Anyone care to join me in eating like a normal person?

[HouseHell]

So after starting a thread and being inspired by peoples normality...I'm going to give it a shot!

I have been referred for CBT for binge eating disorder and until that starts at the end of the month I have been advised not to diet...to just eat normally. Sounds easy right? After years of constant dieting/ fasting/ binging I wasn't really sure what normal people eat on a day to day basis.

So here I am...
For breakfast I have had porridge and semi skimmed milk and a cup of tea.

I am spinning later tonight. I won't binge on rubbish or eat till my stomach hurts.

I'm so fed up of being fat and miserable...I don't want to hate myself anymore.

And the sun is shining...

Good for you househell!

Do you mind if I just put in one suggestion (speaking as a recent convert to what you're embarking on)?

Don't think 'I'm not going to binge', instead think of something really nice and healthy that you ARE going to eat later today. I've just discovered an amazing fish shop near us, and I'm really enjoying trying different kinds. If you're thinking about what you're NOT going to eat it's much much harder to keep going.

Today is my first day of "normality"

I have prepared by throwing out all the crap I love to eat (cakes / biscuits / sugary cereal / crisps - it all got eaten over Easter, or binned)

I am heading out to the shops soon to stock up on my healthy essentials.

I have 3st to shift and right now it seems like an impossible task, food is my only reward > comfort > vice at the moment but I cannot carry on down the path I have been on.

I am fat and miserable and I need to sort my life out.

CBT sounds like a very positive step. I will be very interested to hear how you find it.

X

Also I did post on your "what do normal people eat" thread.

I listed what I normally eat when I am being healthy and I haven't been healthy for a very long time if I am completely honest.

Today so far is a slice of wholemeal toast with humus, and I am about to have a yoghurt.

I tend to meal plan (I use MFP) so I have a rough idea of what I will be eating in advance and it helps me stay focused.

Wow amazing goals! Be aware that in the first few days you might crave sugar/fat like there is no tomorrow as your body will be coming down from them, and you will have a hard time with appetite regulation unless you manage to do some exercise.

But Get over those first few days and it should start becoming easier...it might also be easier if you create a meal plan,little meals every 3 hrs, lots of veg, and lean meat, make sure you get enough protein, and just a little recommendation but I used to have a credo bar (100kcal) every evening as a big treat and it really gave me something to look forward to! I lost 3 stone post pregnancy that way.

Sorry Freddo, not credo ! Damn autocorrect....

Househell I'll join you! I've had 10 years this year of anorexia/bulimia/binge eating and it was like a switch has gone in my brain recently that enough is enough and i am bored as hell of it!
I am going to post WHATEVER i eat even if it's a day from hell as i think being accountable for it will help, my issues have always been i've been very secretive around food how much/little i'm eating at the time.

Yes to eating like a normal person!

I'm having CAT (cognitive analytic therapy) for similar problems and was very interested in your "what do normal people eat" thread. I do intend post my average days diet as the list would be too long .

I really want to get to eating 3 healthy and substantial meals a day, mainly no snacks, but the ability to be flexible when circumstances mean I need to have a snack. It's bloody tough though.

Do intend = didn't

Yay for eating like a normal person lol! I am a terrible emotional eater and have a tendency to binge eat - I'll go through weeks when my eating is really terrible but when I am being 'good' my diet is pretty healthy. I've found MFP the best diet ever because you can eat whatever you want (no banned foods or diet rules) but you still have that calorie goal to aim for so you know when to stop. It helped me lose 20 lbs pre-pregnancy and I've just started it again to lose my baby weight. One tip - don't set your calorie allowance too low. You don't need to be on 1,200 calories a day (well, not unless you're very petite and sedentary) - 1,500 (or even up to 1,800) is much more sensible, and sustainable.

Good luck Househell! I am the same
as you, either have an amazingly clean diet and don't deviate (I actually enjoy it too!) or stuffing myself on crap all day- I had a takeaway every day last week, plus 5 of those big chocolate bags daily too.. I just can't stop! After a few weeks of this I feel really ill so back to being clean.
I was like this when I was younger but have had the last 4 years being 'normal' and maintained my weight, the key was being ultra healthy with the odd treat, and then straight back on it the next day. It all went to pot when I had a baby..

I picked all day rather than proper meals
don't know if this sounds loads or not much

a slice of spanish omelette
rolo chocolates
slither (literally about a 5th of the recommended serving size) of lemon tart
a couple of oat cakes
a few mouthfuls of dauphinoise potatoes cause it was in the fridge.

I just have no idea how much normal people eat

Honestly lastqueenofscotland that sounds like next to nothing to me. Have you tried tracking calories on myfitnesspal? That would give you a better idea of what 'normal' is (bearing in mind that the average woman needs 2,000 calories to maintain weight and 1,500 calories to.list a pound a week).

lose, that is. Oops!

Honestly someone slap me, all stoge and carbohydrate!! i went for a run if that makes this any better

M&Ms and some french bread and butter for breakfast
jacket potato for lunch
two slices of toast with marmite and a pack of sun bites

love me some carbs!

