take a look at this video taken by a French woman of a French supermarket (not in Paris). They do exist and this is more often how most people shop these days.

r34, And those two are together to this day!

R37, Pardon me? I never said French avoid full-fat dairy products including cheese or meat. Did you read the accompanying article to the previous linked one re the lunch menu for French schoolchildren? Proves my point.

I'll bet that meat in France doesn't contain the growth hormones prevalent in the US and that roundup and GMO foods aren't the norm.

There are dat people in France

^^ fat people ^^

They aren't. Half of the French population is overweight. Asians are also getting bigger. The whole world is becoming obese... it's not just for Americans anymore.

You mean, "Why are the French so normal-sized?"

R5 BTW, food is expensive as hell in France, even in the supermarkets. French people just cannot eat huge amounts of food like Americans do without breaking the bank.

R6 Eating small but multiple meals throughout the day is NOT good. One of the worst myths of the food industry.

Look up pictures of any gilet jaunes demonstration anywhere in the country and you'll see the same kind of portly/dumpy/chubby/frumpy middle-aged men and women as anywhere in Germany, Austria, Belgium, or the Netherlands

They smoke like chimney and they talk like having a verbal diarrhea, and that uses a lot of energy.

Obesity rates world wide.

Interesting list. Singapore and S. Korea are impressive.

List at r51 shows the French are quite fat, actually. Italians and Portuguese are much thinner and I see plenty of rotund people in both countries. Also, I lived in Paris for a year and noticed from TV commercials that there are many French versions of Weight Watchers and they're in big demand.

Plus the smoking is not a stereotype. They really do smoke a lot!

Don't they eat a lot of French 🍟 Fries ?

[quote]Frenchies are becoming fatties just like the rest of us.

La Catherine told us we should choose our face over our bottom. So we did.

French fries are called Belgian fries in France R55.

^ McDonald's is very popular.

French Bread

French Toast

French Silk Pie

French Onion Soup Topped with Toasted French Bread and Cheese

French Pastries and Baguettes

French Style Hot Chocolate

French fries are just called fries.

Yes, and their obsession with smoking had burned down the Notre Dame. Deplorable.

Lol i've read so much clichés, false infos and also jealous persons. Especially R19. French people have a much more carnal food relationship than anywhere else. It must be explained that it is the country of gastronomy. The French like to cook. This is not the case everywhere. The country is rich in extraordinary dishes. It's cultural. Sorry but hamburgers aren't French culture it's American. There is almost no obesity compared to the US or now the UK contrary to what I have read above, and when it is found it's among the youngest americanized with US fast food and also Kebabs. Neither are french food. We also see more fat people among Arabs people who eat a thousand times more oily than native French. The majority of French people in the whole country, including Brittany and Dordogne, are not obese like in America unlike what R19 said! There are big persons but not too much obese. But the government intends to react about that because obesity causes cardiovascular problems . The 35h have practically disappeared. The French like to eat healthy and it is important for them that the food is traceable with the least pesticides and especially GMO possible. They walk much more than the Americans.

[quote]List at [R51] shows the French are quite fat...

If from that link you somehow infer that the French are "quite fat" then how do you rank Americans?

[quote]I'll bet that meat in France doesn't contain the growth hormones prevalent in the US and that roundup and GMO foods aren't the norm.

Oh, so you're a scientifically illiterate, too.

Parisian women and other French women in large cities are thinner compared to those in the suburbs and countryside. But as the statistics say, about 50% of French people are now overweight, with 24% of them clinically obese (that's almost 1 in 4!). I don't know where people get the idea that the French are "thin". Compared to the U.S. and the U.K. yes they're thin, but compared to the Singaporeans, S. Koreans, Japanese, and Taiwanese, the French are fat. About 11% of Singaporeans are overweight. Japan's obesity rate is the lowest in the world, at 3.2%, and that's even at Japan's own definition of obesity as having BMI over 25%. The rest of the world defines obesity as BMI over 30%.

