- Oct 16, 2026
When the Scale Becomes the Problem: Michele Andrews on Body Image, Restriction, and Recovery
For Michele Andrews, food and body image struggles began early.
As a professional ballet dancer, she grew up in an environment where dancers were weighed and expected to “make weight.” Over time, the mirror became less about checking form and more about criticizing her body. Restriction, calorie counting, and exercise gradually became ways of trying to control how she looked.
At one point, Michele says she was eating only around 500 calories a day as a dancer, relying on foods like oranges and Diet Coke while using cigarettes to curb her appetite. Later, exercise became another form of punishment. She recalls eating a handful of grapes one evening and then spending two hours on the StairMaster because she was angry with herself for eating sugar.
When the scale controls your day
Michele eventually realized just how much power the scale had over her.
She describes weighing herself multiple times a day and allowing the number to determine how she felt. Even after losing weight, she could still look in the mirror and see the body she believed she needed to change.
As part of her own therapy, she went nine years without a scale.
That experience now influences how she works with women who have similar patterns. Michele says that when someone is using the scale as the ultimate measure of success or failure, she may ask them to step away from it while they learn to understand their bodies without that number.
The moment something changed
Michele describes her first pregnancy as an important turning point.
She had been trying to control what she ate, how much she exercised, and how much weight she gained. Then, halfway through the pregnancy, she felt her son move for the first time.
Her realization was simple: “This is not about you.”
For Michele, that became the beginning of a much longer healing process.
Over time, she began learning more about herself, her relationship with food, and the beliefs she had carried for years.
Looking beyond food
Today, Michele says she looks at more than what someone eats when she works with them.
She wants to understand their history: the dieting patterns, family messages, body image experiences, and beliefs that may have shaped their behavior.
She also talks about the way food can become emotionally loaded. In her view, understanding those connections can help people create a different relationship with food and with themselves.
Her story is a reminder that changing eating behaviors isn’t always just about changing a meal plan. Sometimes, the deeper work is understanding the identity and experiences underneath those behaviors.
If your relationship with food or your body has been shaped by years of restriction, criticism, or pressure, Michele’s story offers another perspective: healing can be a long process, but it can also change the way you see yourself.
You can also join my newsletter for additional recovery education, tools, and resources designed to support your journey at BeyondBingeEating.com/Newsletter
