“I have been running on the hamster wheel since I went on my first diet at 23 years old. I’ve had an unhealthy body image since my teens. I constantly compared myself to every girl who was smaller, prettier and in my mind better than me. I was never fat, but I didn’t know that. When my doctor (yes my actual primary care physician) gave me a diet plan and I lost 20 pounds it was exciting, and I have been chasing that high all my life. The saying that I wish I was as fat now as I was when I first thought I was fat is so true. Weight gains and losses, binges, purging, food restriction, guilt, shame…have all been my bed fellows for the past 24 years. When I found Marisa Michael it was to, yet again, find the help I needed to lose weight and master my “demon food”. I never would have guessed that Marisa would change me in ways I had not expected. She introduced me to Intuitive Eating. Learning to feed myself based on feelings of hunger and fullness was something I could barely wrap my head around. You mean health and wellness isn’t just a number on a scale?! What! I have learned and continue to learn to eat when I’m hungry, to stop when I am full, to eat regular meals and snacks and to choose foods that I need (sometimes want) the most. I’m no longer bingeing or purging. It still takes conscious thought and effort at times but it’s easier every day. Most importantly I’ve learned patience with my food and I’ve gotten off of the diet train forever. Every time I doubted the process (and there were a few), once I met with my amazing dietician guru Marisa she continued to advise me and encourage me to continue the process and work. Each time I would follow her advice and my intuitive eating skills would grow. I would grow. I knew I was on the right track. For anyone who wants to get off the diet train and learn to love food, love themselves and live life to the fullest Marisa Michael can lead you there. I am thankful everyday that I met her.” ~Angie Sauer
“Marisa has been an amazing help to me in my recovery from anorexia. I am a
climber and full-time route setter that had been malnourished since 2014
and my body and mind were simply breaking down. I couldn’t sustain my
passion for climbing, work was breaking my body down, and my life was being
spent with a cloud over my head. Marisa showed me a different way to go
about living. She helped me realize that proper nutrition and care for my
body would help me climb stronger than ever. She has made this career of
route setting sustainable for me. Most importantly, Marisa lifted that
cloud that was sitting over my head for nine years.” ~Nolan PieperThis last fall our middle/high school NICA mountain bike team partnered up with Real Nutrition to have several workshops for our athletes through the practice season and into our competitive season. It was a game changer for our athletes! They received nutrition and hydration information in a workshop format that the athletes received in a more positive and useful way than having coaches casually discuss nutrition at our workouts. As the head coach for LOC MTB I appreciated the way Marisa could conduct the workshops to be understanding & helpful for our age-range of athletes. It was fun and educational, and our coaches came away with a plan to keep nutrition in the forefront. This focus on nutrition resulted in our best year yet in performance improvements for the entire team. Thanks Marisa and Real Nutrition!
Doug Cousineau ~ LOC Mountain Bike Team“It is difficult to put into words how much Marisa has positively impacted my life. After speaking with several nutritionists, she took me in, listened to my emotional breakdowns, emailed me after hours to answer my random late-night questions, and was a consistent rock of information in my life (and still is). She knew how to speak to me in a language that I could understand and appreciate while backing it up with current, scientific studies that I needed to hear. My understanding of how nutrition fits into my life has greatly increased, as well as my physical and emotional health. Among all of these things, she was accommodating logistically, responsive, and malleable to meet my needs with scheduling and other sometimes annoying processes; she navigated these with ease. I can 100% say that not going to her would have been a great disservice to myself and she has my utmost respect and highest recommendation, always.”
I previously worked with a dietician on intuitive eating and gentle nutrition but found myself needing more specific support for proper hydration and nutrition during endurance training. Marisa was thorough and provided specific recommendations in the first session that I was able to test out right away. My follow-up appointments were focused on dialing in my hydration and nutrition even more, based on how my training was going with her initial recommendations. Marisa exceeded my expectations. She was professional but also so enjoyable to talk with and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for nutrition support!
