Have you ever wondered how a “normal” person is supposed to eat? Or worried about why you can’t seem to eat like a “normal” person?
Well, if eating like a “normal” person means eating according to the Standard American Diet (SAD) recommendations as a trusted source, I can tell you this, that normal person eats like crap!
Ooops, so very sorry for my blunt and indelicate response. But just look at the acronym, SAD. And that’s no coincidence that it evokes a frownie face emoji!
It’s so incredibly sad when you eat according to out-dated, scientifically inaccurate guidelines. It becomes just a matter of time until you’re chugging along on the weight gain train with no stop in sight. Once you’ve boarded, it’s just a matter of time for that harsh inner critic to begin a litany of insults, many directed at your inability to eat like a “normal” person.
But what if those SAD “rules” are all wrong! What if they’ve failed to evolve with 21st century metabolic science?
How many times have you asked yourself, “Why can’t I eat like a normal person?”
Translation: Why can’t I stop after one scoop of ice cream, or two cookies, or one slice of cake?
Translation: Why do I have to eat the whole order of large french fries? Or the whole bag of Doritos, popcorn or potato chips once I dig in? Why can’t I just stop at a few or a handful or before I’ve devoured it all?
Does this basic question presume that a normal person is endowed with a level of will-power and self control that you’re missing?
Well, my friend, let’s take a minute.
Now, ask yourself, how many times you’ve lamented that you can’t stop after one serving of broccoli? After eating one filet minion, one chicken breast, or one sweet potato. Like never?
There’s a BIG, FAT REASON WHY! And you need to know all about it so weight loss doesn’t ever need to be such a nightmare.
Eating highly processed foods creates a vicious cycle of food cravings and unrelenting hunger.
Highly processed foods, foods made of sugar and flour, damage your hunger signals and your body’s ability to derive energy from the food you eat.
You know you’ve consumed calories. Lots of them! But they are unable to provide the nourishment that your cells need or provide the correct hormone signaling your body needs to function optimally.
When you have become insulin resistant and your hunger hormones are out of wack, your body can not register satiety as it was designed.
Eat whole foods. No need to study packaging labels. They don’t have them!
Is there such a thing as “normal” eating anyway?
How many times have you said or heard a friend say, “I am so sick and tired of yo-yo dieting. I gain and lose like it’s my job. I starve myself. Then I overeat. I just wish I could learn to eat normally. But I don’t even know what normal eating is! What does it even mean?”
Many people consider it “normal” behavior to anxiously monitor their weight every day, to worry about their amount of exercise. They obsess about every morsel they ingest. Contemplating whether or not to eat dessert can throw them into a tailspin.
But is a lifetime of guilt and worry about food and weight really normal? Is this how you want to live your life?
Even the so-called “experts,” dieticians, nutritionists, and doctors, espouse ideas that fly in the face of sound scientific research.
What’s striking is that our society, particularly mainstream media, too often promotes habits that conflict with healthy scientific principles.
Restricting your diet is encouraged and applauded. Exercise more is the solution. That old calories in/calories out model was debunked years ago!
Eating “intuitively” is the holy grail. But what does that even mean when your hunger and satiety signals have been hijacked?
You’ve been encouraged to study nutritional labels, count calories or points because this means you’re doing everything right and, therefore, being “good.”
Manipulating yourself into eating less by using smaller plates or other “tricks”are advised as useful strategies to eat less.
Scrupulously following diet food plans because you’re too unreliable to choose your own meals is recommended. You go all in because you want mental relief,. You want to put the confusion to rest and just follow a tried and true plan.
But there is no tried and true plan. You and your metabolism are unique. You are a study of one.
Let’s look at some examples of what is NOT normal eating:
- Complaining that you were “good” all day, but then ruined it because you ate dessert after dinner.
- Fearing that you ruined your diet because you forgot to count certain calories or points.
- Overeating or over-drinking, feeling guilty, and then starving yourself the next day to make up for the “over-indulgence.”
- Avoiding going out with friends because you ate too much or didn’t exercise that day and feel “too fat.”
- Binging on a pint of ice cream, cringing with disgust and making yourself throw up to purge yourself of the offending calories.
