Dietitian Gillian

Dietitian Gillian Registered Dietitian
🍽 Disordered Eating, Binge Eating
😷 Bariatric Surgery
1:1 consultations

02/07/2026

✨ What does Food Freedom really mean?

Food freedom isn't about eating perfectly.
It isn't about never eating vegetables or only eating cake.

And it certainly isn't about having endless willpower.

Food freedom is trusting yourself around food.

When your relationship with food is difficult, eating can feel exhausting.

🤍 You may constantly think about food.
🤍 Feel guilty after eating certain foods.
🤍 Label foods as "good" or "bad."
🤍 Swing between restriction and overeating.
🤍 Eat in secret or feel ashamed of your choices.
🤍 Believe you have to "earn" your food through exercise.

Food can begin to control your life.

But healing is possible.

Imagine being able to...

✨ Eat because you're hungry—and stop because you're comfortably satisfied.
✨ Enjoy your favourite foods without guilt.
✨ Choose nourishing foods because they make you feel good, not because you "should."
✨ Celebrate birthdays, holidays and meals out without anxiety.
✨ Trust your body instead of fighting it every day.

The truth is, we eat for so many reasons—and every one of them has a place.

🍽️ Hunger
❤️ Pleasure
🎉 Celebration
👨‍👩‍👧 Connection
😌 Comfort
🌱 Nourishment
💛 Culture and tradition
⚡ Energy

Food is so much more than fuel.

You don't have to earn your food, justify your choices or live by food rules forever.

If you're tired of feeling stuck in dieting, emotional eating, binge eating or constantly worrying about food, I'd love to help.

As a Registered Dietitian, I support people to heal their relationship with food, reduce binge eating and build lasting habits that feel freeing—not restrictive.

📩 Send me a message to find out how we can work together.

— Dietitian Gillian 💛

26/06/2026

One of my favourite parts of working with bariatric surgery clients is helping them recognise and celebrate their non-scale victories. 🎉🎉🎉

While weight loss can be an important outcome, the number on the scales only tells part of the story.

Recently, I was celebrating with a client who had bariatric surgery through the cross-border scheme with Mr. Scott McCain at the Ulster Independent Clinic in Belfast.

His biggest victory wasn't a number on the scales.

It was being able to go on holiday with his 8-year-old child and fully join in the fun again. ❤️

🎢 Riding roller coasters
💦 Going on water slides
🏃 Moving more freely
😊 Feeling more confident and capable

For him, these moments represented something much bigger than weight loss—they represented a better quality of life. 🙌

This is why I am so passionate about supporting people before and after bariatric surgery. Seeing clients regain confidence, improve their mobility, participate in family activities, and enjoy experiences they have avoided for years is truly transformational.

Bariatric surgery isn't just about losing weight.

It's about gaining life back.

If you're considering bariatric surgery in Belfast and would like to learn more about the process and the support available before and after surgery, send me a DM. I'd be happy to help.

24/06/2026

✨ One question can change everything. ✨

Whether you're struggling with emotional eating, binge eating, secret eating, mindless eating, or restricting your intake, there is one powerful question that can help you move forward:

💭 What is the story I'm telling myself about food and eating?

The beliefs and narratives we hold about food often shape our behaviours more than we realise.

Maybe your story sounds like:
👉 "I have no willpower."
👉 "I've already ruined today, so I might as well keep eating."
👉 "I can't trust myself around food."
👉 "I need to be strict to stay in control."

These stories can keep you stuck in cycles of guilt, shame, overeating, restriction, and self-criticism.

But what if those stories aren't facts?

When you start to identify and challenge the beliefs driving your eating behaviours, you create space for a different story—one that supports healing, self-compassion, and lasting change.

🌱 The story you're telling yourself can either keep you stuck or help you move forward.

If you're ready to change your relationship with food and develop healthier habits, send me a DM.

I'd love to help.❤️

19/06/2026

💭 Do you find yourself thinking about food all day?

