(updated ) || 28 July 2016

It’s Still Slivering

Cindy B emailed that what I call slivering, she calls 'just cleanin' up the edges.’

Oh dear! Do chic French women sliver? Of course, not.

So how do chic French women avoid the temptation?

As I explain in the Chic & Slim books, in France, leftovers are seen as a sign of poor household management. You have leftovers, you did a poor job in estimating how much food was actually needed for the meal. A French woman in planning her dinner will buy or prepare herself the amount of dessert that will give each of the diners one (invariably small) serving. At the dinner, each wiil be served their portion. No leftover dessert to sit on the counter and be slivered. No leftover dessert whose edges would need ‘cleanin’ up.’

Leftovers are temptation to overeat. They can also lead to unnecessary food waste. When you waste food, you are throwing away money that you might otherwise spend for something really chic to wear.

be chic, stay slim — Anne Barone

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|| 24 July 2016

The Peril of Slivering

Slivering can be dangerous. Especially for those who wish to stay slim.

When I was writing the first Chic & Slim book, a neighbor said to me: “In the past 10 years, I have slivered 25 pounds onto my hips."

Not OFF her hips. But ONTO her hips. What did she mean?

Slivering is when there is a partially consumed dessert sitting on the kitchen counter and at various times a thin sliver is cut off the cake or pie and eaten. Often when no one else is looking. The eater convinces herself that such a small amount could not count for much in the way of excess calories. But after a period of time, too many slivers add up to A LOT OF CALORIES.

If slivering is a problem, what do you do?

First of all, move that dessert out of sight. Put it inside a cabinet or in a spare room. Lock it in a closet. If that’s not possible, at least don’t leave any sort of slivering implement like a knife or pie server nearby. If you can't move it, type to hide it. Under a kitchen towel. Or even put a large cooking pot over the dessert. Out of sight, out of mind.

If you can’t remove the tempting dessert from view for some reason, put a reminder note to yourself next to it: DO NOT SLIVER.

Prime time for slivering is when you are cleaning up the kitchen after a meal. The rest of the family or guests are off enjoying themselves, and there you are in the kitchen alone with the dirty dishes and what is left of the Key lime pie. Such temptation for slivering while you are loading the dishwasher and washing up the pots and pans.

Slivering is too often a mindless activity. One that makes it difficult to stay slim. Be aware. That’s half the battle.

be chic, stay slim — Anne Barone

Image : Blueberry pie being slivered.