Ellington

"I don't feel guilt. Whatever I wish to do, I do." — Jeanne Moreau

What gives? They drink wine, they eat baguette after baguette, they love rich sauces and pasta, they inhale cheese like it's air. Yet, French women tend to look fabulous, and thin, every time you see one out in public. Don't believe me? Go get lost on the subway in Paris and just observe; I'm speaking from experience here.

Are they really skinny? Maybe. The truth is that the French (and, frankly, the Italians while we're at it) have perfected the art of attitude. Imagine this scene in a Parisian café, related by Debra Ollivier in her book, "What French Women Know" (Putnam, 2009, $24.95): "Gams out to here. Infuriating lack of body fat. An alarming air of insouciance. The whole French package. One sultry look, and legions would follow her to battle."

Then this chick eats a huge chunk of bread with a slather of brie, and you can hang your head in despair.

Truth is, she just might not be as skinny as you think. Her über-chic outfit (is that vintage Chanel?!) and her attitude—what the French call bien dans sa peau (comfortable in your own skin)—might hide some of her flab. You just don't notice it because she believes she's so fabulous (regardless of age), and therefore so do you.

But let's be honest: A lot of the French do seem very fit with minimum body fat. How does that make sense?

Ollivier says that French women know how to "atone"—they may have an amazing and large dinner one night and "eat like a bird the following week to ‘deflate.'" They're great at having small portions of high-fat foods—and choose quality over the American preference of quantity and super-sized servings. They nibble a small piece of dark Swiss chocolate instead of inhaling half a bag of Oreos. Or they order a divine dessert with two (or more) spoons.

A few years back, Marie Claire magazine ran a feature called the "Wine, Chocolate and Cheese diet" to explore the power of a French diet. In it, dietitian Jackie Newgent and French-diet expert Will Clower, Ph.D., offered variations of these tips:

1. Start believing you don't have to suffer to be healthy. It doesn't have to taste awful to be healthy. In fact, French diets don't just help with weight loss; they reduce cholesterol and other risk factors.

2. Know what you're eating. Slow down and appreciate the spices and other ingredients inside. (And choose foods with ingredients with known names, not long chemical constructions.)

3. Eat "daintily." They advise: "Bend the first joint of your thumb. Open your mouth so your top and bottom teeth touch the top of your thumb and that first joint; your bite shouldn't be any larger than this. ... You can't taste food well when your mouth is jammed full."

4. Train yourself to be a "serial taster." Don't eat like some immature people have sex for the first time—by gulping down the food in minutes. Focus on the experience, savor and enjoy. Go the distance.

5. Let your tongue taste the food. Don't bite into great food like chocolate and cheese; let it melt on your tongue.

6. Spread your calories around the day; don't dump most of it into dinner. Healthy snacks—a bit of Camembert and sesame crackers anyone?—mid-afternoon can make you less famished at night and help keep your energy level high. Stock delicious, healthy snacks at the office. Just don't snack on junk constantly. Not the same thing.

7. Combine carbs and fats, and avoid trendy diets that overload you on one or the other—like the Atkins lunacy. (Think a smallish chunk of good bread and a touch of real sweet butter.)

8. Make red meat a treat. The French tend to eat it only once or twice a month. Then you can use the money you save on good fruit and cheese to eat in smaller amounts. And good wine, of course.

9. Most importantly: Enjoy good meals and stimulating company. And involve the kids in dinner conversation and teach them these French habits early. The mercis will come later.