How to look normal eating?

kleine_schwein

Anyone any advice on overcoming weird habits such as putting knife + fork down after every bite, counting number of chews, chopping food in to very small pieces before eating, only eating in a clockwise motion and rotating the plate after each bite? I've tried to just -not do it- but I am getting nowhere.

How do you deal with feeling full?

What is a normal amount of time you're supposed to spend eating a bowl of cereal? (weetabix).

How long are you supposed to spend eating dinner?

Sorry about all the weird questions... maybe this should be in a different forum... I'm just a bit lost I'm moving abroad in 6 weeks and part of my job will include eating breakfast and dinner around others, and I really dont want to look odd!!

laurenm94

First of all don't worry about the speed of your eating, there is no normal speed as it simply depends on the person.

When people eat with others they tend to eat slower as their mind is not fully concentrated on their food so if you are a slow eater then this may ease some worries but don't let it bother you as it is more important that you eat at your own pace rather than rush and become uncomfortable or feel bad.

Becoming comfortable with being full is something that will happen gradually if you are not used to it. There is no easy way, especially if you have been uncomfortable with it for a long time. Just eat until you have satisfied your hunger but not until bursting.

It seems to me (and please don't take offence if I am wrong) that your habits are similar to those with ocd or eating disorders? If they bother you and interfere with your life perhaps talk to a specialist about eating habits etc. If it is not either of those things then perhaps talk to them anyway as they can still help you overcome these problems. Before you go abroad, talk to your doctor and see if they can reccomend someone that can give you some techniques and tips to deal with this while you are away. Then while you are abroad, if you still feel it is giving you trouble then find someone over there?

I'm sorry I'm not much help but best of luck in your job.

kleine_schwein

laurenm94 wrote: »

First of all don't worry about the speed of your eating, there is no normal speed as it simply depends on the person.

When people eat with others they tend to eat slower as their mind is not fully concentrated on their food so if you are a slow eater then this may ease some worries but don't let it bother you as it is more important that you eat at your own pace rather than rush and become uncomfortable or feel bad.

Becoming comfortable with being full is something that will happen gradually if you are not used to it. There is no easy way, especially if you have been uncomfortable with it for a long time. Just eat until you have satisfied your hunger but not until bursting.

It seems to me (and please don't take offence if I am wrong) that your habits are similar to those with ocd or eating disorders? If they bother you and interfere with your life perhaps talk to a specialist about eating habits etc. If it is not either of those things then perhaps talk to them anyway as they can still help you overcome these problems. Before you go abroad, talk to your doctor and see if they can reccomend someone that can give you some techniques and tips to deal with this while you are away. Then while you are abroad, if you still feel it is giving you trouble then find someone over there?

I'm sorry I'm not much help but best of luck in your job.

Yeah apparently I have an eating disorder (dont really like to admit it).

Have been in hospital for it twice but I didn't really deal with the obsessive food behaviours there... just as long as I ate,it didn't matter. I see a psychologist once a week but it's more to talk about depression and anxiety.

I just find it hard to distinguish whether I'm actually full or not,or whether I'm too full/bloated or what and then sometimes I end up making myself sick.

I also dont know how much you're supposed to chew your food before it's counted as weird and excessive.

Eating just baffles me. Should probably just ask my psychologist if he can help me out more with this concern.

Thanks.

Seren_

Hey there.

I think discussing your eating habits with your psychologist is probably the best thing to do. They'll be able to help you out much more than us here It can be a slow process changing the habits you've had for years (I speak from experience), but if you work at it it does get easier. Good luck!