How to Eat Like a “Normal Person” – Without Diet Rules or Guilt

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Read the Episode Transcript:

How to Eat Like a Normal Person

Hey there, welcome back to the Eating Habits for Life podcast.

So let me ask you something I’ve heard from so many of my clients:
Have you ever said, or even just thought, “I just want to eat like a normal person”?

Not like someone on a diet.
Not like someone constantly overanalyzing every bite.
Not like someone who feels out of control around certain foods.
But just… normal.

If you’ve said that, I want you to know two things right off the bat:
One…. you’re not alone.
And two…. that version of you already exists. You’re just not fully connected to her yet.

In this episode, I’m walking you through what it actually means to eat like a normal person,
why it can feel so hard sometimes,
and how to start rewiring your brain and your habits so it becomes your default mode, not your dream mode.

Oh, and if this message hits home, now’s the time to join my Summer Weight Loss Reset group coaching program.
It’s 8 weeks. It’s supportive.
It’s designed to help you shift your habits in real life, not just on paper.

I’ll share more about that later in the episode.
But for now, let’s talk about what normal actually means when it comes to eating, so you can finally feel like yourself again. And never have to google, “how to lose weight” again. Sound good? Thought so…let’s dive in.

What You Think “Normal Eating” Looks Like

When most people say “I want to eat like a normal person,”
what they’re picturing is someone who…

• Never overeats.
• Has no cravings.
• Gets excited over kale and beets
• Says things like, “Oh I’m full” after half a chicken breast.

Here’s the truth:
That version of “normal” is a myth.
It’s either someone pretending, someone deeply disconnected from food, or maybe something else entirely, but that’s not most of us. Not even close.

Real normal eaters aren’t perfect. They just aren’t at war with food.

They don’t moralize it. They don’t make eating kale mean they’re a good person and they don’t make eating a cookie mean they’re bad.
They don’t spiral if they noticed they snacked out of boredom.
They don’t fear that the cupcake 2 nights in a row will put on a pound of fat.

And here’s the kicker: they’re not using superhuman willpower to do that.
Their brain just isn’t tangled up in rules and guilt.

So, if you think eating like a normal person means craving celery and finding dessert repulsive, then I think you’re in for a big surprise.

Why You Don’t Feel Normal Around Food

If eating feels like a battle for you, it’s not because you lack discipline.
It’s because your brain has been trained…by diets, by stress, by repetition….to think and eat a certain way.

You might…

• Automatically finish everything on your plate.
• Feel like if you start, you won’t stop.
• Use food to soothe stress or reward yourself after a long day.

And here’s the big one, you might have internalized the idea that you’re broken when it comes to food.

You’re not.
You just have patterns.
And patterns can be changed.

They can be changed with how you think about things and of course how you do things. And willpower doesn’t even need to come into play here.

What Normal Eating Actually Looks Like

Let’s redefine it. Normal eating is:

• Listening to hunger and fullness, but not obsessively.
• Having a cookie without guilt or the need to “make up for it” later.
• Eating pizza and moving on with your day.
• Sometimes overeating and not making it mean something about your worth.

It’s flexibility.
It’s trust.
And yes, it’s learned.

Because when you’re not trying to follow a thousand food rules,
you actually start to hear what your body needs again.

So imagine this: you can have two bites of cake and stop and move on, not because you’re a saint, but because your brain isn’t panicking like it’s the last dessert on Earth.

How You Start Eating Like a Normal Person

You don’t need a 47-step plan. You need simple, powerful shifts:

1. Build awareness without judgment.
   Notice when you eat on autopilot. Be curious. That’s where the gold is. Is it when you’re working on an annoying work project? Is it when you’re watching Netflix at night?
2. Break the mental rules.
   “I already blew it today…” — no, you didn’t. That mindset keeps the cycle going. It keeps it going because it makes you feel crummy and when you feel crummy, your brain will naturally want to use food for comfort or pleasure. Ot at the very least, when you feel crummy, it’s really hard to feel energized and motivated to get back on track.
3. Rewire your habits intentionally.
   Start small. Start with one. Practice that one until it becomes effortless. Just like if you were learning to play pickleball for the first time. Start small and easy and practice.
4. Shift your identity.
   This is big. Start seeing yourself as someone who trusts herself with food.
   Even before you fully believe it yet. If you keep believing you can’t eat like a normal person, then that’ll show up in your actions. Our bodies like to do what our brains tell it to do.

That all is the difference between dieting…
and actually becoming a different version of you.

This Is Exactly What We Do Inside the Summer Weight Loss Reset

Now, if you’re ready to stop trying to fix yourself with more rules and start working with your brain and your habits, this is your invitation.

The Summer Weight Loss Reset is my 8-week group coaching program where we work together to help you lose weight by changing your eating habits for good.

Not restriction.
Not perfection.
But rewiring.

And certainly not by putting you on a meal plan of kale and beets and one dessert a month.

Here’s what’s included:

• 8 weeks of live group coaching.
• 60-minute sessions. Practical tools, mindset shifts, support.
• Private access to me anytime where you can get personalized guidance, a question answered, anything.
• A small, private community to ask questions, stay accountable, and feel understood.
• A private portal where you’ll find worksheets and resources to help you.

You’ll finally stop feeling like food has power over you. And you’ll lose weight, naturally, without dieting and instead, by learning to eat like a normal person.

I’m keeping this small—only 4 women.
And the first 2 to join?
You’ll get a bonus 60-minute private session with me, just the two of us.

This group is for women who are done with trying to “get it together” and ready to change their approach—permanently.

Go to https://katemjohnston.com/summer-reset to grab your spot. Doors opened yesterday, May 14^th and close Monday, May 19^th.

And if you’re listening to this a little after the fact, you can still get on the waitlist for the next round by visiting https://katemjohnston.com/waitlist

I’ll drop the links to both of those in the show notes, also known as the episode description depending on which podcast app you’re listening on.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve ever said,
“I just want to eat like a normal person,”
then I want you to hear this:

That’s not a fantasy.
That’s not out of reach.
That’s just your brain, asking for a reset.
Asking for peace. For freedom. For trust.

And that’s exactly what I help you build.

Go check out the program, and I’d love to have you in this group.

Talk to you next week.