Normal Eating Support Group 

Some sort of feedback from others is usually necessary for the Normal Eating process to work. It's not something that most people can do on their own. The reason is the built-in resistance that people have to surfacing the issues that must be surfaced to stop the emotional eating.

A primary reason that people eat when they aren't hungry is to escape awareness of what's really bothering them. Non-hunger eating is a powerful way to distract yourself. The eating experience itself distracts attention by shifting focus to a comfort behavior, plus the self-castigation and weight obsession that follows also serve as a distraction. Instead of thinking about the real problem, you are thinking about your eating and weight.

There is huge natural resistance to surfacing the issues that the eating masks, since the purpose of the eating is to mask these issues. All the tools at every stage of Normal Eating are geared towards getting around this natural resistance. For a rare few - people who are unusually self-aware and good at introspection - this is enough. But most people need feedback from others, in some form, to see what their minds just won't let them see on their own.

The forum can be an effective means of getting you to "think outside the box" and see connections you wouldn't otherwise. Sometimes people get profound insights just from reading other people's posts. But the best way to use the forum is to post your thoughts and feelings, so you can get feedback from fellow members or myself. This will not only give you direct and focused help, it will help others as well, and make the forum as a whole stronger. After all, if everyone lurked, there would be no posts to read!

The other thing about the forum that's very healing is the comraderie and acceptance. So many people struggling with compulsive eating and excess weight are filled with self-loathing, and feel completely alone in this struggle. Learning to love yourself is an important element in the Normal Eating process, and it's hard to do this on your own. It's a revelation and a relief to learn that others feel exactly as you do. And there is nothing more encouraging than seeing someone just like you succeed. You will read many success stories in the forum.

To join the Normal Eating Support Group, click here. Or to learn more about the benefits of membership, click here.