Also this false notion that there's some magical qualities about French food and lifestyle that's causing them to be less obese than Americans, it's just plain stupid and based upon romanticized versions of French lifestyle. You want to know why certain metropolitan French women are thin? They restrict food intake, just like why Japanese women are thin. I've spent time in both countries and that is the truth. My brother was married to a French woman (now divorced) and the French family was upper-middle class and typical of people of that class living in Paris. The mom and her friends of similar age all were definitely not thin, think Catherine Deneuve now and you get the picture. The younger to middle-aged women are skinny-fat, in that yes they look skinny but the typical French aversion to exercise/ gyms meant that the women are skinny-fat they lacked muscle tone even if they look thin. Younger to middle-age women also smoke and restrict food intake, both are/ were quite the norm from what I saw and heard. Because of the smoking, their skin tend to age not so well in their late 30s onwards. My brother recently looked up what his ex-wife and her sisters and friends look like now (they're in their mid 40s now), and almost all of them have not aged well from the dieting and smoking, and half of them were overweight.

In Japan as compared to France, there's even more of an emphasis on eating food that's whole and local, with fresh ingredients being the standard. Portion size is even smaller than in France, and yes women there go on diets regularly when they gain even a kilogram, they don't let themselves go the way that Americans do. I think it's also weight is more of a pride over being in good health in Japanese culture as opposed to just looking thin. That basis will get more people to stay at healthy weight rather than emphasis on looks the way it is in the U.S. Japanese education system also requires curriculum on nutrition.

Contempt burns a ton of calories.

R64 It's ridiculous to compare any Western country to Japan.

The FACT is the French are among the thinnest in Europe and far and away slimmer than Americans.

[quote]Oh, so you're a scientifically illiterate, too.

One thing for sure, the Europeans are smarter than you:

"The animal drug ractopamine, which is administered to animals on U.S. farms to fatten cattle, turkeys, and pigs before slaughter, is banned in Europe along with bovine growth hormone, which the U.S. dairy industry uses to increase milk production in animals."

Perhaps a more valid measure is overall health.

R66 Ractopamine isn't the sole contributing source of obesity, so to cite that as an example of why people in the U.S. are fat is rather irrelevant to the greater question of why Americans are so fat. Also, if you're talking about bovine growth hormone, guess what, the meat and milk that we consume also contain endogenous hormones that are bioidentical to human hormones. Hormones such as IGF-1, estrogen, progesterone, etc... are in the flesh and milk of animals we consume. This is why it's disingenuous to single out ractopamine, which is a horrible drug I concur, as being why Americans are fat.

Also, why is it ridiculous to compare any Western country to Japan? Japan has a very international food culture but they also have a healthy attitude towards food because they link it with health. Their food culture is highly influenced by American food culture since we took over as administrators during the post-war years. Milk and bread were introduced into the school lunches during that time, but the Japanese even as they embrace Western foods since the late 1940s-1950s, they never ballooned up the way that we have. So yes, it's good to compare and contrast what they've done right and what we can learn from them. Interestingly enough, the younger generations of Okinawans are now eating Western diets and they're now the fattest Japanese instead of the longest-living population on earth. To go from longest-living to the fattest is scary, the generation of Okinawans who grew up on American foods are now in their 50-60s. About 40% of Okinawans over age 40 are overweight or obese. So obviously it's not genetics that were keeping the Japanese and Okinawans thin, it's the food culture and lifestyle.

R66, you are scientifically illiterate. I don't think drugs should be used in the amounts they are in our animals but it's because of what it does to the animals. Those drugs are not making people fat. I'm against some GMOs but not because "Oh no, there's a fish gene in my corn!" but because once we modify the the genes in heritable ways, we can't control what is going to happen once we put that in the world. Cross-pollination could be an issue but right now monocultures are also a problem. Maybe the genetic mutations we introduce will save a species that we've already taken to the brink of extinction.

On top of everything else, do you understand that we've been genetically modifying species since the beginning of time? It used to be by selection for a certain trait and would take a long time. We've just sped up the process. Do you have a dog? There's a reason he's not eating you right now like his wolf brethren would be. We genetically modified the wolves and turned them into dogs. Your pet is a GMO.

[quote] you are scientifically illiterate. I don't think drugs should be used in the amounts they are in our animals but it's because of what it does to the animals.

Wrong again..

