About Bonnie
You’re done with dieting! The thought of going on another diet sends chills up your spine. You are tired of the food worry, the body worry and the futile cycle of dieting. You are tired of feeling deprived, restricted and guilty, and you are certainly tired of failing…again!
Hi, I’m Bonnie R. Giller and my greatest gift is my ability to provide caring support, motivation and nutrition education through my knowledge and experience as a registered dietitian nutritionist as you rebuild the trust in yourself and your body and reacquaint yourself with your inner wisdom as your guide to eating.
My Story
I understand your struggles with your weight and food. It’s not as easy as some would have you believe to change your relationship with food. I did it. And I can help you do it too.
Even as a registered dietitian nutritionist, one of the most challenging times in my life was after I had my 4th child back in 2002. I had 3 jobs at the time, 2 private practice nutrition offices and I was the director of a large dietetic internship program. I went back to work only 11 days after I gave birth to my daughter via C-section, and I had a difficult time bouncing back to myself and my pre-pregnancy body. As a matter of fact, I gained weight that first year after she was born.
I was overwhelmed! I was busy taking care of 4 kids, a husband, a home, clients, interns and I was exhausted and depleted. I just did not feel well in my body. I heard myself saying to myself “Bonnie, resume your exercise program”, and my response was “I don’t have time to exercise”.
The moment those words came out of my mouth, I knew that was my wake-up call. I had just uttered the most common excuse given for not exercising.
Besides exercise, I knew I had to address my eating patterns which were often chaotic due to my busy life. I created a healthy eating plan for myself like I have done for my clients for many years, and I started following it. I was able to make this healthy eating plan a part of my life, very normal and natural. I lost the baby weight and felt great.
But what I discovered in 2011 really changed my relationship with food.
Just as I lost weight on this healthy meal plan, so did my clients. Yet, there were some clients who gained that weight back. I was frustrated and I set out to figure out why.
I realized that these clients had a strong diet mindset and therefore the “healthy meal plan” became yet another diet for them, with rules to follow. They deprived themselves of their favorite foods and just followed the rules, yet could only do that for so long, especially when an emotional trigger caused them to say “I don’t care. I’m just going to have one cookie.” Before they knew it, they have eaten many more than one, promising themselves that they’ll start again tomorrow.
So, this “healthy meal plan” is otherwise known as…a diet.
I took a step back to figure out how I can best help these clients who were struggling and putting back on the same weight they had lost over and over again. I discovered intuitive and mindful eating, and I trained and became certified by the Original Intuitive Eating Pros.
I put together a step-by-step system and decided to implement it into my own life first, before introducing it to my clients. If I wanted to be totally honest with myself, I too was using my healthy meal plan as a diet. There were times when I would want a piece of birthday cake (or something else) but I wouldn’t allow myself to have it. Or, before I ate dinner, I’d calculate how much I ate earlier in the day to see how much I had “left” for dinner.
Yep, this was a diet. I fessed up. And I decided to break free of dieting and live life as an intuitive eater.
It is amazingly freeing! I no longer follow a “meal plan” nor feel deprived of foods I may want but didn’t allow myself to eat. I achieved a freedom to eat what I loved without the constant deliberation if it will cause me to gain weight or not.
YOU too have the ability to change your relationship with food and your future. And as I said earlier, my greatest gift is my ability to provide caring support, motivation and nutrition education through my knowledge and experience as a registered dietitian nutritionist as you embark on this journey.
I care tremendously about your success. I work very closely with my clients and make myself available to help you over the tough times. We cry together and we laugh together as you have major “aha” moments.
On the personal side, I am married and have 4 kids (2 boys, 2 girls in that order)! My oldest son is married and has 3 delicious sons and 1 adorable daughter, and my second son has a precious baby boy. I also have a newly married daughter, and one single daughter. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m a grandma. It’s an amazing experience. Life is good!
I’m so glad you stopped by. Come back soon, and drop me an email and let me know how you’re doing.
Eat Intelligently. Be Mindful. Nourish Your Body.
—Bonnie
