The French method

So, I have a new hurdle (a rather large one at that) called money.

For those of you that haven't visited France - everything is extremely expensive, particularly in and around Paris. It's actually the 9th most expensive city in the world.

Now, combined with the cost of living, a series of unfortunate events have left me with pretty much no money this month, including things like having to pay an extortionate amount to have my birth certificate translated (as a translated copy is required to register for social security, which gives you the right to health care, something I should clearly have sorted out earlier then 7 months into my living here) and I also purchased my fabulous fancy dress outfit earlier this month through what appears to be a con website, where the owner has neither sent my outfit (2 weeks after ordering), nor claimed my payment on Paypal and isn't responding to my e-mails.

This leaves me looking blankly at my emergency bag of coins. It's the bag that you build up when you do actually have money, which you eventually intend to cash up and deposit into your bank account.

My bank account is dry (and over the overdraft), my emergency UK credit card has been closed because I live in France, as such I truely do only have coins to get me through the next 2 weeks!

This means I have only one diet option, the option whereby I take advantage of what is abundant in France; the Water & Baguettes diet.

Granted, I agree this isn't a great basis for a healthy diet! However without the luxury of finances this is the best we can do for 2 weeks (which is when I get paid), so we're going along a no protein/calorie counting line, with focus on the calories as bread is obviously a nightmare when it comes to that. Luckily, I respond very well to no protein diets (have lost 4 stone in 3 months living off potatoes previously).

And if it keeps the French thin there must be something in it that works!

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