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The art of eating normally and breaking free of dieting rules

What does it mean to eat normally? Well, that depends on how you look at it. In this post, I’ll talk about how I viewed normal eating when I was dieting and how I view it now as an intuitive eater. 

What I used to think was normal eating?

I spent years reading magazines with tips about how to lose weight fast and watching shows constantly making comments about not eating certain foods so they don’t gain weight. So I had the impression normal eating was thinking about whether or not food will make you gain weight. And thinking about losing weight to be more attractive

Then after I decided to become a dietitian, I was surrounded by health conscious people where we were constantly talking about the foods that are full of nutrients and how they affect the body. I heard lots of side conversations about helping people with the right way to eat. I even thought that myself in the beginning and spent years with good intentions to try to help people

This experience reaffirmed my belief that normal eating was trying to control yourself around food so you don’t overeat, gain weight, and become unhealthy.

That all led to years of me stressing over my food choices and constantly thinking about food until I changed my relationship with food. 

How I view eating normally after finding food freedom

To me eating normally isn’t what you’re eating, it’s how you’re approaching eating. It’s not eating a certain meal pattern containing specific foods. Because, really, the types of foods that are normal to you will vary based on your culture and what you’re used to.

Eating normally is being able to feed yourself based on your hunger for food and taste until satisfied without worrying about the foods you’re eating. Or worrying you’ll overdo it if you’re not careful. 

Experiencing peace and ease around food is normal. 

Trusting yourself to be around food is normal eating. 

A healthy relationship with food is normal, or at least my goal is to help everyone create that. 

How to learn to eat normally?

If you’re looking to stop obsessing over food and develop a peaceful relationship with food, my recommendation is an intuitive eating and food freedom approach by 

  • Getting in touch with your body’s hunger and fullness cues 
  • Questioning the beliefs you have about food
  • Giving yourself full permission to eat 
  • Practicing the beliefs you want to create about food
  • Eating without rules
  • Learn food neutrality
  • Practice trusting your body’s hunger and fullness cues

If you’ve spent years dieting, it will take time and practice to create a better relationship with food and your body. So try to have compassion for yourself on your food freedom journey and look for progress, not perfection.

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