Client and Program Reviews


Private Coaching and Reviews of My Overeating and Emotional Eating Program

I have put a huge bag of bricks down, a bag that I no longer have to carry with me. Working with you has completely changed my life. Before, food was good or bad, and then so was I. Now, it's just food. I'm no longer blaming myself which is amazing and I'm much more aware of the reasons when I desire to eat. I feel freer with my food choices and I'm approaching food with a positive outlook. I could cry because I'm not mad at myself anymore for having cravings. Before, I only thought I was successful if I was perfect with my eating. I'm starting to feel successful all the time. If I do overeat, it's not the end of the world. I can just keep going forward. I have experienced losing weight without it feeling hard or bad and I know this is just the beginning. The amount that I've changed in six months is amazing. I've worked with this issue my entire life and for the first time, I understand it. I am so grateful. I highly recommend coaching with Melissa and the Your Missing Peace program. 

- JENNY | Coaching Client and Your Missing Peace Participant -

I am grateful for every coaching session, every module lesson, every exercise and and every podcast because I learn something new every time.

- Laura | Coaching Client and Your Missing Peace Participant -

If you had asked me a year ago where I was with feelings about food and my body, I would have told you that so much of my energy was focused towards an obsession with food and my body. I would have told you that I didn’t have the ability to be truly present because I was either thinking about what I ate, what I planned to eat, how much I disliked my body, thinking that if only I could get a handle on my eating, everything in my life would improve.

I had lost weight through dieting at different points in my life, but it never stayed off. The diets were so strict that the pursuit for “diet perfection” (which led to the short lived weight loss),when not perfect, led to full derailment, binging, and then ultimate weight gain.

Something has changed. First, the concept that diets don’t work, has changed my thinking. No food is off limits. If nothing is off limits, no food needs to be coveted, craved, or secretly eaten…

I am a full time financial advisor and mother of two. Since I began working with Dr. McCreery a year ago, I have increased my income substantially, still attend all of my children’s school events and sporting matches, my house is more organized than it has ever been … I am finally happy in my body. I have lost about 30 pounds, I eat whatever I want, stop when I am no longer hungry, and most importantly, the obsessions are gone. Gone are the mornings promising that I am finally going to be “good”, gone are the nights reprimanding myself for everything I did wrong, gone is the constant decision making about what to eat and when to stop.

- J. | Financial Advisor -

Melissa McCreery's work has been a game-changer for me. After decades of struggles with overeating, she has helped me to understand how to identify, turn towards and meet my unmet needs (what she calls the 'hidden hungers') and finally the urge to overeat is falling away. I am so so grateful for this as I sometimes wondered if I would ever be comfortable in my own skin. If you struggle with overeating - with overwhelm, self-criticism, perfectionism - then I recommend Melissa wholeheartedly.

-  Louise Tennekoon | Coach -

This journey towards weight loss, which is what it was originally, has changed so much for me. Now I see it as a journey towards being full of life and love. The side benefit of that is that food is no longer such a coping mechanism for me. Feeling full of other things means I can let go of having to always have food. I don’t feel deprived at all.

My eating is very different already. I haven’t had cravings and I am allowing myself to eat anything I feel like eating. I ate pasta three times this week!! I just didn’t need to eat lots of it. My relationship with my partner has an intimacy that I have never experienced before. I can tell that I am a better mother than I have ever ever been. I seem to have new patience and more love than I had before. . . And yes, I have lost 5 pounds this week, without trying. While eating pasta! I even ate fried chicken this week!!! I ate as much as I wanted, and then stopped, and I felt completely in control.

- M. | PHYSICIAN -

Today I finish six months of individual coaching with Melissa McCreery. It has been an amazing experience. I sought Melissa’s help in understanding my emotional eating habits. From day one Melissa met me where I was without judgment. Her holistic approach helped me to make connections that I had never considered. She has been my advocate and an anchor during this six month discovery process. Melissa is compassionate and action oriented. She helped me become compassionate toward myself.

