Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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
>>They think about food when they are NOT hungry, when they are overfull, to the point of bursting
>>They eat in secret (alone at home, in a room)
>>They think everyone is judging them on every morsel "seen" eaten
>>They judge themselves on every morsel they eat
>>They start diets on Mondays or on the first day of a new month, hoping to have a clean slate
>>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)
>>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).

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."

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.

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.

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 messed up too, so working towards a normal relationship with food takes time. And in my opinion emotional eating can't be dealt with like an addiction (like drugs or alcohol) because we're surrounded by it EVERY DAY, multiple times a day. You can't go "cold-turkey" on food!

I've finally started seeing really big changes in my body and my attitude towards food. It's been a slow process, but very, very rewarding. I see it as "growing up" with regards to food and body image... you wouldn't want to walk around with a 13 year old's perspective of politics or finances or relationships (heaven forbid!) so why would you let your relationship with food be that of a confused, misinformed adolescent?

So what can a normal eater do? I'll tell you because I'm one of them now! (It takes practice every day, but it's getting easier).
>>Go swimming in a regular swimsuit
>>Eat whatever I want in public, TRULY not caring what other people think of me
>>Savoring food--in public, in private, where ever!
>>Not settling for less that what I want: expensive chocolate? Go for it. Pricey salmon? It's done.
>>I don't deprive myself of ANYTHING, yet just because I CAN have anything, it doesn't mean I will eat everything. I won't. I learned to trust myself (NOT through sheer will-power, either!) but through acceptance of myself, my wants, me deserving whatever I want, me allowing myself to have what I want, when I want.
>>I can sit through a TV show or movie without eating
>>I enjoy seeing my body change as the weight slowly slides off (I've lost 30 lbs since starting NE. Weightloss probably started a/b 8 month in)

Do I sound passionate? I AM! This has given me my life back.

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.

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.

Free from emotional eating! Found NE after a long search. Loved Susie Orbach and Geneen Roth and understood many things, but was never able to stop emotional eating. NE gave me real tools to work with, and I've been able to stop. This book is a real jewel for those looking for the way out of the food drama.

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!

One could claim that this book doesn't provide any "new" information in the area of dealing with "disordered eating," as I like to call it. For me, that is a relief.
I have read dozens--literally--of books on dealing with emotional eating, binge eating disorder, intuitive eating, etc. and feel that there is only so much information that is out there. What I felt was that each book was only part of the puzzle. Intuitive Eating gave me the idea of eating from hunger only but did not teach me how to get there. Binge-Eating treatment plans focused on developing regular eating patterns but failed to deal with the emotional side. Emotional eating books were the most helpful, but I always felt like I was missing a clear step by step program.
And so I would jump back and forth from book to book, sometimes feeling like I would have to use them simultaneously to get any real benefit, and this would become very overwhelming and eventually lead to just quitting the attempt.
I have NEVER before seen a book like "Normal Eating for Normal Weight" that so perfectly integrates all the most salient points of treatment for someone with disordered eating. It combines the ideas of eating only from hunger, stopping emotional eating, cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, and making good nutritional choices in a revolutionary way that results in a fabulous, easy to understand, comprehensive program. You are told HOW to get to the point of being able to eat mostly healthy foods only when hungry. It is admittedly a long journey to recovery, but I am excited to begin working through this process using this *one* book as a guide.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but this book and the accompanying website changed my life and set me on the path to good physical and mental health. I am no longer on an endless roller coaster of dieting and binging. I don't spend countless hours pouring over diet books and magazines or reading menus (yes, I read menus). I am finally ALIVE and ACTIVE. I used other non-diet books and resources as well, but this book was the keystone. I highly recommend it to anyone who seeks to be more healthy and struggles with excessive dieting or compulsive eating. If you want to lose 10 lbs. by next weekend, this is not the book for you. But who wants to do that when you can have an entire life free of compulsion?

I was surprised how quickly I became absorbed in this book. It's great way to understand the perils and pitfalls of overeating. It offers excellent, motivating methods to learn how to change one's mind and behavior, which create a sense of deep satisfaction, both physically and emotionally. ' I was particularly drawn to the description of the 'Big Empty,' which describes the compulsive, addictive need to eat more and more, only to feel less and less satisfied. Without preaching or rhetoric, Ms. Canter says that it is only by finding a spiritual connection that we can really feel that longing, ache, black hole of need within. She writes beautifully and her advice is both sound and wise. I highly encourage reading Normal Eating if you're looking for a path to understanding and changing unskillful eating habits. Ronna Kabatznick, Ph.D. author of The Zen of Eating: Ancient Answers to Modern Weight Problems.

Ms. Canter has my number in so many ways. Her book, based on years of experience, her vibrant on-line community, food programs, and research has many important revelations for anyone with eating issues.

The method in the book encourages people to learn how to listen to their bodies, change the destructive thinking that many of us indulge in, and find some sanity in the insane world of eating, food, and desire in the United States. Canter says that her program isn't a quick fix and, while I'm not an active member of her community, I know that a healthy relationship with what goes into my body took a long while to develop. If she said she could solve an intractable problem like this quickly, it would reason to doubt.

Normal Eating can become one of the healthful tools that people with eating issues and other addictive behaviors can use to improve their lives.

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