You might be experiencing food noise.

Food noise is the constant mental chatter about food – thinking about what to eat next, battling cravings, feeling distracted by thoughts of food, or constantly negotiating with yourself about eating.

It's important to know that food noise isn't a lack of willpower. For many people living with obesity, it can feel relentless and exhausting.

What can make food noise worse?

🔸 Restrictive dieting
🔸 Skipping meals
🔸 Poor sleep
🔸 Stress and emotional eating
🔸 Strict food rules

What can help?

✔️ Eating regular, balanced meals
✔️ Including enough protein
✔️ Getting adequate sleep
✔️ Managing stress
✔️ Building a healthier relationship with food

Many people taking GLP-1 medications also notice that the volume of food noise turns down. They often describe having more mental space and feeling less preoccupied with food for the first time in years.

While GLP-1 medications can be a helpful tool, they're most effective when combined with sustainable nutrition habits, behaviour change and ongoing support.

Have you experienced food noise? I'd love to hear your experience in the comments. 👇

16/06/2026

One of my favourite parts of this work is having those first conversations with people who are ready for change.

I had a new enquiry recently from someone who wanted to:

✨ Heal their relationship with food
✨ Stop emotional eating
✨ Reduce binge eating
✨ Lose weight

As we talked, it became clear that she was feeling completely overwhelmed by all the nutrition information out there. One expert says one thing, another says the opposite. Social media is full of conflicting advice, and after trying diet after diet over the years, she wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

What I loved about this conversation was that we were completely aligned on where to start.

Rather than jumping straight into weight loss, we're going to focus on the behaviours first. Because when emotional eating, binge eating, food guilt, and the constant battle with food are driving things, simply focusing on the number on the scales rarely creates lasting change.

By building a healthier relationship with food, developing coping strategies, cutting through the nutrition noise, and understanding what's driving the eating behaviours, weight loss can then become a by-product of sustainable habits rather than another cycle of restriction and frustration.

I'm genuinely excited to support this person on their journey because I know what a difference this work can make. There is so much relief in finally stepping away from dieting and learning how to nourish your body without fear, confusion, or guilt.

If you've been trying to lose weight but feel stuck in a cycle of emotional eating, binge eating, or jumping from one diet to the next, maybe the answer isn't to try harder—it's to start somewhere different. 💛

14/06/2026

Weight loss and food peace are not the same thing.

Disordered Eating vs Normal Eating 🍽️

🔸 Disordered eating may include:

• Following rigid food rules
• Feeling guilty after eating certain foods
• Skipping meals to compensate for eating
• Constantly thinking about food, calories, or weight
• Eating in response to emotions rather than hunger
• Labelling foods as "good" or "bad"
• Feeling out of control around certain foods

🔸 Normal eating looks more like:

• Eating when you're hungry and stopping when you're comfortably satisfied
• Enjoying all foods without guilt
• Having flexibility around meals and snacks
• Trusting your body rather than strict food rules
• Choosing foods for both nourishment and enjoyment
• Accepting that eating patterns will vary from day to day.

💡 Normal eating isn't perfect eating. It's flexible, balanced, and allows room for real life.

If you're taking a GLP-1 medication, this can be a valuable opportunity to work on your relationship with food. While these medications often reduce appetite and food noise, they don't automatically change the thoughts, beliefs, habits, and emotional triggers that may have been driving your eating behaviours for years.

The quieter appetite can create space to:

✨ Challenge food rules
✨ Build regular eating habits
✨ Practise mindful eating
✨ Develop coping strategies
✨ Trust your body's hunger & fullness cues

The goal isn't just weight loss—it's creating sustainable habits and a healthier relationship with food that will support you long term.

Are you using a GLP-1 medication? Have you noticed changes in your thoughts about food, not just your appetite? I'd love to hear your experience in the comments ⬇️

12/06/2026

Sending love ❤️ & kindness to everyone 🌏
Nobody deserves to live in fear.

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