The Wellness Spotlight Series highlights military spouses and their real world health and wellness journeys in a Facebook Live series. Below is an excerpt of Mary-Catherine's feature.

Mary-Catherine is an Army spouse, registered dietitian, and she owns her own private practice. She is passionate about making nutrition easy, fun, and sustainable. In her free time, she loves exploring the outdoors and taking her pup to swim.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY AS A MILITARY SPOUSE.

I met my now husband in high school. Turns out, his mom pointed out a decade later, he joined the tennis team because of me. It wasn’t until he graduated Airborne School that we reconnected. At that point, he was headed to Italy and I was going to college in Texas. Fast forward a few years, and now we’ve finally figured out how and committed to be in the same place at the same time and start our family with our pup, Titan.

If you are a health or wellness expert, tell us about it and how it has impacted your wellness journey.

I’m a registered dietitian, but my passion for nutrition started well before I started college or got credentialed. Growing up, I was a competitive tennis player. Even though I felt stronger than most girls my age, I struggled with weight and was frequently bullied for it. The constant bullying and self-dissatisfaction led me down a rough path and several-year struggle with anorexia and orthorexia. Making peace with food and not living by labels has completely liberated me. I don’t feel restricted anymore and I’m grateful for the experiences I had—no matter how tough they were. The combination of my education and personal experience lead to my core belief that restrictive eating does not work. The yo-yo dieting, self-shaming, and guilty feelings take a toll on more than just your stomach—they really affect your mind, general well-being, and social and intimate relationships. I know how good I feel eating balanced meals and incorporating treats like ice cream into my lifestyle. I love helping other women break free of dieting, love their bodies, and enjoy what they’re eating.

Have you experienced any extreme lows since becoming a military spouse? How did you overcome it?

They say entrepreneurship is a rollercoaster. Well, combine that with military life and it’s like being at Six Flags non-stop. It’s a lot to handle. When I moved to join my husband at Fort Campbell, I gave up a full-time salaried job with great benefits. Unfortunately in this area, there just aren’t dietitian jobs. I took on a ten-hour per week part-time position and felt worthless. I wasn’t contributing financially like I had been before and that lack of financial self-sufficiency was mentally taxing. I decided to start taking on private clients to supplement my income. I’d get a new client then go weeks without signing up someone else. I went to school to study nutrition, not business. The unsteady paychecks, inability to contribute my share, need to borrow money from my husband for a haircut, and distress from not knowing how to run a business really added up. I finally invested some money into an Instagram marketing course and then reached out to Military One Source and signed up with an entrepreneurial coach through the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program. Knowing how to market myself led to more clients, and the consistent check-ins helped me persist through the initial rollercoaster of entrepreneurship. 

When have you felt your healthiest (mental and/or physical) since becoming a military spouse?

Now! My practice runs on the phrase “health from the inside out.” I’ve always known how to properly feed and move my body, but it wasn’t all connecting with my mind. Over the last few months, I’ve spent time really developing my mindset around food, my body, my marriage, and honestly my life. Now I’ve taken what I’ve created, a recipe to body love, and developed the Busy Babes Confidence Camp program. We focus on whole food nutrition, sustainable habit changes, proper exercise, and most importantly, self-love and acceptance. I am so excited to help others transform their perspectives on themselves and their bodies! 

What is one personal habit that contributes to your success?

As a dietitian, I focus on a consistent eating schedule to avoid becoming overly hungry (‘cuz let’s be honest . . . hanger is real) or overly stuffed. On top of following a schedule, I use the hunger-fullness scale to understand when I’m eating to nourish my body and when I’m eating in reaction to something in mind (stress, emotions, etc.). It has really helped me listen to my hunger cues. I teach this tool to all my clients. My clients experience much less guilt and usually some moderate weight loss when listening to their bodies and using the hunger-fullness scale.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FORM OF SELF-CARE?

It’s hard to choose just one! My favorite form of self-care right now is face masks. I recently started using clay masks and remind myself by using the phrase, “On Wednesdays, we wear masks!” For twenty minutes, I sit with my mask on, uninterrupted, and listen to calming music. It really helps me get past the mid-week slump.

IF YOU COULD SHARE A HEALTH AND WELLNESS RESOURCE WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

Find an online support community you can take with you anywhere, even when you PCS! I started this page for women who lead busy lifestyles to find support with meal planning, on-the-go snacks, fitness accountability, and simple nutrition without dieting. On that same note, I challenge you to unfollow any social media accounts that elicit feelings of guilt, comparison, or sadness. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

IF YOU COULD RECOMMEND ONE BOOK AND/OR PODCAST TO MILITARY SPOUSES, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

There are so many great books and podcasts out there. For women who feel stuck comparing themselves to others, people pleasing (louder for the ladies in the back who get guilt tripped for not driving all over the state during your one-week leave spent at home), and not putting themselves first, I’d recommend The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah Knight. This is a fairly sarcastic read with quite a few swears, but I love how raw and unapologetically authentic it is.

ABOUT Mary-catherine

Mary-Catherine is a registered dietitian passionate about helping women love their bodies. She is an active duty Army spouse. Mary-Catherine, her husband, and their pup Titan, are stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Mary-Catherine spent three years working in clinical obesity and diabetes research before opening her private practice to help other women and stay employed no matter where they get stationed. She is passionate about making nutrition easy, fun, and sustainable. In her free time, she loves exploring the outdoors and taking her pup to swim.

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