Thursday, June 28, 2012

What do normal people eat?

How do normal people eat?

I'm an alcoholic too, and I can easily recognize a normal drinker -- someone with a perfectly healthy attitude toward alcohol. With alcohol, the normal drinker can take it or leave it.

Of course, with food we can't take it or leave it -- we have to eat.

And i have to say that after all these years, i'm not really sure how a normal eater eats and how she thinks about food and weight,etc. Maybe because it's still hard for me to believe that someone could be completely comfortable with her relationship to food and body.

I suppose the range for normal is pretty big...?

What do you guys think?

5 comments:

  1. I am 100% recovered from Anorexia.
    I eat what is normal, in the sense, I eat my meals, I snack if I am hungry, I eat more at meals if I am hungry, I may even stop if I am feeling full.
    I am aware of what my body needs.
    My body weight is exactly what it needs to be (my body made that choice not me!)
    I love my body, feel perfectly comfortable in it, cannot remember what the word fat feels like...
    And I am not alone. I have at least two best friends who could vouch for the exact same thing.
    So yes, it is different than recovery from drink, or even self harm for that matter, but it is possible and it is because I have it and others do.
    You find a way to do it I guess.
    I cannot tell you how to, but I can tell you it is possible <3

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  2. How wonderful. And so good to know.

    I am in such a better place than ever, and i like my body a whole lot more and i don't worry about the whole thing too much BUT there's residual stuff.

    I'm glad to know that such freedom is possible.

    thanks for your great comment!

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  3. Oh boy. I don't even *believe* in normal! Maybe you mean average... which I would think a nutritionist could help you figure out. Or some internet sites. But I think you mean something other than servings and portions. And I would guess that when it isn't a commanding thought that drives your day, you're there. So glad you're writing again, btw!

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  4. Melissa- this is Shae from The Soft Spoken Girl. I deleted my blog a little while ago and started a new one on wordpress; I will email you the link if you would like. Anyway, I wanted to check back and see how you're doing. So excited to see updates! :)

    In one of my treatment centers, we had a Nutrition class that focused on normal eating. In our culture, there just is no such thing. The focus is always on the food- the calorie or fat or carbs, or the imminent weight gain. It is "normal" to hear someone say that they'll exercise more, or starve tomorrow, in an effort to "make up" for what they just ate. The thing is, this isn't "normal" eating. I distinguish these eaters as chronic dieters: people constantly living in the diet mentality. To me, chronic dieters and people with eating disorders are very structured around food and their beliefs about it.

    Normal eating is variable. Normal eating is eating when you are hungry, and stopping when you're moderately full. It is overeating sometimes, and under-eating others, but overall, getting what you need. Normal eating is eating foods that taste good just because. It is getting a variety of foods and honoring your cravings.

    I tell myself to eat like a child all the time. Most children eat exactly what they want, when they want it, in the portions they intuitively know they need. "Eat like a child!"

    Normal eating is intuitive eating. There is a lot of literature on Intuitive Eating- I recommend you read the book "Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works!"

    I think that in our culture, becoming a normal or an intuitive eater takes work. I wish that wasn't the case. We can fight back against the diet mentality of our culture one intuitive bite at a time. :)

    I hope that you're well. Keep your head up!
    Shae

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  5. D.M. Exactly! i love when i'm engaged elsewhere and not even thinking about the whole topic in the least. which, i guess, explains a little my frustration which last weekend (see most recent post.)

    Shae; Yes, of course, email me the link to your blog!!! hope YOU are well.

    i am quite well, really. i just have questions.

    i work with a lot of women and i'm always interested in their relationships to their bodies and what they eat. some seem freer than others.

    look forward to hearing from YOU! love, M

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