Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mary Clare Foody. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Mary Clare thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the best advice you ever gave to a client? How did they benefit / what was the result? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

The best advice that I give clients is removing the desire for perfectionism with their weight loss journey and instead embrace consistency. I’ve had this conversation with just about every client. Recently during a weekly check-in call, my client was feeling frustrated that she wasn’t able to meet her calorie and nutrient goals 7 out of 7 days due to a friend inviting her out for dinner. She was struggling with saying yes, as she already planned out her meals for that day. She ended up agreeing to dinner and was mindful of her food choices, but it still didn’t fit 100% perfectly into the plan. We talked through this and discussed tools and strategies to use next time a surprise invite occurs. It was important to remind my client that food isn’t just for nourishing our bodies but also provides connections with loved ones and happy memories. Perfection isn’t attainable but consistency is achievable. How that client eats everyday will impact their results and health much more than how she eats every once in a while. It’s key to remember that holidays, family dinners out or happy hours with friends aren’t going to be the main reason you aren’t seeing weight loss success. We are hardest on ourselves and sometimes we just need the reminder that one less nutritious meal or snack isn’t going to completely undo all of our progress. Give yourself grace and continue on your health journey.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Coach with 10 years of experience sharing my passion for all things food and health. I help clients reach nutrition goals most important to them without restricting foods. The last part, not restricting foods, usually raises an eyebrow. Diet culture teaches us that we need to restrict a whole bunch of foods and even major food groups in order to see success with weight loss. My philosophy instead takes an approach that incorporates those fun foods like pizza, fries, cookies, but pairs them with nutrient dense foods to create a more balanced and satisfying meal. Because who wants to give up those fun foods for LIFE, surely not me!

When I’m not nutrition coaching, you can find me enjoying the sunshine and outdoors, gardening, cooking tasty meals, exploring local restaurants with friends, completing renovations on my first home or watching reality tv shows on Bravo.

I provide nutrition coaching that is an individualized approach to helping clients reach their health and weight loss goals. Each person and their body are uniquely different, so a one size fits all plan to weight loss is a huge factor in why people aren’t successful. Giving clients handouts that say eat from these foods and avoid this isn’t helpful. We all have different food preferences, lifestyles, work schedules, cooking abilities, food budget and more and that all needs to be taken into consideration when creating a customized client program.

I solve the struggles that come with wanting to lose weight. Most of us are familiar with experiencing the confusion that comes with what foods to eat and how much to eat, not to mention feeling the ginormous frustration when we think we are doing all the things right, but the scale says otherwise.

I have been exactly where my clients are, spending years dieting and wanting to lose weight. But if those diets truly worked, I wouldn’t have needed another diet to achieve results. When I switched my mindset from finding the perfect diet, to taking a step back and really tuning into my body, I was able to achieve weight loss results. I needed to learn what foods made my body feel best and find a way of eating that I could stick to beyond just a few weeks. I wish I had learned this way of eating at a much earlier time in my life but now that I have the education and experience, I am able to help others reach their weight loss and health goals with much less confusion and frustration.

I’m most proud of creating a program that truly embraces whole body health. It’s not just about losing weight and chasing a number on the scale but total health. A program that looks at how daily habits impact a client’s success with weight loss like movement, sleep and stress management. I evaluate clients’ energy levels and moods as well. My program uses science-based evidence and teaches the fundamentals of nutrition to give clients tools and strategies to be successful in my program not just now but also years after they are done working with me. I welcome the individuality that each client brings to this program, and truly meet them where they are at in their health journey and create a unique plan for achieving their goals.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Any entrepreneur will tell you that the first year of business is the hardest year. You’re trying to do it all and have it perfectly figured out. That’s not reality. I really had to unlearn comparing my year one of being a nutrition coach to other coaches that are in their year five, ten or more. Comparing myself to others created imposter syndrome and led me to procrastinate at times with moving forward in my business. I’m most proud that each year in business I have continued to step out of my comfort zone and grow not just as a coach and businesswoman but as a person too.

If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?

I absolutely would 100% choose nutrition as my profession over and over again. I have always been in awe of the human body and all that it does for us, our bodies are so resilient and strong. Seeing client’s lives transformed by changes in food choices, habits and mindset shifts is such a fulfilling job. Some of the most gratifying results have included clients that achieved a weight that they haven’t been at in decades, increased their energy to be able to play with their kids after work, increased their focus and performance at work that led to a promotion, confidence with their body and how clothes fit and improving their relationship with food and their body. Those are some pretty incredible transformations!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcfoody13/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nutritionwithfoody

Image Credits
No image credits as these are my own photos