The article is full of good information, but it is hard to get past the sensationalistic picture which seems at first glance to reinforce the idea of eating, at least certain foods, as “bad”.

Yes, to indicate that it is fine to, really, eat so that we feel good inside, rather than to just eat enough to sustain our tiny birdlike figure, the picture should have been of a larger sized woman, not so pretty, digging into a large piece of cream cake, or a slice of pizza. This picture of a model eating a green salad hardly supports the notion of not treating food as good or bad

Our “one size fits all” mindset in America rears its ugly head with food. Not only does this destroy our sense of uniqueness, it keeps us from fostering a real and meaningful connection with food.

That said, “normal eating” for me is any food that gives me pleasure. Healthy or not, if I ain’t finding pleasure in what I eat, it’s not normal.

I love eating, I really love it. I want to feel good as well, so I do have restrictions on what I eat.

I don’t just want to “enjoy” today, but tomorrow as well.

What I do is that when I want to eat something that could be a “sin”, for example a cake, I find ways, recipes that make the cake tasty and healthy as far as possible.

I “hunt” for healthy alternatives. The combination of “good taste” and “health” is at times a challenge, so I try to get as close as possible to it.

If I do eat something that was a “sin”, I don’t allow myself to feel guilty. I accept the choice I have made, and will “pay” the price by restricting a bit the next day… doing some more exercise and eating healthier the next day.

This is then not a real restriction, because I choose to do it and I enjoy doing it.

When I am my ideal weight, I treat myself 1-2 times a month a to a food I wouldn’t normally include in my diet. The overweight eater will treat themselves everyday and spout “the diet article I read said to eat whatever I want to eat”.

I like Dr. Beck’s comment on before meal hunger. When I prepare the next meal I leave the finished portions out, like the salad. As I finish the other portions, I sneak one or two pieces of leaf lettuce.

The best resolution I have found is exercise before a meal. Boosts the metabolism in another direction. A good 15-20 minute fast walk passes excess gastric juices right on through. Then the meal portions become pleasantly adequate.

Personally I would attribute your last rule in particular to helping me stick to a better diet. I’m busier than ever at the moment, which means when I’m done eating I usually dive straight into my tasks leaving little time to dwell on what I’ve just eaten or would like to eat. This makes me think ‘not having enough time’ to stick to a healthy diet is a very poor excuse!

For example, I, like another poster, feel bad when I eat processed food. Therefore, I steer clear of it. However, I can go nuts on fruit and must watch myself that I do not mindlessly eat a pound of grapes in one sitting.

My biggest struggle is not eating healthy but eating healthy around my parents. My family will eat healthy all year round and spend one week with my parents and we all gain weight. I do not call this normal eating but my parents do it over and over again.

Restrict! Restrict! Restrict! Restrict! Because Michelle Obama needs her mega-expensive vacation in Spain! AIG, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup need their bailouts! Al Gore and Barack Obama need their mansions! Al Gore also needs his call girls and a top-ranked attorney!

But, what i noticed is that it helps to get a shift in your routine and to get a positive feeling mentally and physically.

So see if you are having problems losing weight and no diet plans work for you, try something that gets you out of your routine.

Some of the different supplements will give you a boost, help you cleanse, detox and give you more energy. I think they are good to jump start your mood and mental change so you can stay on a good diet plan and weight loss plan.

Mike