Eating less 2019

[EL2019]

So I've decided to use Gillian Riley's approach called Eating less starting today in 2019. It's not about following a specific diet plan, but rather tackling the reasons you overeat, particularly dealing with addictive eating. My main issues are picking at food when I'm not particularly hungry, and binging. I'm going to be following her method to help overcome this. The aim is to get my eating back in control, and not focus on weight loss, although this can be a happy side effect.

So today I've done quite well. I've eaten 3 meals and didn't pick afterwards. I did also have half a slice of cheesecake this evening that was given to me yesterday which if I'm honest with self I wasn't hungry when I ate it. I felt the desire to eat more kick in after I'd finished the cheesecake, but reminded myself that this was addictive desire not hunger and it passed.

There's a lot to it so I'm going to be working through the content so I have a deeper understanding of it and apply it to my actions rather than thinking "huh, interesting".

If anyone else has read the book or done the webinar please do join in on this thread.

[EL2019]

So today has gone well. I’ve eaten 3 meals, after eating have set a Time when I will next eat and stuck to it. Any cravings that have arisen I’ve noted that it is not time to eat so they are not real hunger, but just a craving. Luckily they disappeared when I realised this.

Now settling in for evening which is my danger time. Need to recognise that feeling of wanting to pick isn’t real hunger but a bad habit.

On downside, I’ve been struck by lurgy so have no energy. I’d planned to go back to gym today so am disappointed that I can’t. H keeps telling me to relax but I’m finding it hard.

[itsallgravybaby]

Well done on your first day! I've not heard of this before, but it sounds like it could be beneficial to me as I have similar habits to you that I'd like to break this year! Is it just a book?

[EL2019]

Hi yes there’s a book called Eating Less by Gillian Riley. She’s also written a summary version called Ditching Diets which is an overview.
I also attended a webinar she runs late last year.
When I’m feeling better I’ll write more about it, but it’s reslly helped me understand my urges to overeat.

[EL2019]

OK, so I'm feeling a bit better today, but haven't got my voice back yet. Hopefully will be better tomorrow.

Had an ok day today. Have eaten 3 meals and not in between.
Breakfast was 2 eggs, 1 slice bread butter and a small banana
Lunch was chicken breast, cauliflower and 10g cheddar and half an apple
Dinner was chicken breast in tinned tomatoes with kidney beans and some other veg and some chocolates after
plus a few cups of tea

After lunch I got the strongest chocolate craving as soon as I finished eating. Remembered it was addictive desire and it went. After dinner I gave into the chocolate cravings, but managed to stop before it got too bad. Doesn't help that I was given loads of chocolate for Christmas so there's loads in the house.
Part of me is tempted to eat it all so "it is out of the way", but I realise this is the deprivation/rebellion part of my brain kicking in. And I also realise that I've done that before (eaten everything so it is gone and won't tempt me), but it doesn't stop me going to get more in future. It just means I feel rubbish.

I've been listening again to the webinars. The first one is all about motivation and finding non-weight, or non-shape based reasons for doing this. I've found this quite hard. The best one I can find is self-integrity. I don't want to be someone who binges of overeats. I want to be able to enjoy food without obsessing or panicking about it. I want to be free of the worry. The other non-weight based reason is so that I don't feel bloated and sluggish after eating too much.

Apparently weight-based motivation is too fleeting to be a useful motivator, and once you've lost the weight, it vanishes. (I know someone people manage to maintain, but lots relax and gain it back). However non-weight based motivations are accessible before you've even lost weight. Of the three elements of the course (Motivation, choice, and addictive desire) I find using non-weight based motivation the hardest to apply but will keep working at it.

[EL2019]

Had a binge last night. I have to own that it was my choice and it did occur to me halfway through that I should stop, but I still carried on. That said, I don't think I went over maintenance calories so not as bad as it could be.
I think as we eat dinner quite early, I get hungry about 9ish and that starts the sugar cravings. I'm going to have a rethink about whether I should have a small protein snack earlier in the evening. I'm probably not fat adapted enough to do a 16:8 just yet.

Today has been good. Woke late so no breakfast. Had leftovers from yesterday's dinner for lunch. The chocolate cravings that arose immediately after lunch were easy to deal with. DH cooked us a fab meal for dinner (steak, chips, green beans and mushrooms). It's not exactly diet food, but I ate a sensible portion and stopped when full. Old me would have had seconds or even thirds. Haven't snacked today and drank lots of water.

