A person's metabolism is decreased, therefore, we burn fewer calories in an attempt to maintain optimal health. Symptoms, such as, increased obsessional thinking about food, weight and hunger, increased duration and intensity of hunger are the body's attempts to resist significant deviation from the set point. Normal eating is being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied. Normal eating is being able to use some moderate constraint on you 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, most of the time, but it can also be choosing to munch along.
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 trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating. It is also under eating at times and wishing you had more. Normal eating takes up 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 moderate.