Struggling with your weight? Well, Sunday night's "Dateline" has the story just for you: a diet that includes foods you may think are forbidden. Yes, a life of wine, bread, chocolate can be yours -- without any side order of guilt -- according to the hot new non-diet book sweeping the nation: "French Women Don't Get Fat."

"Extra" caught up with author Mireille Guilianio as she set out on an 11-city tour to promote her book and teach Americans how to get and stay slim by eating smarter and more joyfully. "It's a wonderful feeling to melt away without feeling that you're on a diet and without trying to deprive yourself," Mireille observed.

On Sunday night's "Dateline NBC," Mireille reveals how they do it en Français, "We eat slowly, it's a ritual. We don't think calories, we don't think fat, we think, 'Oh, this is a great croissant.'"

Mireille also revealed to us how she has maintained a healthy size six figure for 30 years, always eating her favorite foods and never dieting: "Eat smaller portions," she suggested. "Once you've had three bites of anything your taste buds like, you are satisfied."

In addition to the common advice to drink 10 to 12 glasses of water per day, Mireille also suggests making mealtime a ritual: set your table and serve separate courses on separate plates; never eat food on the go with your hands, but enjoy food with your senses.

So for a trés bon way to slim down in 2005, may we suggest some light reading with a French twist?