I'm chatting to a young couple in a restaurant in France. Yes they do tend to go for coffee and pastry for breakfast - not the healthiest choice I know – but then they won't eat again until lunchtime. They say they are always hungry before eating and never eat until uncomfortably full. Many food-free hours will then pass until a lateish evening meal – again regulated by hunger and fullness. Portions are smaller, food is less processed with no fads and with no irrational exclusion of carbohydrates, The upshot is that their weight hardly fluctuates. This might be the norm in Paris but it definitely is not the way the average British person approaches food and eating.

It's not that the French are out exercising en masse - visit any British city and it's pretty common to meet joggers pounding the pavements. This is still a rarity in Paris but then there is the fabulous 'Velib' – a city-wide bike hire system. Anyone can pick up a bike at any metro station or anywhere there's a "borne" (stand) of bikes, ride around for half an hour, and then leave it at any Velib' stand. The first half hour is free, and not only that, the bikes themselves have evident street cred with their high-tech, futuristic appearance. Clever marketing ploy - this is proving a popular means of whizzing around the traffic-bound city.

Despite all this French women's magazines have not escaped the ubiquitous diet pill and there are plenty of references to 'detox' and dieting. However the overriding impression is still that food is a positive pleasure and not a guilty one. Any British woman who has ever struggled with excess weight will invariably tell you that guilt and a whole plethora of negative emotions are associated with food. This influence has come from society and the hugely powerful media. Only yesterday a survey revealed that more than half of Britain's population has admitted they are overweight. However, they are not ready to go to gym. The survey conducted for the British Society of Gastroenterology saw every one person in five admitting to binge eating. Sadly, 15 percent of those surveyed said they would choose to take diet pills rather than work out. It still amazes me that physical activity is so abhorred in the UK. Perhaps it's time to strike out the word 'gym' which seems to generate a mental wall of resistance and urge people into the great outdoors. Going by my own initially exercise-resistant clients, this works every time.