What is normal eating?

One of the handouts that I have from the lectures is on normal eating and what is normal eating?  I think the handout says it best, so I'm going to type it just as it appears.

Normal eating is being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied.

It is being able to choose foods you like and eat it and truly get enough of it - not just stop eating because you think you should.

Normal eating is being able to use some moderate constraint on your food selection to get the right food, but not being so restrictive that you miss out on pleasurable foods.

Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good.

Normal eating is three meals a day, or it can be choosing to munch along the way.

It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful when they are fresh.

Normal eating is overeating at times:  felling stuffed and uncomfortable.  It is also under-eating at times and wishing you had more.

Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating.

Normal eating takes some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life.

In short, normal eating is flexible and varied, in response to your emotions, your schedule, your hunger and your proximity to food.

Closing thought for the day:  I like this handout on normal eating because it addresses all of life's issues including emotions.  It doesn't have the "diet" mindset as something that we go on and then later go off.  It also addresses both sides of the 90/10 rule or guideline.