What is "normal" eating?

What is "normal" eating?

I hear lots of women say:

“I want to stop dieting. I want to stop bingeing. I want to just… eat… NORMALLY!”

Of course, this begs the questions… What is “normal” eating? What does that actually mean? I do think it means different things for different people.

This is what it means for me:

* Normal eating means I am not counting, measuring, or obsessing about food. I don’t track calories. I don’t track carbs. I don’t keep a food journal and record everything I eat. I just... eat. No calculator or notebook required!

* Normal eating means that most of the time—not always, not every single meal—I eat when I’m hungry and I stop when I’m satisfied. I stop before I feel uncomfortably stuffed because I value feeling good and comfortable.

* Normal eating means that when I’m hungry, I ask myself, “What sounds good right now?” I check in with my body and then I eat whatever sounds good in that moment.  I don’t spend enormous amounts of time anxiously planning what’s considered “ok” for me to eat.

* Normal eating means that I care about what’s going into my body—yes, I try to choose organic produce and avoid unnecessary chemicals, etc.—but if I can’t find those things, I can enjoy my food with gusto and I’m not obsessed with food or constantly worrying about it. Food is a part of my life, of course—but it doesn’t dominate my life.

* Normal eating means that occasionally, I’ll eat something to soothe myself (warm cookies on a chilly winter night), to celebrate (birthday cake), or purely because it’s delicious (my mother-in-law’s apple pie) and not because I’m actually hungry—and that’s totally cool. Sometimes, food can be “just for fun.” THAT IS OKAY.

What does normal eating mean to you?

Is your definition the same as mine? Similar? Maybe a little different?

It’s very powerful to write down what “normal eating” feels like to you. Or if you don’t like the word “normal,” swap that word for something else, like “balanced eating” or “freedom with food” or “eating with ease.”

And if you’re craving less food-drama and more normalcy in your life… consider working with me. I’d love to help you get there.

xoxo,