[iwonderwhen]

Hi @EL2019 first of all sorry you've the lurgy - me too, mines a horrible chesty cough and a bit of a cold that I've had since before Xmas.
I posted last week asking if anyone was doing GRs eating less but didn't notice your post. I've been reading Gillian Riley's books and following her approach for ages. It's the only way that makes any sense to me. I've gone off and tried diets like weight watchers and low carb high fat etc and after struggling for a few weeks and not losing much I realise I'm better off doing the eating less approach and why did I ever let myself even think of trying diets as I know they don't work for me. I need to apply myself to Eating less and treat it as my new hobby and a long term plan.
One of my big issues is choice or lack of it and I will overeat if I feel deprived of choice eg I'd told myself this week that I needed to eat healthier food after the indulgence of Xmas and new year, and I went for a coffee and next thing I know I'm scoffing a chocolate cake that I didn't enjoy as it was sickly sweet!! So I've eased up on the healthy eating regime and I'm just trying to notice my addictive eating triggers

How did you find the webinar? Did it help you? I'm wondering if it would take up too much time and commitment for me, as I try to keep my eating as low key and private as I can - like GR says: don't get involved in talking about it, etc

[EL2019]

Hi @Iwonderwhen, Hope you're feeling better. I'm mostly over it although went swimming today and felt pretty feeble!

I'm relistening to the webinar and the bit I listened to today was about choice. When we way "I've got to or I need to.." we are denying our choice in the matter. It's not surprising your rebellious side kicked in. We have to really believe and not just say that we have a choice. So I think Gillian would say, you do have a choice not to eat healthier, it would absolutely be your choice to eat what you've been eating or even worse! You'd also be choosing the consequences of that, but it would be your choice. You have to tell yourself that you have the choice to eat anything and everything at any time and really believe that. Sometimes you need to prove that you have the choice by eating that cake, and then you get to the point where you realise that you do have the choice and you freely choose not to. And if you've worked through the addictive desire stuff in the way she suggests, the cravings lessen, or don't appear anyway!

She talks about this being an ongoing process and not to expect perfection. If you were learning any new skill, you'd make mistakes so the trick is to keep on learning.

I think the webinar is good. I like listening to audiobooks and she doesn't have an audio version of her books. The webinars are not as interactive as I would have liked if I was attending live, mainly they are very "tell" with a lot of content and she does questions at the end. As they ran from 6.00 - 7.30 I often couldn't attend in person as it is prime bath and bedtime and DD doesn't cope well with a change in routine. So I listened to the recordings. I'm finding it helpful that I can relisten as there's a lot of new concepts to understand. After the 6 sessions she ran 3 Q&A sessions which I've got access too but haven't had a chance to listen to yet. There's a lot in it and you're trying to change the way you think (literally rewiring your brain!) and the webinars help to explain the subtleties in understanding how it works.

I've had a couple of successful days. Not had any binge urges, worked through some cravings. Went out for dinner last night for vegan burgers and I left about 1/4 of my chips which is unheard of. Had some icecream cravings when I got home but worked through those. Today have eaten 3 sensible meals, had a couple of chocolates but not gone mad. Back to work tomorrow so will be interested in how it works when I'm not so relaxed (and I work with a lot of diet oversharers - like you I'm very private about it).

[EL2019]

So I weighed in and had lost 2lb and that seemed to trigger a few days where I seemed to eat everything in site.

I’ve pulled myself together. This isn’t a diet, it’s a change of mindset. I’m rewiring my brain. So what seems to work well at moment is making sure I have prepared protein and veg to take to work. And reminding myself that I have choice. I’ve set a reminder in my phone that so can eat anything and everything so choose, so long as a I accept I’m choosing the consequences too. No binging last two days :)

[itsnnothere]

Hi @EL2019 how're you doing?
Sorry I've been out of it - the dreaded lurgy knocked me for six and I'm still trying to pick myself up after it!
just thought I'd let you know I've signed up for the next set of webinars

I got an email yesterday from Gillian Riley with a free week and it just seemed to be exactly the right thing to do and the right time. I thought that compared to what I'm spending on food, big clothes and diet books that I don't read it'll save me money ultimately

I've been a bit distracted by all the new diet plans that come out in the new year but thankfully I've come my senses again and realised that diets don't work for me and I wouldn't stick to any of them anyway
It'll be good to hear how you're doing

[itsnnothere]

Ps I was Iwonder and I changed my name

[EL2019]

Hi I’m doing ok. I’ve not lost any weight yet, bout I’m definitely binging less and catching myself as I start to pick and stop.

I went out for dinner with friends a couple of weekends ago and we were eating the same tasting menu of 9 small courses. They were saying how stuffed they were by dish six. I didn’t feel like that till dish eight. I find it easy to pack away a lot of food.

I’ve realised I really do need to “eat less” if I want to lose weight. Duh! I’m short and work in an office. I really don’t need a lot of food.

Hope you enjoy the webinar