"Growth promoting hormones pose health risk to consumers, confirms EU Scientific Committee"

I don't think it has nearly as much to do with their diet as it does just walking. I lived in Europe for a year and when you depend on pubic transportation, you can end up doing a fair amount of walking. I never had to worry about how much or what I ate or drank, and I lost weight over the year.

They eat stuff I would never touch, like chicory

R70 IGF-1 is a hormone that's abundant in animal protein, it's in the flesh and milk and eggs that we ingest. Don't think it's not as bad. just because it's naturally-occurring instead of injected as part of livestock drug.

Yes, we're going to listen to R73

I am thin and gorgeous

R75

Bravo Brigitte!!

you have the most beautiful legs in Paris, according to Karl Lagerfeld.

R75 BM looks like a Granny porn star on 60plusmilfs

R74, you do realize there are economic reasons for the EU to do that, right? What R73 is pointing out is the actual science and reality, something that reactionary loons don't take into account. Like I said, you are scientifically illiterate. No one with any idea how science works would post a press release without study links to support their claim. Now, just go play with your genetically modified dog and, whatever you do, don't eat any plants, those things are full of phytoestrogens!

[quote] you do realize there are economic reasons for the EU to do that, right?

And Japan?

And Canada?

And Australia?

The reason the hormones are banned is because THEIR testing gives results that are concerning. But the conspiracy nut at R78 can't see that

What the world doesn't need is lessons from Americans about healthy eating.

"The European Union has banned the use of hormones in beef cattle and has conducted a study that showed that hormone residues remain in the meat. Because of health concerns for both people and animals, Japan, Canada, Australia, and the European Union have all banned the use of rBGH, but the hormone is still given to cows in the US. "

Americans are just greedy, lazy slobs. At least middle America.

They want more of everything.

They don’t want to make any of it.

Enter McDonalds, Dominos, Olive Garden, Stouffers, Tyson’s, UberEats, etc. etc.

Really this isn’t rocket science.

Urban sophisticates are actually on to eating properly. Outside of the big cities, Americans actually eat like people in the third world. More food for cheaper and faster = better.

Instant obesity explained.

Just gorged on a delicious bowl of onion soup without the bread and cheese. Boy am I stuffed!

Parisian here. I hate to break it y'all but the French LOVE McDonalds, BK, Pizza Hut, Dominos and, especially, KFC. The only US based franchise/chain they seem to avoid is Subway (easier to find sandwiches here than quick burgers, chicken and pizza). Bon appetit !

R82

OUi on aime tout ça, mais pas tout le temps.

Sinon on finit gros comme... Gérard!!

It's only a matter of time until we have a thread titled: " How And When Did The French Get So Fat? "

😥 Why doesn't DataLounge ask why the Orphans of Darfur are so thin?

R5, having spent a long period of time in various parts of France I second this observation.

Because we already know why, Darfur Orphan.

Fresh, unprocessed food that's not full of hormones and chemicals and all other kinds of shit is a huge reason why. Americans used to be like that until relatively recently. Look at photos of Americans for most of the 20th century. Not many fatties. Look at crowd shots of Americans from the 70s and 80s and most of them were thin.

I'm old enough to remember when obese people were a rare sight, you REALLY noticed it. Now, it doesn't even register.

I really don't think minute quantities of additives in the food supply (which I agree is NOT good) is the reason for obesity. It's about people eating WAY too much, day in and day out. And some of that has to do with the convenient, immediate availability of highly calorie-dense food any time of day or night. People gorge themselves either just because they want to or because it comforts them and makes them feel better in this crazy world we live in. Just stop eating so much and be more balanced about things.

R89 US meals are notorious for their size. Most foreigners are shocked when the see the serving sizes in the US for the first time, especially because these huge sizes are unproportionally cheap.

[quote]I really don't think minute quantities of additives in the food supply (which I agree is NOT good) is the reason for obesity.

But it's in practically everything, so people are eating it every day. And many Americans live on processed foods, which are full of shit.

For pete's sake, hybridization is not the same as genetic modification. At all.

R91 the main problem is that they're eating TOO MUCH. It's not that complicated. And yes, the bullshit additives should be removed.