- Feeling inadequate, unhappy with yourself because of what you did or didn’t eat or drink which then tanks your mood and self-esteem.
- Allowing your harsh inner critic to chastise you for your decisions around food and alcohol.
Here are examples of what normal eating could look like:
- Your food choices are centered around whole foods that nourish your body and allow your hunger signals to regulate.
- You enjoy eating desert after dinner, at peace with planning 24 hours in advance, knowing that occasional deserts, no matter how decadent, will not ruin your life or cause long-term weight gain.
- You don’t attack yourself for every little deviation from your plan. You get curious instead. You ask yourself what you were thinking and feeling before you deviated from your plan.
- When you do overeat, you recognize that you don’t like feeling overstuffed, so at the next meal you go back to eating on your plan.
- You enjoy socializing with your friends and don’t allow your harsh inner critic to condemn you to solitary confinement because of your appearance.
- You appreciate that you are only human. Sometimes you overeat or under exercise. Life is not perfect. We are not perfect. You move on without judgement.
Are their any universal rules that support “normal” eating?
There is no one set of rules that applies to everyone. Let me emphasize, you are a study of one.
Developing normal eating habits is an individual process based on your appetite, weight, metabolism, lifestyle, and activity level. And what becomes normal for you can even change day by day as life happens! That’s why I teach you how to plan for any and all situations.
Tune in to what you want to eat that is nourishing. Plan for it. Shop for it. Stop eating when you are full. Be flexible rather than rigid or judgmental.
For some of us, even identifying if you are hungry for the nourishment and energy food can provide can be a complicated process. I can help you with that too.
Normal eaters are able to separate their food from their feelings, their eating from their emotions.
They are able to recognize and own their emotions. Actually, this is one of the first steps towards becoming a normal eater. I can teach you tools to finally get in touch with how your emotions and food are entangled.
They generally view food as nutrition, a source of energy, not as a way to relieve stress. Or a panacea for unhappiness. Or as a means to soothe uncomfortable feelings.
They enjoy food and think of foods as strengthening their bodies, providing the much needed energy to accomplish all the wonderful activities and events they’ve planned.
Here are some new “normal” eating recommendations to guide you.
Nobody becomes a “normal” eater overnight. But you can begin. Today!
Accept that progress, not perfection, is your goal. That’s when you can begin to alleviate the stress and worry about what you’re eating.
Then, finally, it’s possible to develop a relationship with your food, your body and your weight that changes your life for the better.
- Ditch the factory made foods. If it comes from a plant, don’t eat it. If it is a plant, enjoy!
- Compose your diet of primarily whole foods.
- Eat meals that include protein, fat, veggies and fruit.
- Aim for a variety of fruits and veggies, 30 different ones within a week so you eat a variety of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Think about eating the rainbow of colors.
- Minimize foods made with sugar and flour.
- Eat foods that provide energy.
- Stop eating when full.
- Avoid snacking.
- Take charge of managing your emotional life so you are less inclined to eat for comfort, boredom or when unhappy.
- Express your emotions directly rather than stuffing them down with food.
- Show curiosity and compassion to yourself if you overeat, under-eat, or gain a couple of pounds. Learn how to take it all in stride as part of the normal ebb and flow of life.
It’s never too late to lose weight successfully and I can help you.
Feeling anxious and confused about “normal” eating can be exhausting! It’s a stressful way to live, only adding more pressure, frustration and anxiety to your day.
Consuming a diet of whole foods, while minimizing the consumption of process foods, can make a measurable difference in your cravings, hunger, food choices and your weight loss outcome.
Let me help you incorporate effective weight loss approaches in alignment with metabolic science into your daily routine so you can take control now. That’s how to make the weight loss you desire your reality!
Please take me up on my offer for your FREE Strategy Call so you can get started making positive changes today.
Making a few strategic shifts right now can be the first falling domino you need to make many more lasting changes.
Hey, my friend, it’s still totally possible to make 2022 your year to create the healthiest you. No matter your age, stage or past disappointments.
Jump start your fresh start. A year from now you will thank yourself because you reached out to me today.
I’m looking forward to meeting you soon.
It’s Never Too Late to make your weight loss journey easier. Let’s get going!
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