I’m Michelle and since some of you may be new to Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs and Training, I thought it was time to introduce myself! So, who is Michelle May and why is she so into mindful eating?
Today, I am able to eat what I love, and I love what I eat.
I no longer use exercise as punishment for eating.
And I am much better at recognizing and meeting my needs.
The best part is that every day in my work, I get to liberate my clients from a painful relationship with food and watch their transformation as they free up their energy to live the big, vibrant life they crave!
And, I get to train others how to do this for their patients and clients!
It wasn’t always this way!
Yes, things are great right now. But it wasn’t always that way.
You see, I was a family physician with a secret… I was struggling with yo-yo dieting, disordered eating, and body image issues—and had been since middle school.
Several times a day, patients would ask me about changing their diet or improving their lifestyle. I didn’t really know what to tell them, so I just referred them to Weight Watchers, my diet of choice for over half my life at that point. I hoped they would do better than I had, but most didn’t.
It didn’t really make sense… I had made it through medical school! And many of my patients were successful in other areas of their lives too.
So why couldn’t we stick to a simple diet?
Then I realized my husband and young children managed their eating effortlessly. Unlike me, they usually ate when they were hungry, and usually stopped when they were full. They ate what they loved, and they didn’t obsess about food.
My turning point
I finally reached a turning point… literally. I was on my way back to Weight Watchers after a particularly bad weekend, when I thought, “I’m done with dieting!” I turned my car around and went back home.
First, I stopped dieting. I realized that making certain foods bad and depriving myself just made me crave those foods even more – and feel bad about myself when I ate them anyway.
Next, I had to relearn how to use my body’s instinctive wisdom about when, what, and how much to feed myself. Now I never have to weigh, measure, or log food!
Then, the most challenging part… I needed to learn how to meet my emotional needs better than eating could.
It was simple, though not easy. The transformation in my relationship with food and my body was nothing short of miraculous!
So, now you know why I am so passionate about mindful eating!
Living my vibrant life
Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t had that realization all those years ago. I feel so fortunate to help liberate other chronic dieters from the prison of their eat-repent-repeat cycle!
And when I’m not doing that, I’m playing pickleball, gardening, planning a trip, walking my dog, wine tasting, enjoying great meals (my husband is a chef!), doing yoga, enjoying my family and friends, going to concerts, hiking, painting watercolors, reading…
In other words, living the big, vibrant life I craved back when I thought diets were the answer!
So, who is Michelle May?
One of the luckiest people I know!
Enjoyed this article? Here are three more to help you:
What are you waiting for? This IS your life!
How mindful eating opens the door to mindful living
What if we aren’t craving more food?