R82, Does food from American franchises taste exactly the same as it does in the US? Made from similar ingredients including HFC?

OP, cake has a lot more sugar and calories than bread, and we eat a lot of cake.

They lack the Londonderry Air.

R40, Video linked has a huge section in the French supermarket for fromage blanc and sweet yogurt based deserts. I've never heard of them and they seem to differ from milk based rice pudding and creme caramel or crustless cheesecake. Any specific info or links to recipes?

The southeast Asians say hi

Why are they so thin?

Because it is not socially acceptable to be fat.

Because they do the French Jackhammer, OP.

R26 Better healthcare and better diet = fewer disabled people

R42 You sound clueless... how do "Roundup and GMO" foods make people fat? Sounds like a typical fat ass imaginary excuse.

R102, Clueless posters are the ones who won't use the internet to do basic research. So just for you I'll link just a few studies of the many available to prove my point.

R102, There's a reason even 3rd world countries ban additives in many US products as well as those used in food production. No of course it's not the only reason for growing obesity and health problems.

R102. Don't want to derail this thread but I could link studies all day long to prove my point is valid.

R43 Love that comments section. "Fatphobia" and "fat acceptance", what a joke. Imagine if we had "alcoholphobia" and "alcoholic acceptance".

[R94]

Will admit several times when in Paris broke down and went to Mickey D's for un Big Mac et frites ; they taste far better than anything have had in USA. Don't know if it is French food regulations or what, but you notice a difference at once.

McDonald's would have to step up their game to stay in business in Paris. It was good in America, once upon a time. Now, Americans will eat anything.

[quote]Their main meal is at lunch. Unlike Americans, who eat huge meals in the evening and then go to bed.

That's irrelevant. It is the total calories consumed over the day which matters. It is not as if your body contains a timer, which automagically doubles the calorific value of anything logged as consumed after 6pm.

Americans are fatter because they eat more than they burn off.

They love butter and pastries, by the way.

R110, How large is the pat of butter? Size of pastry? Amount of sugar in it? Bet their all what most Americans would consider to be child sized.

Reminds me of the NY fashion magazine reporter who spent a week with the Amish eating high carb food with lots of butter. She lost weight copying the typical Amish woman's lifestyle, walking an average of 6 miles a day and cooking and cleaning from sunrise to sunup.

R94 I don't think there's a noticeable difference between US and European fast food franchises. Despite its uniformity, much can depend on the actual restaurant (suburban McDonalds are usually better quality than the inner city ones). A big difference between the FF in Europe is that the franchises have a much larger menu than the ones in the States. It still comes down to shitty beef and chicken (and, often, fish) but just with different breads, sauces, shapes, etc.

Now McDonalds in Japan tastes a helluva lot different than Mickey D's anywhere else (much more soy-like).

R111, I've lived in Amish country in Pennsylvania and Sarasota, and the women are plenty fat. Not the men so much, but the women, definitely plenty of fatties.

R113, The women are much fatter than the men in Amish country because they're constantly pregnant with little time to get back into shape before the next baby. Large families are the norm.

Voilà !

Perhaps best sums things up, encapsulating all the so called "mythical" advice French mothers supposedly pass onto their daughters. Well at least in Paris anyway.

French like many other Europeans are more comfortable with their bodies and nature than say Americans. Far easier to take steps when first few excess pounds appear (or keeping them off all together), than trying to shed ten, twenty or more pounds of excess flab. More to the point since much of that fat will only return unless behavior is permanently modified, why not nip it all in bud and not gain weight at all.

Should also like to point out "thin" in France (or again at least Paris) is relative to age. Unlike say UES of Manhattan you don't ancient skeletons with Jackie O bouffants parading around rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Catherine Deneuve represents the essence of Parisian chic, but even she has put on a bit of weight. However she looks perfectly acceptable and fine for a 75 year old mother of two and grandmother of six.

R115, so the French are skinny when Americans are fat, but fat when Americans are skinny?

French, at least the chic Parisians anyway, start off their teens onward attempting to remain a proper weight. Again much of this does fall onto the women, but applies to the guys as well.

