Gillian Riley

[Lovestonap]

I know there have been a couple of threads about GR, but I didn't want to reanimate a zombie so thought I'd start my own.

Is anyone else out there trying her stuff out? I have the books and have just downloaded the audio so I can reinforce principles in the car etc.

On paper it just makes so much SENSE, treating overeating like you'd treat an addiction, and I really like the times/plans part of the plan as that really helps me feel in control.

However, a lot of stuff I've read on forums says that people struggle to manage to do this long term, which suggests that the promised 'rewiring' doesn't take effect. And inevitably on those threads someone pops up and says 'just try Slimming World, you can eat WHENEVER you like' which is counter-intuitive when you're trying to beat an addiction.

(for the record, I have tried Slimming World many times, and there is no doubt that if you stick to the plan you do get some weight-loss, however, the plan makes me binge, get sugar highs/lows, feel bloated and become obsessed with 'syns' - and I'm not prepared to achieve weight-loss at the expense of my mental and physical health).

Does anyone have any success with managing their 'addictive desire to eat' longterm? I have best results with low carb, high fat, and have always felt well on this regime, but I always sabotage when the addiction strikes. Ideally I'd like to get to a place where I can step off plan, (i.e choose to have one piece of birthday cake for example), and enjoy my choice; not then eating the rest of the cake, launching into a self-loathing binge and give up all thought of restraint for a month or so.
I want to eat the cake (if it's a genuine choice) and then carry on with my healthy choices. I want to do this FOREVER - not just until I achieve some weight loss goal.

Sounds simple, but this brain needs some help.

I'm almost hesitant to start this thread here, as a lot of them just fill up with people saying 'I lost x on SW or WW' - but it's brain rewiring I'm interested in. I'd love to hear from people with their opinion on Gillian Riley.

[GreyandGrumpy48]

Thanks for the reply and great that you've found it do helpful. I'm about half way through the book and it seems to make a lot of sense to me but not sure how easy I'm going to find it to implement. I'm determined to get my eating under control though for health reasons and thus seems a good way to do it.

[footballmum]

Meeee!!! I posted a thread a little while ago about my frustrations with being unable to lose weight and a lovely Mumsnetter PM'd me and recommended the Gillian Riley book. It has really helped me!! For the first time in forever I'm no longer on a diet and trying to make choices based on nutrition and health rather than giving the food some sort of arbitrary value (that essentially has no nutritional value). I'm also now more easily able to recognise my addictive eating rather than just beat myself up for having no willpower.

It has also led me onto following Rebelfit on Facebook and I'm going to sign up for his next mission and focus my efforts on improving my fitness levels.

I'll be honest and say the weight isn't dropping off me but I have lost a few pounds and more importantly I'm not constantly thinking about and obsessing about food! I've also lost all of my cravings and don't sit there at 8pm sitting on my hands trying to keep away from the biscuit barrel!

[GreyandGrumpy48]

I've just downloaded the book and I wondered how you were both doing?

[Singingtherapy]

Hi, I read her book last year but wasn't really in the right frame of mind. I've just re-read it and am doing much better. It really makes sense to me and I'm finally, literally for the first time ever, declining unhealthy food without feeling deprived. I know that lots of people won't agree that overeating is an addiction. For me, the important point is that it definitely masquerades as one, which is why it makes sense to me to approach it as addiction.