| The Fish Bowl Theory |
| Advisory! The following theory is without medical, sociological, psychological, or any other research of any kind. It is just one man's opinion, so take it as you will. Truth or conjecture--believe it or not, but I have found the secret to staying thin! So get ready to throw away your Atkins, South-beach, Zone, and Weight-watchers diets, because I am going to let you in on the European secret to staying thin. I know that there has been popular studies, supposedly medically proven, that would lead one to believe that it is the diet or exercise that make Europeans on average thinner then Americans. But I am here to tell you that it is not true. Since we came to France Jess and I have been shedding pounds like mad and have been stumped as to why. We went through all of the theories that the dietitians would have you believe--so you will buy a copy of their next book. Like any good researcher I will list and disprove a few of the most popular before I let you in on the secret. |
| 1)The food does not have as many additives or preservatives. |
| It is true that some of the food in France contains less additives and preservatives. But then again a lot of the food still contains additives, for example the milk Jess and I buy is not refrigerated. Yes you heard me correctly it does not have to go into the refrigerator and it lasts indefinitely. Conclusion, either France has pickled cows or they use additives and preservatives in their food as well. Strike one! |
| 2)They eat fresher food in France. |
| Again it is true that there is an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables and meats to be had in France, and eating them is probably in your best interest. But the reality is that you would have to be exceedingly wealthy to eat that way. Since Jess and I are far from wealthy (some over here may call us poor) we do nearly all of our shopping at a discount grocery store that is located just around the corner from us. And seeing as to how busy the store is--the lines for the registers stretch to the back of the store--I think it is safe to say that the majority of France is not afraid of a bargain either. And lets just be nice and say that most of the food in the store is not the freshest. It is still edible, but is at best on par with the groceries we purchased in the United States. Strike two! 3) It is because they use olive oil instead of butter/margarine. |
| The first problem here is that a large majority of France does use butter in their cooking. It is only the Mediterranean areas that use mainly olive oil. But even if all of France and Europe exclusively used olive oil, it still would not be the answer. Where we live the food is mainly cooked in olive oil--it is true. And when we cook at home that is all we use, but no this is not the reason why Europeans are so skinny. Because when we cook, or anyone around here cooks, they use a lot of olive oil. When I say a lot I really mean they drown the food in it. If any of the items were alive before cooking they would surely die from lack of oxygen. Yes I realize that overall olive oil is healthier and less fattening, but if you use four times as much I think at best we would have a wash. Strike three! 4) It is because they get their exercise from walking because they don't drive as much. |
| It's very hard for me to imagine that the people of Europe are thinner, on average, because they walk more. For me to find proof of this I only need to open my window. From day to night the streets of Marseille are flooded with constantly honking cars, mopeds, and busses. I call it the music of Marseille. It is true that there are a lot of people on the street, but they are usually meandering their way through the crowds to the nearest metro or bus stop. Public transportation is very popular and the stops are very close together, not really much opportunity for exercise here. And as for other exercise, the cardio "if you're not sweating you're not working out type" is pretty non-existent here. French people do not seem to find it important to excessively work out. Why would they? They are already thin. Strike four! (it's ok because this is not baseball) |
| Yes there are many other theories. Big meal at lunch, smaller portions, people eat more slowly and so on . . . which I could disprove just as easily. But I am sure you are so excited and ready to hear the secret there is no reason for me to continue. I came upon this theory after trips to Germany and England. Yes the people in Germany and England are still thinner than those in the U.S. but not to the same degree. As a matter of fact the people of Germany are only slightly thinner than the average American, and the Brits are only slightly smaller then the Germans. On my way to school one day I got to thinking. 'Why is this the case?' 'What is different in these countries that could lead to such diverse sizes?' As I rounded the corner onto the street that contained my school--barely dodging an elderly gentleman while trying to balance on the edge of the sidewalk and the road so I would not fall into on-coming traffic--I was hit. No, not by a car--but with the answer. It is what I like to call the Fish Bowl Theory. |
| Anyone who has ever owned fish knows that a fish will only grow to the size its environment allows. And as I am about to prove, it is the same with people. In Germany they have large roads, large cars, large sidewalks, etc. They have a lot of space. Therefore the people grow accordingly. England has slightly smaller roads, cars, sidewalks, etc. Hence they have slightly smaller people. France on the other hand has tiny roads, even tinier cars, and sidewalks so tiny that at some points there is not enough room for one pedestrian to pass let alone two. It only makes sense therefore, that following this pattern they would have the tiniest people. That leaves us with America. The United States is renowned for their wide-open roadways, massive cars, large sidewalks (where you can walk sometimes four abreast) so it is only natural that it should contain the largest people. Just as fish, or any other animal for that manner, will grow and shrink to the size of its surroundings, so too will humans. And so here you have it, the answer you have been waiting for---The solution to the weight problems in the United States isn't some radical dietary change or obsessive workouts. It is simply a problem of environment. If you really want to be thinner, don't waste all of your free time in the gym, starve yourself, or spend money on foods that taste bad and will leave you with nothing but an empty bank account. If thinness is what you are after the solution is simple---change your surroundings and move to a smaller tank. |
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