Many Americans OTOH do same at lest through post college/young adult years. By the time many hit middle age things start to spread. Leaving aside New York City, SF, and other areas with "chic" demographics (and even then that is usually limited to a small segment), you only have to look around to see beer bellies and flab.

As linked article above makes clear; French seem to be more in tune to their bodies and realizing that changes happen, and thus how one lives must adapt as well. Look at all the middle aged Americans still wolfing down numerous slices of pizza, tons of fast food, etc... often very late in the evening then going to bed.

Americans seem to believe gaining weight/being out of shape as one gets older is just par for the course. Something that is preordained or something.

McDonald's in Italy is expensive. They're filled with tourists and are great for serving that crowd.

To lure Italians they do all kinds of things. They advertise that their burgers are made with Italian meat. And they offer burgers with Italian cheeses like provolone, they sell fried mozzarella balls, chicken wings, fried shrimp, sticks of Parmesan cheese, pasta salad. And they have beer too. Stuff you'd never find in an American McDonalds.

They do stuff like this too:

Thank you to those posters sharing fast-food options in foreign countries.

Meanwhile in the US . . .

It starts with the basics. If you've ever grocery shopped in Europe you'd know on average there is simply a difference between what is on offer as opposed to USA.

Chicken in most of Europe is a normally small sized bird full of flavor. OTOH in the USA you have a large thing with nearly flavorless meat.

Even the frozen beef patties I bought at Ed's (Paris supermarket chain) were far better than similar products I've purchased in USA.

They fat shame each other in France. There's lots of societal pressure to be thin.

R105 Thank you for linking to those reputable peer-reviewd scientific journals lmao

It's all about portion control. If the cause of American obesity was about GMO and Diet Coke then the entire population would be overweight. Stop scapegoating the food when it's really your own eating habits.

Mc Donalds Fries then and now.

Burgers then and now.

Even the chickens have been bread over time to be 3 times their normal size. This is without hormones mind you. And FYI its caused problems if the quality of the meat where it gets really gross and chewy from lack of enough oxygen to the oversized muscle. There is an industry wide problem right now and it's called Woody Chicken Breast. Since it's not caused by antibiotics or hormones, there is nothing they can do to quick solve the problem.

Trust me, you do not want to taste a woody chicken breast. I have unfortunately. Several times. Costco brand I wont buy anymore. They way I would describe it as the normal soft most texture you get when biting down a perfectly cooked chicken breast suddenly feels like you just bit down on a bunch of rubbery worms. You might think its under cooked but its not.

R125

Those chickens are looking like dinosaurs 🦖

Woody Chickenbreast sounds like the name of a Mafia wiseguy.

she knows

It's their nuclear power plants. They emit a radiation that is very slimming.

You should try it darlings. Better than keto and paleo combined!

It's all the heterosexual sodomy.

R130

Good explanation.

[italic] The Whole World Loves McDonald's !

And everybody knows this to be a true and undeniable fact.

Woody Chickenbreast is Foghorn Leghorn's cousin.

British are the fattest of the fatties because the Brits are just such an uncivilized society in general.

French here, sorry but we're not that special and getting fat like everybody else. Although we're doing a bit better than the US and the UK for the moment. Young people are usually slim but everybody seem to be gaining weight when approaching middle age. Also, we all shop at the supermarket, going to the local market is pretty rare.

There are a few factors in our advantage: in big cities we have good public transportation and most people can get anywhere by walking/bus/subway and do not use their cars. In the country, however, the car is used all the time and people get less exercise and are usually fatter. When we can we choose quality over quantity but not everyone can afford it. Like in other "developed" countries, poorer people are usually fatter.

Most of us eat leafy salads and fresh vegetables regularly, as a side dish with some kind of vinaigrette (I don't know if it's the same in the US now, but one friend who went there said she couldn't find fresh non GMO produce easily and literally gorged herself on salad when she came back). On a daily basis we usually eat a fruit or some yogurt as dessert. A lot of us do not eat breakfast. Lunch is the more heavy meal and dinner is usually lighter (can be soup, cheese and bread)

But we also eat way too much bread and pretty fatty stuff like cheese and cured meats/paté/sausages. Croissants and stuff like that are more for the weekend/Sunday mornings, not an everyday thing. We do have a lot of fastfood and people enjoy it, especially the young ones, but servings seem to be smaller than the US.