She helped me replace my judgmental, perfectionist tendencies with a framework of curiosity. . . She encouraged me to develop a plan that works for me instead of me working a plan. Wow! What a difference that has made. I now have new tools in my toolbox and a new way of looking at myself and my life. I am coming home to myself. I am awakening to strengths I never knew were there. I am in the driver’s seat. And boy does it feel good!

-  Rebecca | Coaching Client -

It’s not a coincidence that since working with Melissa I’ve upgraded my wardrobe, maintained my fitness routine without struggle, gotten a huge promotion, not been on a diet of any sort, been doing more creative projects that feed me, cleaned out my office, let go of some draining commitments. I’m more prepared for the holidays than I’ve ever been, I’m deepening some friendships and making new ones while letting go of others that are subtly destructive. I’m putting a few extra minutes into my appearance each day, am keeping the house really nice, am consistently writing. . . . . I’m so grateful to have someone (else) so fully on my side., seeing my best and reminding me of it, helping me be compassionate with myself, cheering me on, challenging me to be myself, helping me explore some parts of myself like the mindless eating that embarrass me, seeing all of this as connected to me and who I am in this world.

- Vicki | Coaching Client -

I’ve always struggled with my weight and I was tired of food occupying so much space in my mind - I was one of those people who "live to eat." … Food was always on my mind and I was always wanting to eat. I would think about food, dream about food, desire food, but once I ate it, I realized it was much better in my mind than in my mouth. Also, I was very aware of being a stress eater. Now I feel much calmer about food. I have strategies to help me so I am not constantly thinking about food … This program is really making me think and work in a whole different way! And yet it's so forgiving ... an inch at a time if needed ... I love it! ... I have to say that the materials are fantastic - there is so much gold there to mine! You are empathetic and supportive and creative and challenging. I appreciate all that so much… There's a ton of excellent content here. A lot to learn and try and do. Be prepared to work for success. It's so worth it! THANK YOU SO MUCH FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART DR. MELISSA! You're amazing and you're doing a wonderful service for women like me!

-  Linda | Your Missing Peace program participant -

Your Missing Peace was SO worth my investment. I've done Weight Watchers for almost 20 years off and on, and I've read many books on cognitive therapy skills with dieting and overeating. They helped me lose weight, but I would always regain it. These programs didn’t address the core emotions that caused me to overeat and their approach proved to be too complex or rigid to continue with every day. After completing Your Missing Peace, I eat mindfully. I eat less, and I feel more satisfied and less guilty when I do eat. The program showed me how to successfully pinpoint the exact emotions/feelings/situations that trigger me to overeat and what I can do instead. Now, instead of just being on auto-pilot and grabbing something to eat when I'm not even physically hungry, I have effective alternative strategies. I’m also calmer and happier with myself.

Most other programs are 90% about what and how to eat, and tend to make you feel totally deprived - something most of us don’t need at all. Your Missing Peace is a completely different approach. I think any woman who struggles with weight issues needs to do this program, because you need to know that you can be empowered instead of following a regiment and you can get off the dieting hamster wheel.

- Amanda DeLongchamp | Your Missing Peace program participant -

I'm a successful woman that always attains my goals - there must be a reason why I'm not successful with this one thing! I've spent a LOT of money on "diets" that don't work and I’ll admit to being worried that this would be another thing I spent money on that wouldn’t work in the long run. I’m happy to share that I feel amazing right now. Even though I'm only on Module 2, this program has so far given me so much more than peace with food. I'm so happy and centered and unstressed - I've never felt like this before. I've never made myself and the things that give me joy a priority before and it feels amazing.

I could never figure out “why” I overeat. Why is this the one thing in my life I couldn't stick to and accomplish? Your Missing Peace really addresses this and helps you find what will work for you individually. Other diet programs tell you what to do, and you feel like a failure when you can't stick to it. I highly recommend the program. The lessons are like nothing I've ever heard before. If you've ever wondered why you can't stick to a diet even when you really want to, and have known that you are an emotional eater this is for you. If you're ready to commit to the program, it is going to really open up some doors for you. It will give you a new outlook on yourself and your life.

- Kira | Your Missing Peace program participant -

Things with food and overeating have smoothed out considerably during the time I have been doing the work in Your Missing Peace. I feel much more grounded and free of the tyranny of overeating… If you are unhappy with your relationship with food or emotional eating this is a good place to start the journey to change. There is much richness in the work offered here. If you do the work.

