Well, there goes another myth we all wanted to believe. It seems the road to slimness is not paved with French pastries, cheese and wine after all. According to a new study, French women do indeed get fat.

Research results from TNS Sofres Healthcare and Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche confirmed that the French paradox of being able to eat high-calorie, high-fat diets while remaining thin is simply not true. In fact, an estimated 26 percent of France's women are overweight today and another 15.1 percent are clinically obese.

For years, we have romanticized the French way of life and believed they knew the secret to staying thin. "French women used to be role models for a healthy lifestyle," says registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, Sarah Krieger. "The French diet included a lot of whole foods, fruits and vegetables. They ate slowly and walked everywhere."

But now it seems that many of the tres chic women we once envied have taken to fast food and sedentary lifestyles. "Obesity rates have really risen sharply in urban areas where there's a concentration of sedentary jobs, public transport, less need to walk and a much greater availability of food," says study researcher, Dr. Marie-Aline Charles in an interview with Reuters.

While French women are still not as fat as American women (where nearly two-thirds are overweight or obese), they're catching up. Obesity levels there are reportedly the same that the U.S. had in the 1970's. Krieger adds, "This research should serve as a wake-up call for all of us. It doesn't matter where you live -- if you don't eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly, you're going to put on weight."

Perhaps author Mireille Guilano should consider a sequel now to her 2004 book, "French Women Don't Get Fat." And in case you're wondering about the men in France -- they are no exception to their country's expanding waistlines. An estimated 38.5 percent of them are overweight and 13.9 percent are obese. Ooh, la, la.

Want to see how other countries tip the scales? Check out the latest research.