GILLIAN RILEY - PLANS AND TIMES for OVER-EATERS.

366to266

I recently read a book by Gillian Riley, about overeating. She has a website called eatingless.com on which she gives away lots of free advice for compulsive overeaters, binge-eaters etc.

The idea that most interested me was her "Times and Plans", and I have been following this for a few days.

Each morning you start a fresh page in a notebook (I use an A5 ringed book) put the date at the top, then write down what time you are going to eat, and exactly what you are going to eat. Then, if you are about to break it, you have to write down why before you are allowed to do anything different from what you have written down -- pledged, I suppose.

It may sound daft and pointless, but only through doing it can I see why it works. It's keeping yourself accountable.


So for example you might plan to eat X at 0900, but you end up eating Y at 0800. But before you eat it, you have to write down WHY you are changing the time AND the food.

This is supposed to make us mindful of a binge.Because you are not allowed to put anything off-plan into your mouth without writing down a justification, you insert a gap into that small space of time - that moment when you lose control and binge. And in that small gap of time, you become mindful of what you are about to do. For many people, this could be just enough time to bring them to their senses.

I do not know about YOU, but I find that I binge-eat on impulse, and in a trance, and afterwards hardly remember eating the junk.

I've only just started this, so we'll see how it goes.

dazzer1975

It sounds very useful to me.

Ultimately, the ONLY thing that matters, is that you are trying and you are exploring and using methods that may and can be helpful to you.

There is lots of things good about keeping a food diary, and a lot of things good about giving yourself time to really think about what you are eating before you eat it, this sounds a great idea to me.

Canuname

^^^^^ what he said :-) I think it is a great idea also. Anything that will make you think twice about what you are eating and when and why can't hurt, but can only help.

366to266

I am waiting for Dazzer to lose 138 lb, because that is what my boyfriend weighs!

jaz050465

I LOVE her book. There is lots of useful strategies to prevent over eating. I really recommend it.

dazzer1975

138lb, lmao I have let me think, yes, I have 2 full grown adult humans to lose...from my starting point.

When I hit 138, that will be near as damn it, one of them!

I am currently 22 away from my halfway point

iowalinda

"Inserting a gap". Sounds like a good plan

quiksylver296