A few years ago I read a delicious little lifestyle book called French Women Don’t Get Fat, which is less so about weight and more so about taking a healthy and balanced approach to eating and exercise. It doesn’t propose a specific diet but simply focusing on fresh, whole foods and mindfulness.
One of my favorite principles from the book is peu à peu, or “little by little.” When aiming to lose weight, be more active or have a better relationship with food, the best changes are the ones that build up slowly over time–not the “drop 15 pounds in 6 weeks!” gimmicky tricks.
Personal Background
I’ve never struggled with my weight but definitely struggled with my relationship with food. Happily, I left most of that behind me in college. But pregnancy, breastfeeding, and general life stress has tested that in the past few years. Not in a true eating disordered type of way, but recognizing that I can’t be as free and easy with my diet choices as I was as a teenager (obviously), not just for weight gain reasons but also to feel my best.
For example, as a child, like many people my age, my diet was mostly carbs. I look back at what I ate at say age 8 and just have to wonder how I made it through the day–let alone years–eating what I did. My diet was probably 80% carbs, mostly processed, and the rest Skippy peanut butter! The human body is resilient!
As I entered my late teens and early 20s and decided to kick my eating disorder to the curb and balance my hormones, I focused on healthy fats before anything else. I was eating to feel satiated and heal my fertility, so full-fat dairy, coconut oil/olive oil/butter, whole eggs, nuts and not-lean meats were the backbone of my diet.
Now as I’m approaching 30 (next year!) and my hormones are healthier than they were, I realize I feel best eating plenty of high-quality protein and a little less fat than before, with carbs still taking a backseat. Nothing I’ve read has told me “this is the way”; it’s just how I feel my best. Too much fat (or carbs) makes me feel weighed down and lethargic, whilst protein helps me maintain balanced blood sugar and mood.
Rather than embarking on a low-carb or low-fat diet though, I simply note how I feel after meals with different ratios of fats, proteins, and carbs and if it’s not good, I try to tweak the ratio at the next.
My Favorite Ways to Practice Peu à Peu
Note: I’m not a medical professional. Please speak with your doctor before making changes to your diet or lifestyle!
- Notice the balance of macronutrients that makes me feel my best. I’m quite averse to counting things–it doesn’t feel natural or classy to weigh my bread, for example. But noting how I feel after my meals helps me make feel-good choices in the future.
- Reduce foods that make me feel badly. Lately gluten has been an issue for me again, so while I don’t eat strictly gluten-free (I don’t have celiac disease), I reserve it for special occasions: Friday night homemade pizza, brunch at family’s house, etc. If I “ban” foods unnecessarily, it makes me want to rebel against my own rules, so I don’t.
- Replace snack foods with whole foods. Not only are snack foods expensive, they aren’t very nutrient-dense. After kids, I realized that my “margin for error” with weight gain has decreased… I just don’t have space in my diet for foods that don’t benefit me nutritionally. Besides dark chocolate and rice crackers, we’ve stopped buying processed snack foods in recent months. It doesn’t mean I can’t snack–it just means I have to choose fruit, yogurt, nuts, cheese and crackers or something else wholesome.
- Tiny changes. I’ve realized I can substitute 2% dairy for full-fat in many circumstances and not notice the difference. Or, like this morning’s breakfast, serve myself one less pancake and top them with yogurt (instead of peanut butter) for a more satisfying meal. I buy raw nuts instead of oil-roasted, salted ones these days. None of these changes make me feel deprived in the moment, just healthier.
- Live a more active life instead of adding structured exercise. While I’d love to incorporate weightlifting once Baby K’s sleep schedule is a bit more regular–right now, there are still things I can do to be more active. Babywearing while I vacuum, playing active games (like pillow fight or hide and seek) with the toddlers and choosing a preschool for next year that we can walk to, are a few recent examples.
- Stop treating delicious food as my “last supper.” It’s not even that I’m consciously promising myself “I’ll eat better tomorrow”–there’s just a tinge of that attitude, I’ve realized, in my approach to meals that feel like a treat. I feel like I need to eat a little more than is comfortable, because I might not have it again for a long time. The thing is, I’m an adult and I can have whatever it is, whenever I want. So a balanced and sustainable approach to comfort foods makes more sense.
When the goal is vibrant health and maintaining a good relationship with food, these changes just make sense to me. What is your best healthy living tip?
xx Claire
