Everyone has a story.
It is what helps to direct us, it can influence our decisions, our emotions, and our reactions. My story, although challenging to go through, ultimately led me to fulfill my passion to help others, as a Nutrition & Eating Psychology Coach. It is the reason I am so committed to empowering healthy relationships with food, mind, and body and I am now grateful for my story as I can use my experience and knowledge to help others on their journey to food freedom, sustainable weight loss and overall wellness.
My story started with Nutella. At 17, I went on exchange to Germany and as a result of trauma while there, so began my journey into emotional eating and my love affair with Nutella. Although the year living abroad was filled with some amazing adventure, culture, and people, it also came with anxiety, comfort eating, and ultimately excessive weight gain. Faced with no real support structure, isolation, homesickness, and emotional discomfort, food (Nutella in particular) became my friend. By the end of my year in Germany, I had almost doubled my body weight. I was unrecognisable to family and friends when I returned to New Zealand. I returned not only with extra body weight but also a very unhealthy relationship and view of food.
I forgot what real nourishment felt like.
These habits continued to surface in my life over the next 20 years when I faced situations or emotions that I didn’t know how to deal with. Food and weight consumed my thoughts, controlled my moods, dictated my happiness. The tightness of my jeans determined whether I was going to have a good day or a bad day. I spent five years in my late twenties trying to have a baby. This resulted in 5 miscarriages, post-traumatic stress, multiple surgeries and a general feeling of failure and exhaustion while still trying to manage a corporate job. This is when I realised I was in a battle with food that I was never going to win through dieting and exercise alone.
So what happened?
After almost two decades of this battle and weight fluctuations of over 100kgs, it was time to let go of the diets, calorie counting, macro restrictions and deprivations. I finally learned why I couldn't reach my ultimate weight. I understood the 'why' behind my eating.
- I started to undiet
- I identified what triggered my emotional eating.
- I stopped exercising to "compensate" or punish for poor diet and started exercising for enjoyment.
- I slowed things right down
- I let go of the scales
- I realised it is more complex than just a simple calories in/calories out equation
- I learned the importance of healthy hormonal balance
- I learned how to nourish my body naturally, through food I love
What now?
Since healing my relationship with food, I have developed a program to help others do the same.
Life doesn't have to be about restriction and deprivation. I am all about whole food, balance and understanding why we eat the way we do. We are all bio-individual, there is no one size fits all, so it's important for me to listen to your story and work out a customised plan that is perfect for you.
I have worked with a range of clients with very varied backgrounds. At the end of the day, my job is to help you learn the skills to become your own life long health coach as ultimately, you know what is best for your body. You just need to learn how to listen to it.
Now it's your turn.
Let me help you to break the cycle of diets, binges, and negative self-talk and build a healthy long-lasting relationship with food, one where you have control over your choices and ultimately reach your own food freedom.
Feel free to reach out to me, I would love to talk.
Michelle