Meow, r134.

Meeeee Fucking Owwww

Toast, Jam, Beans, Sausage, Eggs, Bacon Sandwiches.......

BREAKFAST for the Brits. Do you want home fries or chips with that ? Or a side of hotcakes with syrup ?

When I was in 9th grade in the U.S., the girls too home-ec classes, and the guys took bachelor survival class. We learned basic cooking, cleaning, laundry, sewing, ironing , grocery shopping, and other like skills. At the time we thought it was absolutely ridiculous, but as I went off to college, and lived on my own, I realized the wisdom of teaching these skills to both genders. I think we need to get back to teaching EVERYONE the basics, especially cooking skills.

There’s already been a thread on this!! Could you not have at least done a search first?

Interesting posts and the one about the fats is so true. I tend to go for fattier meats, cheeses, etc. And here I am, 5'8' and 165LBs with a 30 inch waist. Male of course.

And my studies explain the action of fats in the human gut. You see fats slow motility of the gut. So you feel sated longer with fats. tt is the prime reason I wish there were a hell for Ancel Keys to rot in.

R128 that girl is on the verge of being overweight, I wouldn’t trust her.

From what I've seen in my visits it's because most of them have rotten teeth and they probably can't eat much due to the pain.

They eat lots of Ex-Lax.

R139

Oh dear.

Yes, I love you too, Mr Grinch.

The search button is barely functional R139.

That's why.

Have the French started bathing yet? Lord God in Heaven the funk that came off so many of them the last time I was there 10 years ago. It was noxious.

IMO, the French simply take more pride in their appearance. Also, it must appear effortless. (You don't talk on and on about your portion control and gym habits.)

You've never been to France, R146.

Being fat isn’t just about your weight. We Americans are fatties in mind, body, and spirit.

R148 = some smelly Frenchman.

R147

Mai oui! But of course!

Even with money, Americans go for quantity over quality. If they go to a 5 star restaurant and spend $100 a person, they expect a giant tomahawk steak. If they instead get a Michelin star chef's creation which is appropriate portion size beautifully arranged on a plate, they bitch and moan about the prices vs what they got for it.

Because they never over-eat.

Americans have perhaps the weakest employment protections of any developed country and largely depend on their employers for health care, leading to some of the longest working hours in the world. Add to that a transportation policy centered around the automobile and consequent long commutes and you have a nation of exhausted people who lack the time and energy to cook and resort to fast food as a matter of weekday routine, not an occasional treat as it is in other countries.

You also have a still puritanical culture that frowns on booze, cigarettes, drugs and sex, leading to the fetishization of food and viewing food and fat through the lens of guilt and sin, and a native cuisine that is comparatively bland and consists largely of fatty meats and dairy and fried carbs, plus weak agricultural regulations.

That's why you're fat.

[quote] leading to some of the longest working hours in the world.

Bullshit. The US is slightly above average, very close to Ireland's average working hours.

R155 I can't speak for Ireland, but in America, a lot of off the clock overtime happens. We commute to and from work much longer distances that the Irish could ever dream of. We also have multiple jobs, and or "side hussles" that may not be figuring into the statistics. And I'm fairly certain that we get less for our time and effort in terms of benefits and social safety nets, should things go south. (or pear shaped, as people over there say.)

R156 is correct. I have a professional job that used to require us to work a minimum of 10 hours a day but on paper we were told it was 8 hours. Of course they dont tell you that up front. They wait until you have quit your last job show up for your first day of work and casually inform you your hours. When I took it up with HR they said oh they knew nothing about it take it up with your manager. But they knew it was going on, it was common practice with over 200 employees. No overtime and many times asked to keep our weekends open for deadlines. I averaged 60 hours a week for 40 hours of pay.

In America companies like that just keep it off the books so they can claim innocence if you were to try to take it to court. They were so sleezey they would give you grief if you left for lunch hour instead of powering through if they bough a shitty slice of pizza split 12 ways.

Are they really so thin?