70. Becoming a "Normal" Eater

Aug 18

After so many years of fad diets, restrictive, or emotional eating, how do you even start eating “normal” again? Let’s break down why diets are harmful and how we can all break free of those cycles to start repairing our eating habits. “Normal” eating is within your grasp.

How to Become a Normal Eater

Decide that normal eating is your goal
Figure out why that’s your goal
Identify where you fall on the eating spectrum (Restrictive or Emotional)
Eat opposite to what you normally do (say yes or say no)
Learn what your body wants to eat
Understand the only three rules you need: Are you hungry? Are you satisfied? Don’t eat your feelings

Listen to Episode 70 Here

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What Does Normal Eating Even Look Like?

Most of us have followed some kind of eating plan for so long that it’s hard to even comprehend what normal eating actually is. What it looks like. How to start, when your eating habits are so warped after a lifetime of restriction or emotional eating.

Normal eating is simply eating what your body truly needs when it’s actually hungry - and stopping eating when you’re full. In fact, there are only three rules when it comes to normal eating. Are you hungry? Are you satisfied? And don’t eat your feelings.

So many of us have followed diets focused on restricted eating. We say “no” to everything. But these types of diets aren’t sustainable in the long term, nor are they healthy and sustainable for your body. As soon as you stop restricting your food, your body will start to gain weight again.

Finding Balance and Returning to “Normal”

But on the opposite end of this food spectrum is the emotional eater. Someone who says “yes” all the time because food equals happiness and fun events, or everyone’s favorite: eating your emotions. By saying “yes” all the time, you’re doing yourself a disservice because you’re not listening to what your body actually wants.

So how do you find a balance between restrictive and emotional eating? “Normal” eating is finding that space between these two opposites where you’re listening to your body, eating what your body wants when it’s hungry, stopping when you’re full. It can be hard to start this way of eating, especially when you’re used to denying yourself; the best rule of thumb is to start saying the opposite of what you have been.

Finally, I want you to look at your goals for changing your way of eating. By defining what your goal is, you can figure out the best way to transform the way you eat to create a sustainable, healthy plan that works for you.

What type of eater are you? How do you feel about making that first change to start making the opposite food decisions? Let me know in the comments below!

In This Episode

What normal eating looks like [6:15]
Why restrictive eating always backfires [7:00]
What happens when you say yes all the time [9:30]
How to transition into an intuitive eater [12:15]
Why you have to define your goals [15:00]

Quotes

“If we can trust ourselves, trust the process, and actually listen to our body, it will tell us exactly what we need.” [5:58]

“If we are pursuing this normal, intuitive eating style, that actually has to be the goal. The goal has to be that “I want to be a normal eater”. Versus “I want to look like this and get this result.” [15:37]

“When we’re willing to give ourselves opportunities to say yes, we’re going to start to know what we really want to eat.” [22:14]