If you are a mother (or ever had a mother!), you deserve the BEST gift ever: health, joy, and a freedom from dieting!
Get Your Body Back!
I overheard a conversation in the dressing rooms next to mine: Woman 1: I want my body baaaaaack! Woman 2: Me too Mom! After the kids, "things" never went back to the way they were. I've deprived myself, tortured myself at the gym, and even begged my doctor for a pill! Woman 1: I know honey - but I hate to tell you, it isn't going to get any easier as you get older.
Who "has" your body?
I couldn't get that phrase out of my head...I want my body back! Where did it go? Who has it? Why did you give it away? Whose body do you have now? How does your body feel about being unwanted? That too-familiar phrase, I want my body back, captures a common challenge you may identify with: Feeling so disconnected from your body that you don't claim it anymore, and instead, wish for a body you "had" in the past - ironically, a body that you probably didn't want at the time either! Why does this happen? And what would I have told these women if I'd had the nerve? How you "lost" your body in the first place
There are many changes that occur naturally over time that affect the shape, size, and function of your body: maturation, giving birth, aging, stress, illnesses or injuries, changes in the environment, activity, diet, and your interests--to name just a few. Fortunately, your body has the amazing ability to morph and adapt to these constantly changing forces; after all, you're alive and reading this now, aren't you? The problem with this natural process begins when, instead of allowing your body to guide you back to it's optimal state, you head down the wrong path: disparaging self-talk and restrictive dieting. (How do you know if your diet is restrictive? Check out the list in my Huffington Post article, Diets are Like Antacids.) Since diets don't work long term, the eat-repent-repeat cycle ensues, further disconnecting you from the body that was doing exactly what it was supposed to do: adapt to change. Reclaim your body! I resisted the urge to call out over the dressing room wall: Stop! Don't talk about your body that way! It's right there and it can hear you! And stop subjecting it to cruel and unusual punishment for defending itself! There is another way! Even if you don't know how to do it yet, or it sounds too easy (or too hard), or you don't believe it could work for you, there IS another way! You AND your body deserve it! Later I wondered if I should have just said it anyway. I know it would have been rude - but what if I they were willing to listen? I could have saved them both many more years of pain and unhappiness. But you're not in the dressing room next door and I will not hold back this time. Maybe you'll think I'm rude or maybe you're just not ready to hear it, but I'll take my chances in the hopes that it will save you more of the same. STOP. Take your body back and treat it with the respect it deserves. Let us help you learn how to... - Listen to your internal cues of hunger and satisfaction instead of trying to follow strict or arbitrary rules about your eating.
- Stop yoyo dieting and choose from all foods freely to balance eating for nourishment and eating for enjoyment.
- Eat what you really love without guilt - instead of depriving yourself or bingeing.
- Eat mindfully to nourish your body, mind, and spirit instead of eating unconsciously or obsessing over every bite of food.
- Discover physical activity that you enjoy because it gives you energy, stress relief, and an active metabolism - instead of exercising to punish yourself for eating or to earn the right to eat.
- Become aware of your thoughts, feelings, and actions and how they affect you instead of judging yourself because you didn’t follow a program rigidly.
- Create a self-care buffer zone and meet your true needs instead of eating too much or neglecting yourself.
What are you waiting for?
If you've been reading this newsletter for awhile but just haven't taken action, it is time. It doesn't matter what you do, but do something to overcome the doubt, fear, or inertia that's keeping you stuck: - Start reading (or rereading) Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat (even just the first chapter!)
- Get guidance and support! We provide Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Workshops, self-paced programs, and coaching
- If you're ready for intensive transformation, join me in southern Utah for a five day Eat Mindfully, Live Vibrantly retreat this summer (don't miss out on our Mother's Day Special below!)
Eat Mindfully, Live Vibrantly!
Michelle May, M.D.
Life-Changing, All-Inclusive Retreat! This retreat was absolutely life changing for me. If you are tired of thinking, planning, and reacting to food in the same old way – and want to learn how to live a bigger, beautiful life – this is for you. —KK
Mindful Eating, Vibrant Living Retreat Instead of just a summer get-away, plan a vacation that will nourish your body, mind, heart, and spirit long after your suitcases have been put away! July 22-27, 2012 at Red Mountain Resort in beautiful Utah! Your all-inclusive retreat includes: - 6 days and 5 nights of deluxe lodging
- Three delicious healthy meals daily
- Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Workshops by Dr. May
- All resort activities, guided hikes, and fitness classes
Download the detailed retreat packet or check out the retreat page with video and info packet for all the details. Mother's Day Special! This Am I Hungry? Retreat is the perfect gift for your mother, wife, sister, friend, or self. Better yet, ask someone you really care about to come with you! (Guys are welcome too!) Everyone registered for the retreat by midnight on Mother's Day, May 13th, will receive an Am I Hungry? Toolkit including: - Autographed copy Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat
- Eat Mindfully, Live Vibrantly Workbook and Awareness Journal
- Am I Hungry? Motivational Companion Cards (set of 52)
- Daily inspirational Mindful Moment email for 2 months
Now Available!
 Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat with Diabetes: A Mindful Eating Program for Thriving with Diabetes or Prediabetes by Michelle May, M.D. with Megrette Fletcher, M.Ed., R.D., CDE
BONUS! After you purchase your copy, visit the registration page to download a private teleseminar with authors Michelle May and Megrette Fletcher! Available now from your favorite local bookstore and Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble.com
Have me come to you! I LOVE to inspire audiences to think differently about food and physical activity. Check out this blog post by Barabara about one of my recent keynotes then email me (training@amihungry.com) to talk about what we could do for your next event!
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