Normal Eating

24/09/2024

Interesting, but not surprising to us!

Researchers have found that when exposed to images of food, the brains of women who reported being lonely showed alterations in some regions.

22/08/2024

When I first stopped dieting, my friends thought I’d gone mad. I was 50 pounds over my natural weight and could fit into one flouncy dress. One night my friend Susan and I were out to dinner and I ordered a brownie with ice cream for dessert. Glowering at me, Susan said. “Really, Geneen, you can’t possibly think that eating that is good for you. You should find a diet and stick to it.”

I took a deep breath and said that I was doing something new with food and that, while I appreciated her concern, her comments were not helpful.

Susan muttered, “Well, I hope you know what you are doing.” I said I did. And that was that. (Sort of. A year later, after I’d reached my natural weight, Susan called and asked me if she could join my Breaking Free support group for emotional eaters. Justice comes in many forms.)

I often get desperate letters from people who want to know what to say to spouses and friends who comment on their weight and food intake.

My response is: Once we are adults, it is not anyone’s job but our own to monitor what goes into our mouths. It’s not that nutritional and medical information is not necessary or helpful; it is. It’s not that loving friends and family are not necessary and helpful; they are. But when it gets down to the foods you eat on a given day, you are the boss.

Why? Two reasons. The first is that unless you begin claiming that right, you will spend your life eating cottage cheese in front of people who think you should be eating cottage cheese, and brownies and ice cream when you are alone, never taking the power that is yours.

The second reason is that as loving as any intention from a friend or family member may be, it is misguided. When someone else comments on what you eat or how much you weigh, it evokes shame, and I can say with absolute certainty that shame does not ever lead to long-lasting change. Shame only leads to more shame.

So what does work? Two things: Being clear and direct about your own needs, and reminding yourself again and again that you are the boss of your own body.

This is an excerpt of “Finding a Chocolate Truffle in the Rain.” Read the full article: https://buff.ly/3XbZbI9

22/08/2024

🤔

Researchers have found that when exposed to images of food, the brains of women who reported being lonely showed alterations in some regions.

01/05/2024

This. 👇

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/01/02/ultra-processed-foods-identification/

Ultra-processed foods have been linked with a litany of health problems. Here’s a guide for identifying them.

19/07/2023

26/12/2022

🙄

14/05/2021

I just noticed a really nice review of my book, "Normal Eating for Normal Weight".

https://www.amazon.com/review/R5DJE1FEXP5Y8/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0963078178

05/03/2021

I discovered yesterday that the Contact form on my Web site mysteriously stopped working. I have no idea how long the problem has existed, but I think for a while. You will get a confirmation that the message was sent, but in fact it was not.

👉 If you emailed me in the past and never got a response, it's because I didn't receive your message! 👈

You can always message me through Facebook and I'll give you my email address. Also, the Contact forms throughout the Web site do work now.

Sorry for the confusion. And especially sorry if you wrote and I didn't answer.

16/09/2020

We all have a tendency to view our body weight inaccurately. Want an objective estimate? Try this cool tool:

Body Visualizer. See your 3D body shape from measurements.