- P. | Your Missing Peace program participant -

I was at the end of my rope. Yo-yo diets didn't work for me, I couldn't see my way to fit in exercising consistently and I desperately needed help overcoming my stress eating habit. And let me say... I had a terrible eat-to-sooth-stress habit and panic ruled my days as I have a very stressful job in the healthcare industry, lots of travel plus the demands of raising a family. Your tools have been key to getting me back on track . . . After years of being in this terrible rut, I was really successful in making some positive changes . . . finally! Your program has been my page turner! I feel more confident, in control of my choices . . . my success isn't tied to my environment but now within me!

- Trish | Your Missing Peace program participant -

I am sending my friends and relatives who need you to your website! I have the tools now, and I kind of feel like, ‘I’m on to you, overeating! You can’t get me now!’ Hearing the audios and what you led me through in this program, it was just so amazing how the progress started right away. The biggest ‘aha’ for me so far, after using your program, is facing one of the reasons I overeat …I’m actually starting to lose weight, which I’ve been trying to do for the last 20 years.

I am thrilled to report that 30 days after starting your program I’ve lost 8 lbs. I’m shocked that I was eating that much extra food emotionally. I really had no idea that it was 7-8 lbs worth! Shocked, shocked, shocked…(yet thrilled about my hamster-wheel free present & future!). And you are right…life is getting better already… I am doing things that use my gifts, my expertise, and giving the world some of what I have to offer instead of eating to cope with feeling stuck in life. Something tells me that these projects may turn out to open new doors & opportunities. Thanks for truly being a REAL expert in this area. I’ve gotten lots of other ‘help’ over the years, spent lots of money I probably didn’t even have to spend… but it’s only now that the real issues are becoming clear. I really think I see the light at the end of the tunnel and my life is about to totally shift.

- Chante | Program Participant -

Joining Your Missing Peace has been a wonderful, life-changing experience. I started this program because I was tired of feeling sick, tired, hopeless and so unhappy with the person I had become. I used to binge about 3-4 days per week. I have maybe binged 2-3 times total in the past 4 months since starting the program! I have learned what it feels like to savor my food. I am starting to let myself feel my feelings instead of numbing them. I am kinder to myself. I am giving myself permission to eat foods if I want them and it’s now okay to leave food on my plate when I am satisfied or no longer enjoying it. I am proud of how far I have come. I am calmer and happier and no longer feel like I have to wait to be my Unstoppable Self!

- Jessica | Your Missing Peace program participant -

Overeating has always been running in the background of my life. I felt that if I could just put everything on hold – my job, friends, family, relationships, volunteering – then I could focus on changing it, but otherwise my only hope was to miserably co-exist with it. I wanted help but in the last few years there have been a proliferation of transformational coaching programs, and as a consumer it can be really difficult to discern which are high-quality and worth the cost. So I was wary starting Your Missing Peace, but ended up being pleasantly surprised and grateful. Dr. Melissa anticipates the perfectionist traps you might fall into as you are learning and focuses on gradual progress. One of the most valuable strategies she teaches you is about making choices that respect your energy levels which has been a game-changer for me. She also is really generous with her interaction time with individuals during the group calls which I wasn’t expecting. I’m only 5 weeks but food occupies a much smaller space in my brain and I’m really proud of that.

- Martha | Your Missing Peace program participant -

Thank you so much for developing this program and putting it on the Internet. It was and is an answer to my prayers!! My relationship with food before this program was a deprivation diet. I would lose weight but then my willpower would just go away and I would have awful and ugly binges on those bad foods and gain it all back. I FINALLY feel like I am on the right track and I have hope for a much better future!!

"I thought your program was absolutely amazing and it is SO WELL put together. I would definitely recommend Your Missing Peace to others. All the other programs I have tried before are deprivation programs, deprivation diets. They never treated the emotions that I was stuffing down with food. So they were only short term solutions.

Your Missing Peace will give you hope and will teach you how to overcome your emotional overeating. It is so well taught and organized. Thank you so much for developing this program and putting it on the Internet. It was and is an answer to my prayers!!