I found Myfitnesspal a really useful wake-up call. I had no idea how much carbs I was eating, and how little protein. Upping my protein both fills me up and makes me feel better than carbs.

today i feel is a bit better, i am vegetarian so protein can be tricky if I'm feeling lazy

2X crumpets after a run
spinach and ricotta ravioli
portobella mushrooms stuffed with onion, mushroom, sundried tomato, manchego cheese and garlic and parsley breadcrums are ready to go in the oven later. Will have with some green veg and carrots

That seems fairly normal to me?!

That sounds good lastqueenofscotland. I like the sound of the portabello mushrooms!

Today I've had...
Pain au chocolat and yogurt for breakfast
Egg and cress sandwiches (used 2 sandwich thins) with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and grapes for lunch. Oh, and 1 mini chocolate egg courtesy of my DD!
Roast chicken, roast spuds, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, peas,2 mini Yorkshire puds and gravy for dinner.
I made a banoffee cheesecake yesterday so will be having a slice of that once kids are in bed.

I think that's fairly normal (except maybe the cheesecake!). No urge to binge and that's the main thing.

I think some of you have a misconception about what a normal eater is and appear to be doing the 'normal eating diet' i.e. throwing out all goodies. Normal eaters do not do that. Normal eaters do not have cupboards devoid of snacks and goodies. If you have thrown out all biscuits, cakes and crisps then you are on yet another diet.

A normal eater does not think about food very much but has the food that they enjoy in their cupboard. Normal eaters are food lovers but they eat what they like and don't obsess about it. No food is banned. No food is fattening unless it is indulged to excess.

A normal eater will not think about food until they feel actual hunger. They will then decide what they want to eat. If they fancy a cheeseburger then they will have it but about halfway through they might just stop eating without thinking about it because they feel stuffed. They then don't think about food again until they feel hungry. They can have crisps biscuits cakes and chocolate in the cupboard but these things can remain untouched and be forgotten about. A normal eater will have these things to eat when they want them and they know they can eat them whenever they like so they don't particularly want them if that makes sense. Its the sense of deprivation that makes people binge. That's why diets don't work.

So stop listing the food you are eating and wondering if it is too much. That is not normal eating. Just listen to your body and how it feels. You can actually tell if you have overeaten by how you feel physically. A normal eater will eat healthy food because that is what they are naturally drawn to and it is what they like eating. Make a lovely salad, cook your favourite veg, eat a lovely piece of fruit or some nuts and you will enjoy them. But most of all, eat what you really fancy eating, not what you think you should have. If its a doughnut washed down with a chocolate milkshake then have it. You probably feel a sugar overload and want something more healthy for your next meal but if not then have whatever you fancy. That is normal eating, freedom and choice. Stop feeling guilty and eat what you actually want to eat.

There's a very good Kindle book I would recommend by Josie Spinardi, called How to Have Your Cake and Your Skinny Jeans Too. She sums it up better I think than anyone else I have read. I myself have always been a normal eater and have never thought about it before but my daughter managed to become a binge eater whilst living away from home so I researched the subject. I hope this will be of help to someone.

Oh, incidentally, cheesecake is normal, yes. All food is normal.

I think thar eating plans such as slimming world extra easy or weight watchers filling and healthy are good for training your body to a normal healthy diet as there is a list of basic healthy foods - lean meat, and vege alternatives, beans, fish, rice, some pasta which you can eat to your appetite ( comfortably full) then you get a more limited allowance for treats and alcohol - the idea being that you fill up on something like chicken , potato, salad but can feel free to have a small chocolate bar or glass of wine if you fancy - no food is banned so you don't obsess and crave what you can't have.

I think that if the OP binges, she has a food addiction, essentially, so the 'listen to your body's cues' and 'stop when you're full' stuff just won't work, because its not about feeling full, or eating to stop hunger, it's a full-blown addiction to the sensations of eating certain kinds of food. No one who eats normally can know what it's like for an addictive over-eater, just as she can have no concept of 'normal eating'.

OP, good for you. If I have one suggestion, and you're open to reading something before you start therapy, it would be Gillian Riley's book 'Eating Less', which is very good and very sane on how to understand the mechanics of your own over-eating, and strategies for moving beyond it. She's not interested in the past, in childhood roots if eating habits etc -which you may explore in therapy - but I think she's excellent on the moment before you fall face first into a six-pack of crisps, and how to re-establish choice.

I need to sort my eating habits out too, but it's so hard when I'm doing finals and the kitchen DP and I share is absolutely tiny - by the time we've done all we need to do in the day, cooking isn't on the menu. And when we do eat/cook healthy it costs about £5-10 a meal because we have meat, veg etc. It's just a bit disheartening and it's a lot easier to just get ready meals and snack on junk - and it makes us feel better about our workload when we spend so much time sat in front of computers. However, I do want to turn over a new leaf and I do want to eat well and afford it! Frustrating thing is I know HOW to do it - I just don't!