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I recently had the pleasure of interviewing author and friend, Kelley Pomerantz, regarding her new book, Creating the French Metabolism: Eat, Drink and Be Beautiful.
In her new book Kelley reveals the secrets of how it is that French women stay slender while eating some of the best food in the world.
You will learn about the French metabolism, written for American women by an American woman. This will include the 3 Factors which are key to creating your French metabolism and easy, basic guidelines to apply to any diet, or no diet at all, when working to achieve and maintain your ideal body weight.
In this interview I asked Kelley several questions about herself and her new book, Creating the French Metabolism: Eat, Drink and Be Beautiful.
Q: What inspired you to write this book?
Kelley: I’ve seen so many friends struggling with their weight – giving up entire food groups and doing extreme diets – and it’s just not sustainable. It hurts my heart when I see people trying so hard and not succeeding. Unless you change your lifestyle and your approach to eating, the successes won’t last.
For me, food is pleasure. I love great food, and the best times I’ve had have involved some combination of friends, family, and food. I’d like everyone to be able to enjoy that and still look and feel their best.
Q: What’s your favorite dish you could never give up?
Kelley: Bread! It’s not that I would just sit and eat bread alone necessarily, but it makes everything better. I love escargot, but without a great piece of bread it’s just a bug in butter. French cheese without bread – why bother?
But only really good bread. Life’s too short to eat bad bread. I make my own (Nancy Silverton’s sourdough or Julia Child’s French baguette). American, store-bought breads shortcut the fermentation process with things like rapid rise yeast and added sugar to force the bread to rise without properly fermenting, causing digestive issues and weight gain.
Q: How did you learn about the French Metabolism?
Kelley: A lot of eating in Paris!
My first trip to Paris was with my husband, before we were married (he had me at “Do you want to go to Paris with me?”) We ate whatever we wanted, and I fully expected to pay the price for it when I got home. But there was no price to pay! Same thing the next year (because yeah, I go every year. I’m dedicated like that.) I started watching, researching, and learning.
I developed a few theories, tested them on myself, tested them on some friends, tweaked a bit, and voila! No deprivation, no weight gain.
Q: What type of women would benefit from your book?
Kelley: I think anyone would benefit from knowing how to eat this way. It’s a way that French women learn from birth, and it’s a shame that we don’t.
The average American woman will gain around 2 pounds a year, just for the privilege of circling the sun. In ten years, that’s an extra 20 pounds; in 15 years, 30 pounds (how’s that for high-level math?) I, on the other hand, fully intend to be an 80 year old diva walking my skinny self around Hollywood in my high heels long after I have any right to do so!
While the book is about adopting a lifestyle, there is a chapter dedicated specifically to weight loss, and it’s extremely effective. It’s entirely up to the reader as to how aggressively they want to modify their diet to lose weight more quickly. Either fast or slowly, with the right mindset and understanding, it’s honestly pretty painless.
Q: What would you tell our readers about how this book will change their lives?
Kelley: I believe when you address your relationship with food and learn how to eat, eating becomes as natural as breathing. There’s no guilt, because you don’t over-eat. Nothing is off limits, you choose to have something or you don’t. You remain healthy, because you lose any taste you may have had for low-quality processed foods.
Q: After they read the book what’s the first step they should take to implement what they have learned?
Kelley: Okay, this is honest-to-goodness one of the most powerful guidelines in my book, and it sounds so simple it’s ridiculous, but it’s harder than it sounds. Put. The Fork. Down. Between every single bite you take, deliberately put the fork (spoon, spork, whatever) down and wait to thoroughly chew and swallow before you scoop up the next bite. No, you can’t hold the fork and wait – Put. It. Down.
You won’t have to do that forever, just a couple of weeks or so until you learn to pace yourself. What you’re actually doing is breaking a training pattern – one that, I promise you, you’re completely unaware of. You’ll see what I mean.
Q: Any last words for our readers?
Kelley: Just because the guidelines are simple doesn’t mean they’re not important – some of the most simple things in life are the most important!
Thank You Kelley!
Thank you so much for letting me interview you about your new book! I got the Kindle version and I am excited to learn these amazing secrets. I had no idea that the French Metabolism was a thing or that we could benefit from it as well when we eat and drink!
Until Next Time!
I hope you enjoyed this interview with Kelley. Get your copy of her book here and please let me know how it has helped you to eat, drink and be beautiful. Also check out my post on creating a capsule wardrobe which includes a link to one of Kelley’s Blog posts detailing how to get out of a style rut.
XOXO,
Crystal
