What are a french woman's tips not to get fat ?

 In France, we eat well and more, we love eating. I remember meeting a young american woman at work, and we were eating lunch together. She did not seem to enjoy the meal, and when I asked her about it, she said she did not care what she ate and took no pleasure in it. You will never, never hear this from a french
woman!  
Follow now some of my seven ways to eat and stay healthy :

1- Do not be on a diet.
Statistically, almost every diet fails on the long term. Eat a little of everything, not too much meat. Meat (or fish or eggs) on one meal in a day is enough. In the other meal, you can eat rice or pasta or beans with vegetables. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, we should eat up to ten of them in a day, and it's a lot. If you eat a lot of them, you will be less hungry for sweets. But sweets are not bannished, you can eat a little of them.

2- Make your own meals.
This is not always possible. But stop buying all-prepared food, and try to make simple recipes, where you can choose each of the ingredients. It is quite simples to boil some rice and prepare fresh grated carrots with a bit of garlic. Make your own dressing with olive oil ,vinegar and mustard. Eat some good bread, without added sugar or oil. 
At least, read the components of everything  you buy to understand all the things you are eating without knowing : too much salt, sugar butter or oil.

3- Eat with people.
Often I ask myself why it is our habit, we human, to eat with other people. It is certainly not the habit of animals! Eating with people is socializing : you share not only the food, but also news, inormations,feelings. Also you speak about what you are eating : is it good, too much salt, better than your own recipe ? You can concentrate on the food and better assimilate it.
On the contrary, do not eat when you are alone, reading or watching tv or playing on the computer. In this case you are not wholly appreciating the food  and eating too much.

4- Walk.
Or exercice, or do a sport, or dance, but do something. It is not a question of eating less, but moving about more. Forget your car : you've got two legs, that's better than four wheels. You can walk to get your food, go to the library, take your children to school. There's always an occasion of walking.
You can also now find on internet lots of exercices and do the gym in your living-room. Do it with children, they love it. By special shoes that help exercice the legs muscles.

5-Find a hobby.
Or a new love or a new book. When you are interested in something, you forget to eat and it's all the better. Concentrate on work, play with the children when you get home, take some time to do the dinner. Women usually love spending money in stores, just go !

6-love your body.
OK you're not an actress, you're to small, or too fat, or too thin. But this is the only body you will get in this life, so love it. Do not eat to punish it, it is not his fault. Take care of it so it will not become ill, it is your best friend. Dress it well, apply make-up, try to walk straighter. Tell yourself you love your body, and it will love you too. 

7-Be proud of yourself.
There must something in your life that you are proud about. Mostly it could be your work, but also your children, your ability to speak another language or to paint paintings. You can be proud of having chosen the right husband or doing charity work. Self-esteem is very important, you should like who you are and what you have done in life.

Maybe you already know all about this, and it is not really french special, but that"s the way we see life, and I hope it helped you a little.