Weight Loss

Weight is simply another manifestation of inflammation and hormonal imbalance. When we take care of the inflammation and balance your hormones, we take care of the weight.

The picture on the left above is the day of my daughter’s adoption ceremony.

As we left the courtroom and strolled up the street in Portland to our hotel, I scanned the pictures my dad had snapped for us on my camera.

One of the happiest days of my life immediately turned into one of the saddest as I stared at the woman whose round face I barely recognized as my own.

I wanted so badly to delete the pictures like I always did, as my twisted way of denying reality…

But I couldn’t. This was one of the most monumental days of my life and it wasn’t about me and my own insecurity.

It was about my beautiful children, and my husband and I celebrating becoming the family of 4 we’d always wanted.

I held the little girl I’d been dreaming of my entire life in my arms and I vowed not to pass on disordered body image and food issues to her. I vowed to get this figured out for good.

I was completely over dieting. All I knew for sure was that I had to ditch diet mentality and change my entire relationship with food, my body and dieting… but I had no idea how.

I had the college degree and the background in nutrition science that I needed to put an effective eating plan together, that wasn’t the issue. I’d already lost the same 30 pounds, 30 times, in the past 30 years.

I knew that to take care of my weight for good that it would take more than just getting the food part right. If that was going to work long term, it would have by now.

I’d love to tell you that I get to eat everything I want and have magically lived happily ever after as a size 6 by simply thinking myself thin, or mindful eating, or overcoming emotional eating… but none of that is true.

Those “techniques” weren’t the answer for me and I’m guessing that if you’re reading this, they aren’t the answer for you either.

What I did accomplish is living at my own healthy right weight, free of dieting dogma and drama and I’ve been blessed to help others do the same.

The way I did it was by designing an optimal eating plan for balancing my hormones and reducing systemic inflammation and then coming up with a system for busting through my own bullshit and illusions around food, weight, and dieting. Through the years, this morphed into a process I now call Objective Eating®.

It was through helping others that I learned that the BS stories we have around weight, body, and dieting are universal, no matter where or how we grew up.

It was also through helping others that I realized that weight loss is not what we really want and that if we focus on weight loss, it backfires 100% of the time.

We think we want to lose weight and that losing weight will be the answer to everything (which is why this page is called “Weight Loss”).

But what we really want though is to simply live a rich, meaningful, long, healthy life. When we focus on that and let go of our attachment to the scale, everything changes.

What we really want is to say yes to life.

We want our weight to not define the life we’re living.

We want to hike and bike and play with our children and grandchildren.

We want to be able to get down and then back up off the floor. To fit into the seat on the airplane and the rides at Disney Land.

We want to know that we can open our closet and feel comfortable in whatever we choose to wear. To show up to that party and for once, to be in the picture instead of being the one taking it.

None of that is about the number on the scale. It’s about living life instead of living a life on pause, waiting for the moment we feel comfortable in our own skin.

Food matters. There is a very simple way of eating that quickly reduces inflammation and restores hormonal balance to the body but…

It’s not, has never been, and will never be about weight. It’s about inflammation and hormonal balance.

Focusing on weight invites way too much mental drama for women in the western world. There is no faster way to evoke your inner rebel than to start a new diet driven by your inner critic.

Weight is just one of the many symptoms of inflammation and hormonal imbalance and the sooner you can drop the obsession with weight and focus on simply eating to reduce inflammation and balance your hormones, the sooner you’ll be free of dieting drama and can start to make healthy eating a way of life.

If you’re interested in purchasing the Primal Slimdown® eating plan as a stand-alone program, the investment is $497. Please send an email to risingmoonmassage@gmail.com with Primal Slimdown in the subject line and I’ll walk you through ordering.

If you’d like my help navigating the eating plan, along with your environment, your personality, habits, and social situations, I offer private coaching via zoom, two calls, and unlimited email support for $300 a month with a six-month commitment. Send me an email with Objective Eating® in the subject line and I’ll send you the details. (This option includes access to the Primal Slimdown® eating plan and every coaching program I’ve offered through the years)!

“I started this journey on January 1, 2017 after seeing a few pictures of me during summer, and worse, the holidays.

I was at my absolute heaviest. I couldn’t bear seeing photos of myself. In fact, I couldn’t even find a before picture because I deleted them all.I had to look on my husband’s phone to find this one.

I simply needed to just give this a shot and see what would happen. Here I am today, down 73lbs in 7 months!

I feel amazing. My goal was always 160 lbs., which I have now blown by!

I am down 4 pant sizes, 2 shirt sizes, and I’m absolutely loving life!

I am so excited to keep going with this lifestyle change and to help others succeed along the way!! “

Ashley

I am a little older than a lot of you! I had been overweight for 30+ years and diagnosed as type 2 for the last 8 yrs also. Diabetes can ruin your health and cut your life short! I wanted to be around for my beautiful grandchildren, so when Michelle started the first group, I jumped right in.

I can not tell you that this will be easy, it takes some mental and physical preparation to be successful, but if you follow the plan, IT WILL WORK!! how fast the weight was coming off!!

I’ve lost 28 pounds and will probably go into maintenance mode at 30, which was my goal. I have to tell you, that I still don’t see myself as a small person, I have to work on my mental image of myself every day!!

