“Have you always been slim ?” asked Michel Montignac when I met him while I was a young American student in Paris.

“No,” I answered. “I was 14 pounds (6 kg) overweight when I arrived in France.”

“What did you do to lose it ?” he asked.

“Nothing. I’ve been living with a local family for over a year and all I’ve done is eat like the French!”

Twenty years later, after building a life and family with Michel, I’m still living in France and still at my desired weight. And in all that time I have never deprived myself of any food, including wine and chocolate. Following traditional French eating habits has made it easy to maintain weight.

At the time that I met Michel, France had the second lowest average body weight in the world.  Obesity was rare – about four times less than in the US. However, Michel foresaw the deterioration of the traditional French diet.

In 1986 he wrote his first book Dine Out and Lose Weight to warn his compatriots about the adverse effects of fast foods and soft drinks. He explained the importance of maintaining French culinary traditions to avoid extra body weight and the resulting health problems, which were sharply on the rise in many Western countries.

Having struggled with weight himself as a child, Michel had a long-standing interest in weight management. Inspired by research about the effects of certain foods on blood sugar levels in diabetics, he tested the findings on himself, even though he was not diabetic, and discovered an innovative way to achieve and maintain weight loss. Based on his success, he developed The Montignac Method – not a diet, but a lifestyle that embraces sensible eating habits. Moreover, it is based on the fact that certain types of food convert to sugar in the bloodstream more rapidly than others. The Method promotes limiting such foods, rather than total calories, to preserve the body’s natural equilibrium.

The way I look at food has changed drastically since my childhood in the American Midwest. I have learned much from Michel and The Montignac Method. My food habits are no longer haphazard: I eat three meals a day and don’t snack in between. I have banned pre-packaged meals and sandwiches from my diet. I have learned to read labels in the supermarket to avoid unhealthy additives like sugar, starch and preservatives.

In short, I am much more concerned with the quality of food rather than quantity. I have done my best to educate my children about nutrition. And as a recent widow, I have come to fully appreciate the modern-day challenges faced by single, working parents who have very limited time in the kitchen but want to ensure their children have fresh, wholesome meals.

Destiny has its strange twists and turns. The highly successful Montignac* Method was developed by a Frenchman, but is now in my hands – an American living in France.  And as a woman I know that the The Method’s principles of nutrition can be adapted to all stages of life (adolescence, pregnancy, and menopause) and are not just for the French as Michel originally intended, but are suited to all cultures and lifestyles.

If you are already familiar with The Montignac Method, you will find everything Montignac right here on this Web site. If you are new to The Method, you are in for an enlightening discovery! Either way, it is my sincere hope that this site provides clear, useful and objective information for anyone wishing to maintain healthy weight and eating habits for a lifetime.

Suzy Geneviere-Montignac
CEO Nutrimont SA

* "Montignac" and "The Montignac method" are registered trademarks of Nutrimont SA