- Valerie | Your Missing Peace participant -

I was absolutely thrilled with my coaching experience. Melissa was patient, insightful, and helped me get exactly where I needed to go. I feel like I’ve made real, lasting progress, that I’ve connected to myself in a way that I’ve never had before.

- Alyssa | Coaching Client -

Melissa McCreery has a rare ability to create a space of safety, empathy, and hope in which coach and client join together to explore unproductive habitual patterns while cultivating faith in new possibilities and transformation. She will definitely help you discover the cracks where the light gets in!

- Jan | Coaching Client -

This has become a way of life for me and I’m thrilled to be a success story. I was at the end of my rope… looking for answers. I have tried so many things in the past to lose the weight. I even became a Raw Foodist for 2 years! Nothing worked that could be sustained. And I’ve learned that whatever you do to get the weight off, you have to do to keep the weight off. That’s the hard part . . . I began working from home for a large Fortune 100 company. I had a great job, but was totally isolated from life. All I did was work. And eat. And sleep. I found Melissa McCreery’s website and got her program. I followed it, and discovered the pattern that was causing me to spiral down into emotional eating.

When I pinpointed the trigger of my emotional eating binges it WAS the light bulb moment. This approach worked for me. The program helped me to identify and break my emotional eating patterns. What a breakthrough this has been! After learning how to take control of my emotional eating issues, I was approved for Bariatric Surgery in May of 2010. I’ve lost almost 100 pounds and have kept it off for over 2 years. I give credit to Melissa’s program for my continued success as a Bariatric patient. I now am teaching and coaching in the Bariatric community. I have recommended Dr. Melissa’s program many times. If you are willing to do the work… it works.

- Lisa Burk Foster | Program Participant -

I chose to work 1:1 with Melissa because I enjoyed the Emotional Toolbox program coaching (now The Your Missing Peace Program) and felt that I could accelerate my progress with a closer relationship. Boy, was that a great decision!!!

"Melissa’s blend of professional expertise, practical advice, and genuine caring was just what I needed to learn, consider, and take action on my weight challenges. I tend to be very hard on myself and Melissa helped me to see that treating myself with compassion was a much better way to build the success that I was looking for. Was it a tough decision to invest in 1:1 coaching? YES — its a time commitment and a financial commitment. Am I glad that I did it? YES — I would advise anyone to invest the time and attention in themselves with Melissa as their coach.

- ANN | Coaching Client -

I really didn’t think there was anything more I could learn about emotional eating, having already read everything I could get my hands on about it. But, Melissa’s Emotional Eating Toolbox program (now The Your Missing Peace Program) is not the same old information, it’s a wonderful healing process! Not only did I get a lot out of it personally, I have recommended it to my clients.

- Katie Jay | Founder, National Association for Weight Loss Surgery -

This program has been life changing. So many programs only scratch the surface–and I’ve tried lots of them. When I think of the thousands of dollars I’ve spent in gyms and programs–I could have bought a car–and here comes this program that makes it so simple, that lays it right out. Melissa McCreery has topped an industry that has made millions for the many weight loss gurus who think they have the answer, but who has not yielded the results… She’s on to something big! Hats off to her!

- Julie | Program Participant -

I joined Your Missing Peace looking for focus and more discipline. I wanted to put myself higher on my priority list and I wanted a way to handle cravings. I’ll admit, I was concerned about the time the program would take and the cost of joining.

I have tried diets, but I knew I really needed more help this time with my mind. I truly felt like I needed to get my head in the right place. This program has done that for me. Going through the training modules really worked to get me in gear. Your Missing Peace has helped me to have the focus, discipline and self-control, to be the strong advocate for my own health, that I know I can be.

Thank you! I now have a path that I look forward to, rather than feeling weary and skeptical.

- G. | Your Missing Peace program participant -

I was absolutely thrilled with my coaching experience. Melissa was patient, insightful, and helped me get exactly where I needed to go. I feel like I’ve made real, lasting progress, that I’ve connected to myself in a way that I’ve never had before.