Erica A.“Marisa Michael put together a fantastic workshop. She came with slides, handouts, and even food to taste. We wanted a fun, interactive experience and this was it. The members of the group were quickly brought together in a discussion around what is a healthy lifestyle, how does fitness and nutrition fit into our lives, and how to enjoy mindful eating. We got to try different foods and…learn about making healthy, quick, and tasty meals to improve our health. The group had some specific requests for the workshop and Marisa came prepared to help everyone learn and connect with one another as well. She was available for questions afterwards and inspired complete cooperation from this diverse group of adults. We hope to hear from her again.” ~D.E.
Dana E.
ONE-ON-ONE CONSULTATION REVIEWS:
“Working with Marisa was really helpful for me. I was able to let go of my anxiety around food and body image and instead focus on establishing consistent healthy habits that help me feel good. I went from constantly worrying about my body size, my weight, and what or how much I was eating to feeling calm and peaceful and enjoying a positive, happy relationship with food. Marisa is very positive and encouraging. She helped me to make long-term changes, including establishing regular exercise routines, increasing my awareness of my body’s needs and signals, and making time for healthy eating a priority. She was great at giving me small, “do-able,” concrete assignments and then providing accountability and feedback. She also helped me evaluate what was working and not working for my body and how to set goals and make decisions based on what worked for me. She has a thoroughly sane and sensible approach to the highly-charged topics of weight loss, food and exercise. I highly recommend her.” ~Karen
“Although I exercise regularly, I struggled to “get my body back” after delivering my fourth baby. After 3 years of trying to do it on my own, I decided it was time for professional help. I had been following Marisa’s Instagram feed for a while and was impressed by the reasonable, scientifically proven nutritional information she posted. I also appreciated that she is a certified personal trainer so I felt confident that her dietary advice would take into account my level of activity and physical fitness. Our consultation together was immensely helpful. She explained how to augment my eating/exercising regimen in order to reach my goals and walked me through what a realistic caloric intake should be for my personal circumstances. After consulting with her, I feel confident that I now have the information I need to push through my previous obstacles and start seeing some results!” –Kristi T., Arizona.
“Marisa met with my son, a high school athlete, who needed support understanding what his diet needed to be in order to stay healthy, gain muscle mass and endurance, and eat for optimal performance. She thoroughly evaluated every aspect of his diet and nutrition habits, and provided a lot of resources for my son and our family. I highly recommend Marisa for athlete nutrition!” ~ L.A.
“You have helped me so much. I had been to a nutritionist in the past and he possibly had the same credentials but he just wasn’t a good fit for me. I appreciate you have taken the time to listen to my lifestyle and needs and in less than 3 months made it so I no longer take my BP (blood pressure) meds.” ~Elizabeth M.
“I’ve seen Marisa Michael as a dietitian several times over the past 6 months. I always feel glad I’ve met with her. She is very helpful, knowledgeable & understanding. I love the meal plans she makes for me. She works with the parameters I need (I don’t want fancy, complicated recipes, just quick & simple ideas). I would recommend her to anyone!” ~J.W.
“I would highly recommend Marisa Michael from Real Nutrition. I have been a client of hers for almost 2 months at weekly visits due to my needs! She has been so helpful for me to learn things about myself and my nutrition habits and how to work on correcting them. I have seen many other nutritionists, but none have been as hands-on as I was wanting until I found Marisa. She is very knowledgable and patient with me. She goes the extra mile when it comes to her clients’ health and nutritional needs. I am so happy and lucky I have her to help me with my nutritional goals. She is the best nutritionist I have ever seen and would recommend her to anyone who is needing nutritional advice, help, or guidance.” ~D.S.
WORKSHOP REVIEWS:
“Marisa Michael put together a fantastic workshop. She came with slides, handouts, and even food to taste. We wanted a fun, interactive experience and this was it. The members of the group were quickly brought together in a discussion around what is a healthy lifestyle, how does fitness and nutrition fit into our lives, and how to enjoy mindful eating.
We got to try different foods and…learn about making healthy, quick, and tasty meals to improve our health. The group had some specific requests for the workshop and Marisa came prepared to help everyone learn and connect with one another as well. She was available for questions afterwards and inspired complete cooperation from this diverse group of adults. We hope to hear from her again.” ~D.E.
“I loved the interactions and reminders of healthy foods.” ~ Kelly G.
“Very easy to follow and helpful.”
“Very knowledgable and engaging.”
“Good presenter and good info.”
“I appreciate the real advice for our real lives.” ~Allison