I do not take meds for type 2 any longer and the foot and leg pain is gone!! I am healthy and feeling great! Stay on the path! You will love the new you!!!

Melodee

My name is Elizabeth. September 2016, something finally just hit me that I needed to make some major changes because I was not happy with myself and my appearance.

As scared as I was to make that change its something I knew I needed to do and boy am I glad I did because I did not like the person I was seeing in the mirror.

For the longest time, I knew I needed to do something but I just couldn’t get myself to do anything about and one day I felt I was mentally ready for this and that was so much easier for me to make these changes.

I currently have a HOUSE FULL OF people that are always making all kinds of foods, but I am committed to myself to not give in.

I make myself my own meals and even take my own foods, I would go to restaurants and choose healthy meals and drink lots of water if I was tempted to give in at all.

These are my personal results and I can not wait for you to have your own!

Elizabeth

“I started the first of many diet plans at 12-years-old, each time gaining back more weight than I lost.

Michelle’s plan was the jump start I needed. I had to surrender more foods and habits to conquer my cravings, but once I did, the weight started coming off. I began losing 10 pounds a month and continued at that speed until I had shed almost 100 pounds!

My weight loss then slowed to about 5 pounds a month as I came closer to my goal. I have now lost 123 pounds and I am thinner than I have been in 35 years!

My relationship with food has changed, so I feel confident the weight will not come back this time.

I feel satisfied with good, wholesome foods, and I don’t suffer with gnawing cravings any more. I also try to work on the emotional and spiritual side of eating, as the plan works on the whole person.

My life has changed so much, it’s almost a dream! I have more energy than I’ve had in years, and I changed my entire wardrobe.

My back pain is a thing of the past as well. I’m so thankful to Michelle for putting this program together, and I am so thankful I found it.

Merry

“I’m Tina and I began this journey because I knew it was time to uncover and FREE myself from the prison of extra weight that was creating a barrier to all of the things I wanted to do in life.

On my last airplane ride, I could barely click the seatbelt, and the tray table couldn’t be down in front of me because my belly was “out there.”

I began with FEAR but I believed in both of my sisters-in-law who have had amazing results with this program, so I borrowed their belief.

I’m now closing in on 50 pounds lost. This has become more than a diet. It’s a lifestyle change.

I don’t crave junk anymore. I crave healthy stuff and like it! I eat veggies every day and now my chronic allergy cough is nearly gone.

There are so many unexpected perks beyond weight loss. This journey is so worth it!“

Tina

“My name is Tiffany and 9 months into the program, I am 80 pounds lighter and so much happier with myself.

I have more energy and desire to do things. I actually went to the park and got on the swings with my son, and I am now able to run around with him and play soccer.

My biggest challenge was myself. I tried really hard to make this more complicated than it is! I am super busy and sometimes “regular” meals at my house are whatever you can grab and run.

With just a wee bit of planning, I am still able to keep up with my busy schedule and follow the plan.

I can truly say that this is the real deal. It works. It is a lifestyle, not a diet!

I have never felt healthier or more in control of my cravings and my life than I do now!“

Tiffany

“The first photo was taken on Easter at 202lbs.

I was trying in earnest to follow keto as it’s taught in the big facebook groups.

I thought I was doing everything right, but after 2 months, I had only lost 11 pounds.

Frustrated with my results, I reached out to Michelle for help.

Michelle explained exactly why I was stuck, and once I implemented her Metabolic Reset, I was finally able to lose 30 pounds in just 3 months.

Michelle’s plan is specifically optimized for fat loss for women over age 40 and that’s exactly what I needed. I’m finally at a comfortable weight for me!

I feel confident that I can maintain this lifestyle and look forward to getting dressed every morning and looking at myself in the mirror.”

Pam

“Michelle’s group provided me with support, extra motivation, and most of all, it held me accountable.

I really appreciate the way we were able to share meal ideas, delight in others’ weight loss, and encourage newcomers along their journey.

I have lost 47 pounds in less than 7 months. I still have more to go; however, I know that I can do it and do it in a healthy way.

Life is far to short to just sit back and let it happen around you, I want to be healthy enough to be an active participant in my life!

Now I am able to walk, hike, swim, and bike with my girls, which we all enjoy! This program helped me turn a corner I did not think I could!

Update: Danielle is now down 62lbs and counting since this picture was taken!

Danielle

“In November 2017 Michelle encouraged me to change my life through food. I was overweight, didn’t feel great, and wanted to be all around healthier version of myself.

Fast forward one month, I feel great, sleep better, have more energy, and am down 14 pounds. I am wearing a pair of pants that have been in my closet for over a year and they are a little baggy in the waist!

I didn’t do this is lose weight exactly. I just wanted to feel better physically and mentally.

I have learned more about myself and my food triggers that I ever knew I could.

Thank you Michelle, for helping me realize so many things about myself, but especially that I am in control of my own body and what I choose to put in it.”

Tresa

“Michelle’s course is quite possibly the most comprehensive healthy eating program on the market today. I have never had an easier time getting healthy.

Feels geat… mostly because this feels so much in my control.

Exactly what I’d been looking for: a plan that allows my body to do the work inherently ad consistently, leaves me options for tweaking when I stall and gives me steady results until I reach my healthiest weight.

Michelle leaves no emotional, physical, or mental stone unturned.

I am half-way to my goal and am certain, with her assistance, sustainability is just around the corner!”