- Rosemarie | Program Participant -

I have loved your Get Over Overeating program. I am reading your book at the moment as well. The most helpful thing was not only to have ways of understanding why I am emotionally eating. I also found most helpful having strategies to put into place in order to stop this frustrating habit. Many thanks for your fantastic work

- Laura Bone | Get OVER Overeating participant -

One of my challenges has been to finish strong. Great ideas, great plans…I knew exactly what to do to lose weight and then other things would get in the way. I was forever promising myself to do better tomorrow but I was juggling too much and had no energy for the life I really wanted to live…

"I am really grateful for the time working with Melissa. Even living in Sydney, Australia was no barrier in our conversations being via Skype. She helped me identify small smart changes that have had the greatest impact on my everyday life and have allowed me the space to breathe. Physically I am 28kg (62lbs) lighter. It seems like every day I’m having conversations with people who are commenting on the big changes. One of my colleagues said, ‘It’s not only that you’ve lost weight – you’re actually glowing!’ It’s been amazing to see the scales go down – but the biggest change is that I have much more energy to get out and do what I want to do. I kayaked for over four hours last Saturday! Overwhelm is lifting, there will always be some things that have to be done and I am better at preparing for what I need in and around busy times. The excuses for not looking after myself are gone.

"So what about finishing strong? I have realised taking one strong step at a time is possible and that what works are more do-able, even smaller steps than I used to take. This has actually led to several stronger steps to make the real change I was longing for.

- Leanne | Analyst -

Working with Melissa is giving me a NEW LIFE! I was stuck and for someone who is used to being very successful despite huge challenges–that was very scary. Coaching with Melissa has enabled me to get unstuck.

I’m losing weight and saw very significant improvements in my cholesterol and blood sugar levels in only three months! Melissa is helping me get my “life” back! I have never before worked with someone who is so perfectly attuned to busy women and women who have been very successful in their lives. Quite frankly, Melissa knows precisely what makes us tick! It is so refreshing to have her be so “spot on” in her coaching. Therein lies some of the magic as to why coaching with Melissa can be so productive. Give yourself the gift of coaching with Melissa. You are WORTH it! You DESERVE it! It was absolutely the best gift I have ever given to myself.

- Grace T. | Coaching Client -

Working with Melissa renewed my sense of purpose. I discovered Melissa soon after I merged my company and became a partner in a large consulting firm on the east coast. I was on an airplane every week commuting to the headquarters office or traveling for clients. I was on a non-stop out of control roller coaster. I was working 80-hour weeks, I wasn’t sleeping and I was certainly overeating. I looked for solutions and found Melissa. She quickly helped me understand I was not prepared to lose weight, not until I could regain control of other parts of my life. She gave me the courage to take control. I found the exit door and never looked back. I have lost 40 pounds. I sleep. I have time for my family. I have started several new business ventures. So, now I am a Type A business woman on my terms. Thank you, Melissa.

- Susan | Consultant -

I had experienced a lot of life changes in recent years (moving, a child getting married, serious illness in family, youngest children going off to college, owning a small service business during a recession). I was in survival mode, which I’m pretty good at in some ways. However my survival strategies weren’t working and were taking a toll on my health.

I had gained 30 pounds, stopped exercising, pulled away from family and friends. I felt disconnected, alone and worried about everything. I was looking for a way to change my lifestyle habits so that I didn’t feel so overwhelmed, tired, and out of control. . . . I knew I could use the ‘excuse of I can’t afford this’ as a way not to sign up. I also knew that I had spent almost 30 years and thousands of dollars on books, programs, diets, foods, motivational cd’s etc. I was ready to make an investment in myself that could create lasting change for me.

I feel very comfortable working with Melissa. She ‘gets’ me. She saw the real me and believed in the real me before I even knew who that was or what it looked like. She continually encourages me to move a little bit out of my comfort zone and towards my goals. She keeps me accountable. She is available for support and encouragement by email in between my coaching calls.

Working with Melissa, I gained my spirit back. I gained the courage and the security to know that I can be at my best and that I am a good person. I learned how to stay with myself when I feel uncomfortable. I learned how to be compassionate and kind to myself. I didn’t expect that I would learn these things. I thought I would learn a system or a process to manage my time, develop willpower and be able to turn off my emotional eating switch.

