You know the person I’m talking about…the one who can go away on a vacation and come back the same size, the one who passes on the 2nd piece of cake, and the one who can say “no thanks, I don’t want a cookie right now”.
Most likely, this is the person you dream of being!
Yes, it’s the “normal eater”.
What do they know that you don’t?
Well…that’s exactly what we’re talking about on today’s blog.
Normal eaters used to be like scientific experiments for me. I “studied” them because dammit, I wanted to figure out how to not obsess over food 24/7!
I remember one of my friends from high school was super thin and didn’t struggle with food. I would watch her eat, observe her patterns, and analyze how often she left food on her plate. It was fascinating. It appeared to be effortless to her.
She didn’t have that same internal battle I did about eating the cake. She had a few bites, got up from the table, and went to go talk to friends in the next room. All while I still sat at the table, engrossed in my own internal fight about wanting to stuff 5 pieces of cake in my mouth and how to do it without anyone noticing.
Needless to say, I wasn’t a normal eater then…
I’ve had lots of experience “studying” normal eaters and now consider myself pretty normal (although normal is a loose term…I just mean not obsessed anymore 🙂 )
There are a few things that people who don’t struggle with food know. Check ’em out!
The 3 Secrets Normal Eaters Know
Now, tell me-what shifts can you make in your own life to start adopting these beliefs? comment below!
I need to work on being easier on myself 🙂
I think we all do 🙂 Which is why I write about it so often!
I feel like I am learning this new crazy sport or language or something I’ve never done before when what I am actually learning is how to eat! There are so many things to remember. I love that most of your videos have short concrete cues or ideas to focus on. I am doing well on some cues and then I forget about others or need to get stronger in them. It never feels overwhelming though. I’ve decided to trust you that this will actually work and I am being patient! I am focusing on number two this week. To trust my body and to listen. It’s so hard to remember to do that before I eat but when I do, it makes all the difference!
I’m so glad the videos are helping, Lori! It definitely does take practice to trust your body and to have the courage to listen…but it’s SO worth it because it DOES make all the difference 🙂 XO
Hi Jenn,
First, I just want to say thank you for helping others with your awesome blog. I personally find it really hard to eat normal, even though I always say I wish I was normal. My dieting happits didn’t just turn to ED, but also depression. I am always obsessed with being skinny, and in the last few months I gained most of the weight back. I was at 101 lbs, and I was always hungry so after my graduation I started binging like crazy till I gained weight. College kept me distracted, and I would often fast all day till I go home. I’ve recently been trying to be a normal eater and enjoy life, but it is very hard to accept how I look now, and that’s why I keep going back and forth. The other thing, which is weird is that when I eat meals only till I am full and then stop (like a normal eater), later in the day I feel crappy, not just emotionally but physically. I used to eat small meals through out the day, and they are pretty light, so eating good and filling meals make me feel bloated, weird, and I get heart burns from them. So, even when I try to eat normal, my body reacts in a way that makes me regret. I start thinking of the days when I ate so little, and think that I was hungry and grumpy but it was worth it. My question for you is, when you started eating normal, did you have issues like that? how is it possible to eat normal and be skinny if you’re not naturally so? Or is it that I should get over being skinny altogether, which means gaining more weight to be a normal eater? I am between 122-125 now, and I can be ok with that if I know that I won’t go any further, but I am afraid of gaining more by eating normal. I don’t find it easy to accept myself when I’m bigger, it is not just my body that bothers me, but how my face also get chubby and all…
Hi Miriam 🙂 My first thought is that when we eat “normally”, it doesn’t mean we can’t also be at a healthy weight. The real work is in letting go of dictating and controlling what that means for each of us. If your “ideal” weight is 101 lbs, but to get there you had to be hungry all the time and be grumpy and restrict…then that isn’t your natural weight 🙂 A part of this process is the learning to accept our journey now and learn that when we take care of our bodies, our bodies will take care of the weight! XO