“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life … Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs
“Lazy Doesn’t Run Marathons”
Meet Jess, the blogger behind Fit Chick In the City. Before working with me, Jess was what I call a “grazer”. She had a sense of what foods made her feel best, but didn’t necessarily eat them on a regular basis. In fact, her meals were more like snacks that occurred throughout the day and were driven by cravings and convenience. As a personal trainer and fitness blogger, her schedule is crazy. She is constantly on the go and her days start extremely early. She struggled with what to eat for breakfast and complained that she was uninspired in her kitchen.
When I met Jess, she was training for the NYC Marathon. After one session in particular when she proclaimed that her healthy eating had suffered because she was feeling “lazy,” I put it to her simply and said, “lazy doesn’t run marathons.” With that, a light bulb went off and the rest, as they say, is history.
At the end of our six month program, Jess had made drastic changes to her health and lifestyle. Her clothes fit better, her bloating was gone, she learned how to listen to her body and truly understand how to eat for her own ultimate wellness, she prioritizes sleep and self care, she cooks on a regular basis and grazing no longer has a place in her life.
Read more about what Jess has to say about what it’s like to work with a Health Coach …
“Someone To Be Accountable To”
Nicola came to work with me simply wanting to lose weight and have more energy. She is a social worker in the public school system — a job she finds rewarding but can also be emotionally draining. Her go-to meals included pre-made comfort meals, processed foods and several diet sodas per day. Most days lunch was non-existent or she would rely on something from the school vending machine. After only three months of working together, Nicola had lost 10 pounds and had completely overcome her diet soda addiction. By the end of her program, she was juicing regularly, had started a regular exercise program and had an arsenal of easy, healthy recipes she could rely on for lunch and dinner.
As we worked together, Nicola and I devised a realistic and flexible exercise and meal schedule that worked for her. Nicola says that one of her favorite things about the program was having “someone to be accountable to.” ”I really looked forward to trying new foods and recipes so that I could report back to you on my success and experience.”
“So Much More Than Food”
Say hello to Jenny, a Manhattanite-turned-Philadelphian who works in corporate consulting. Jenny’s stressful job and work travel had taken its toll on her so she sought me out to support her with a 5-10 pound weight loss goal.
As we worked together, Jenny discovered new, nutrient-dense foods and learned how to incorporate them into her daily meals – even on the road, she learned easy recipes for go-to weeknight meals, let go of the need to clean her plate at every meal (a habit she had since childhood) and finally grasped the difference between feelings of hunger vs. boredom gaining control over her cravings.
But by the end of her six-month program, Jenny was on track to make bigger, more lasting changes than just her food and eating habits as we explored her dissatisfaction in her job at the time and focused on deepening her relationship with herself.
In Jenny’s words: “I worked with Marissa initially because I thought maybe I could drop a few pounds and learn about eating healthier from someone who was certified and knew a lot more than I did about these kinds of things. From the first meeting with Marissa, I knew that we were going to touch on more than just what to eat and what not to eat. By the end of our scheduled sessions, I had realized so much more about myself and my state of well-being than I ha realized was at stake and impacting me. My life has changed drastically since meeting Marissa and I couldn’t have done it without her support and encouragement along the way!”
“A Healthier, Happier, Less-Stressed Mommy”
Sareh is a working mother of two beautiful girls! Having moved away from NYC to rural Virginia for her husband’s job, Sareh found herself at her highest weight ever. She struggled with managing her time to make healthy dinners for her family and felt the food options in her area were to blame.
By the end of Sareh’s program, she was celebrating a 17-pound weight loss (and counting!), less stress and a plan for staying on track with her new healthy habits and time management.
Sareh says, “Not only did Marissa help me streamline my days to include healthy meals and workouts, but our bi-monthly meetings were a great way for me to de-stress just by talking out some of my frustrations. Toward the end of my 6-month session with Marissa, my dad passed away unexpectedly. I have to say that her support was imperative to me not backsliding into emotional eating or giving up during a tumultuous time. I really don’t think I can appreciate her any more for helping me tune into myself and create a better, happier, less-stressed mother to my kids.”
“No More Food Stress”
Natasha suffered from “food stress,” or not knowing what to eat. She also wanted to get in shape and lose some weight to prepare her body for a second pregnancy. When she learned she was pregnant after session 2, we shifted priorities and set new goals to focus on making her pregnancy healthy and helping her deal with morning sickness. Natasha, a writer based in Washington, D.C., explains our work together:
My work with Marissa has been nothing less than life-changing. Her entire philosophy and manner took away my food stress and gave me greater options, not fewer. Incorporating Marissa’s personalized tips and advice, I now naturally crave healthier food. Marissa put me on a healthy path, a bonus when I became pregnant during our work. I know now that this pregnancy will be exponentially healthier than my last. I feel so much better. Marissa is a great problem-solver! For instance, she gave me terrific tools so I don’t have to rely on coke and soda crackers for morning sickness. She took me off the empty carb and sugar rollercoaster. A healthy weight and a healthy diet are imperative for pregnancy and for the future of my family. I only wish I’d had Marissa on my team for my first pregnancy. I know she’ll continue to be a great resource for myself and my children as my family grows.”
“Bored No More”
Lori, a NYC-based photographer, had the healthy eating thing down but was trying to fight boredom. Like most busy New Yorkers, she had a hectic schedule and needed to get control of it, instead of letting it control her. As we worked together, Lori learned to tune into her body and listen to what it was asking for. In the process, she made a shocking discovery — “what I thought was boredom with my diet, turned out to be an underlying need to spend more time in a warmer climate during the colder months,” she said. As a result of our work together, Lori ended up making some changes that would allow her the warm climate she craved. “I feel more well-rounded both with my diet and in my life,” she said.
What Happy Clients Are Saying
Real Food Reboot: “Just What I Needed”
“I just wanted to thank you for a great week. I enjoyed the cleanse–and feel very good. In general I think it was whatI needed. First- you are incredibly professional–delivery on time- everything packaged well and labelled. Your positive energy was felt in all aspects of the “process”. - Laura, Finance Executive
“More Than Just the Numbers on the Scale”
“I started Marissa’s program with the focus of losing 10 lbs and my permanent stomachache. What I also got was better fitting clothes and no more stomach pain. On top of that, I now have the understanding of how what I EAT affects how I FEEL. I never realized that it goes far beyond just the number on the scale. Marissa helped me realize which foods make me feel my best and which ones don’t” - Lani, Style Consultant, Real Life Style
“I’m Eating More!”
“I have easily made major changes in my life. These are not temporary changes. I know that what I have learned will last the rest of my life. I have lost a few stubborn pounds without counting calories. I’m actually eating more!” - Ronni, Vocalist
“A New Relationship with Healthy Eating”
“Thank you for helping me develop a new relationship with healthy eating. You helped me learn that there is a different way to look at what eating healthy really means and how, once you begin, your own body wisdom helps out along the way. Changing old habits is very difficult. Correct that, I thought it had to be difficult. You helped me every step of the way. First with the logic, second, with recipes and third with your ongoing patience” - Alice, Real Estate Agent
“I Look Forward to Cooking”
“Marissa tailored a nutrition and wellness program specific to my particular lifestyle. Working with her, I used the knowledge I gained to achieve my goals of losing weight, increasing my daily energy and feeling more confident about my food choices without feeling like I am making sacrifices. I now look forward to cooking, which is something I loathed before. Marissa showed me exactly how to incorporate healthy and flavorful eating into my everyday life.” - Tiffany, Corporate Attorney