I used to look at certain people I knew, and admire that they could be so grounded, at peace with themselves, and at ease in the world. I am becoming more like them. I finally ‘get’ what it means to be in the present moment. I take time for myself every day. I am so glad I did this.

- Mary Jo Falvey | Business Owner -

Dr. McCreery is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met. She’s a regular featured columnist for our publication WLS (Weight Loss Success) Lifestyles magazine and an important member of our editorial advisory board team. She has an extraordinary talent for writing and speaking about issues relating to obesity or maintaining a healthy weight. She writes and speaks in a way that moves the human spirit and really connects with her audience. Her articles and professional blogs are always very popular with our readers. Dr. McCreery is always a pleasure to work with, a consummate professional and a highly respected member of the weight loss community. Her vast experience and extensive knowledge on issues relating to emotional eating and weight loss makes her a leader in this field. She’s creative, organized, efficient, extremely competent, and has an excellent rapport with people. Her communication skills, both written and verbal, are absolutely terrific.

- Daniel W. Babbino | Co-founder/President DDB Media LLC -

Right now the food issue feels very much like a non-issue. I’m not turning to food when I get stressed. . . I started a new program to control the beginnings of diabetes. Oh what a difference after our work together! I’m able to follow the plan with no problems and no desire for any of my old comfort foods (which are terrible for blood sugar)! I have none of the obsessive and terrified thinking that if I don’t do this perfectly and get my situation under control I’ll get sick. I feel so incredibly relaxed, knowing that I can do what I can do and that I can release the results. There is no sense of angst or fear or compulsion. This NEVER would have happened before working with you one-on-one and taking your programs. I’m so glad I followed my intuition and did them. I can’t thank you enough.

- Mary | Coaching Client -

Working with Dr. McCreery has been such a powerful tool for me in my health and wellness goals.  My mindset has completely changed regarding how I view food.  Instead of beating myself up and sticking to perfectionistic tendencies, I’m allowing myself to be given the self-love and care needed. Since I began coaching with Melissa, my weight is down twenty-seven pounds and I've found my groove with exercise. I finally have a way of eating that works for me and I've ditched the diet thinking that never worked. I no longer worry about falling off track when I travel or being able to stick with my habits. If life throws me a curveball, I feel confident about my ability to course-correct.

- WENDY | Coaching Client -

Investing in 6 months of personal coaching was kind of scary for me. I previously thought “I will read a book,” “I will join a group as it's more cost-effective,” “I can find a budget solution to this.” But what I realized after a couple of months of coaching with Dr. McCreery is that my brain and soul responded best to 1 on 1 coaching sessions focussed solely on me. Simple, productive conversations about my needs, thought processes, and ultimately why my brain wanted food when my body didn’t need it, and what makes me feel satisfied instead of food. I accomplished some things I wasn't sure I could do. I ended cycles with overeating and emotional eating. Evening overeating is no longer a habit. I broke up with the scale - and it no longer gets to define my mood or how I feel about myself. I learned I could make changes with food that didn't leave me feeling deprived or hungry. I have spent much more on diets, pills, and potions over the past three decades than I did on personal coaching. But no diet ever freed me from the emotional eating cycle like coaching has, or from thinking about my next weigh-in. I wish more people could find the path to getting leaner while getting off the diet/restriction/emotional eating hamster wheel. I am very grateful that I decided to invest in myself through Melissa’s expert coaching. Finding peace with food has been incredibly valuable and rewarding. I wish I had done it sooner.

- ANGIE | Coaching Client -

Your life, your time, and your energy are too precious to spend struggling with overload, overwhelm, and overeating.

There’s a way off the hamster wheel – and when you find it, your whole life flows more easily.

Smart, high-performing women face specific challenges with food, overeating, and emotional eating.

To learn about Dr. Melissa's individual coaching programs and opportunities to work privately with her, go here.

Take the free Hidden Hungers Quiz to identify your dominant Hidden Hunger and your best path out of the overeating maze. Find out what you're really hungry for (probably not food!).

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