Normal Eating for Normal Weight: The Path to Freedom from Weight Obsession and Food Cravings

After years of hating myself--since I was 12--and punishing myself with food (and putting on 50 lbs) I finally learned how to eat normally. What is eating normally? Well, I spent so much of my life not eating normally that I can tell you what a not-normal eater is/does: >>They calculate how much food they can "steal" from work without getting caught <br />>>They think about food when they are NOT hungry, when they are overfull, to the point of bursting <br />>>They eat in secret (alone at home, in a room) <br />>>They think everyone is judging them on every morsel "seen" eaten <br />>>They judge themselves on every morsel they eat <br />>>They start diets on Mondays or on the first day of a new month, hoping to have a clean slate <br />>>Whether it's conscious or not, their weight and eating habits determine their self-worth (what kind of day they'll have, whether they deserve to go out our not) <br />>>They make jokes about their physical body or pretend they don't have a body at all (i.e. they don't shop for properly fitting clothes, they allow themselves to be unseen one when out with friends, they feel they don't DESERVE happiness until they get thin). <br /> <br />So, sadly to say, I wasted YEARS of my life living that way. Then in December of 2007, I found Normal Eating. The eBook and forum community have been the most amazing combination of tools to help me become a normal eater. It isn't easy--but what worthwhile thing is? It's NOT a quick fix. But it is a permanent fix for those patient and committed enough to start caring about themselves (not in the "I eat healthy and exercise every day and floss everyday, too!" self-care, but the "I deserve to have a brownie because I am human. I am NOT a monster. I deserve to eat whatever I want, when I want because I am in charge on my body--not my parents, not my spouse, not my friends. ME." <br /> <br />Most importantly, I learned WHY I eat emotionally--this was through ME learning about ME, not reading examples about other peoples' experiences. I was able to learn that all foods are equal in life (eating chocolate or eating kale doesn't define whether I am a good person or a bad person) and how to eat brownies in public. Or ice cream. Or just go to the local swimming pool in a swimsuit and find inner peace. <br /> <br />I also learned to be compassionate towards myself: a primary principle of Normal Eating is that the fat we carry ONLY means that we don't have the skills to deal with life's stressors in ways other than food. In a well-defined (yet flexible-enough) 4-step progression, Normal Eating teaches you how to deal with life's stressors instead of eating. Again the program is NOT a quick fix, but I'd had my share of quick fixes and was no longer going to be swayed into disappointment again. <br /> <br />The Normal Eating process takes anywhere from 1 to 2 years. That's right, years. But if you think about it, your relationship with food has been a LONG one, probably pretty mes

I remember several years ago wondering idly what would happen if I gave up restricting what I ate, and just ate whatever I truly wanted -- It was a daring idea, and, I felt, laughable -- A pipe dream I'd never risk trying. The chance I'd wind up as big as a house made the whole scheme too scary. Fortunately, many diets later, I stumbled on Sheryl Canter's program, and found that it provides the guidance I'd been lacking earlier. Through her book, you learn what your body, spirit and emotions truly need, and to feed them with the appropriate sustenance. Canter's book is a gem. It is straightforward. There are no gimmicks. She just tells the truth, clearly and wisely. Canter cuts to heart of the emptiness and longing that lie beneath compulsive eating, and she shows the reader an effective 4-step path to become free of it. With the guidance offered by Sheryl Canter's book and her on-line community at normaleating.com, I can now do what I could only imagine a few years ago. I can eat whatever I want, and I don't gain weight -- nor am I obsessed with gaining or losing weight -- because I've learned how to listen to what my body wants, and learned how to satisfy my hungry emotions-- not to try to fill them up with food.

I just counted, and I currently have 43 books on this subject. No kidding! So what does this book offer that the others don't? I was pleased to discover several missing key points contained in this book. On my two years and eight months journey in reclaiming my inner-normal eater, I had become stuck. I thought I knew everything there was to know on this subject, but was surprised to find that I had several "aha" moments while reading this book. Some tools that are actually useable and useful in my everyday life: 1)a food log that is easy to use and one you record before, during and after eating, which has increased my awareness in the moment. 2)a wonderful tool called the Pause (this has been extremely powerful to me). 3)The idea that too much focus on losing weight will backfire and will actually get in the way of that goal. 4)understanding that this is a process with certain steps or stages that need to be experienced....it can't be rushed. I could go on and on, but I think you should find out for yourself and read the book. Sheryl Canter writes in a very readable style. She has "been there" and her advice is very practical and sound. So far, I'm very pleased with the book and am also enjoying the rich resources in her forum. I consider it money well spent. I still have weight I would like to lose, so I will post another review later on this year if the information in this book helps me to achieve that. Joy L.

I first read a shorter version of this book eighteen months ago. At the time I had a poor body image, was obsessed with weight loss, had a terrible fear of weight gain, was a binge-eater and compulsive exerciser. I'd tried, without success, to solve my eating and body image issues by reading almost every other book published on the subject. Sheryl's book, in combination with her extremely good online support forum allowed me to completely change the way I look at my body and the way I behave around food. I still overeat sometimes, but I no longer binge and I've overcome my exercise addiction. "Normal Eating" takes a compassionate and common sense approach to solving eating problems, largely through increasing mindfulness. Written in a simple, pragmatic style, the book outlines a practical four-stage method of changing your relationship with food and your body. A major difference between this and similar programs is that Normal Eating focusses on ACTION. Rather than encouraging the reader to engage in wishy-washy thought / visualisation exercises as some programs do, this book focusses on making real, lasting, tangible changes to your behaviour and your thinking. Sheryl makes no claim that this is easy or a quick fix. It isn't. It took me a year of hard work and regular participation on the forum to really see changes in my behaviour and eating. But it paid off. I still find it amazing that I no longer binge, and I'm extremely grateful to the author for this positive change in my life.

Prior to discovering the Normal Eating book and website, I had tried Geneen Roth's books, Overeaters Anonymous, and myriad self-help programs to heal my obsession with dieting and my weight. Nothing ever "clicked" for me in the way Normal Eating has! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am now a normal eater, at a normal body weight, and most of the time I don't worry or obsess about food. I am free to enjoy any food, anywhere, without guilt, and I've learned to deal with my feelings in a direct and productive way. I am indebted to Sheryl Canter and her ingeniously simple approach to intuitive, natural, normal eating (just like children do before our society gets to their brains!). It works precisely because it's not a gimmick, not a list of 10 foolproof strategies. Instead, it is a journey into yourself, and there is work only you can do. But it's so worth it!