Fiona O'Donnell MSc Nutritionist

Fiona O'Donnell MSc Nutritionist Empowering change for a healthier, fitter you. Nutritionist and lifestyle coach. Founder of Feedback is more than welcome and is very much appreciated.

I built this page initially to chronicle my journey from marathon running to competing in figure competition. I love training and I also love eating - so dieting is a big challenge for me. For this reason, I try to develop new recipes which are gluten free, sugar free, low carb (for the most part) and highly nutritious. I am open to learning as much as I can whilst on this journey. Following completion of my MSc in Exercise & Nutrition Science, I am now working through a post grad in Applied Nutrition with the CISSN.

14/04/2026

The rage is raging.

First, my dialysis machine broke down 15 minutes into dialysis ….

And now, we are seeing ads promoting the loss of 1 stone in a week.

I promise you…
With 100% confidence….

That’s whatever it took for this client to lose 1 stone - it was absolutely not a sustainable behaviour.

Using evidenced psychological tools to manipulate your way into people’s pockets is abhorrent.

I’ve seen ad after ad come up from this crew and every single one has given me the absolute ick.

Show me your long term audits - and when I have that information, I’ll change my mind.

But I can pretty much guarantee they don’t exist.

If you feel challenged with body image or eating behaviours - please block these ads from your page.

Also - sorry about the rage episode in the middle. I absolutely can’t with this machine …

This absolute legend came to me at what she describes as her “lowest ebb”. Her GP in Dublin had sent her my way for beha...
11/04/2026

This absolute legend came to me at what she describes as her “lowest ebb”.

Her GP in Dublin had sent her my way for behavioural support.

I asked her if she had any expectations of what we would work on and, defeated, she said “I assume you’ll give me an eating plan”

And that’s where our conversation took a turn she never expected.

We started with where she is currently, and asked which single area it might be easy for her to expand on.

….which meal she could make more satisfying, more nourishing or more filling….

She laughed and told me that she would add a few chocolate buttons to a bowl of porridge in the morning….

I told her that was a great start…

And her jaw hit the floor.

“I’m allowed chocolate?”

And that’s where the real work started.

If you would like to discuss working with our team, pop me an email info@fionaodonnell.ie

One of my clients said something to me this morning that stopped me in my tracks. She said she had spent years going to ...
10/04/2026

One of my clients said something to me this morning that stopped me in my tracks.

She said she had spent years going to dieting clubs to change her body.

Every time she got smaller.

But it never lasted.

Never.

But, having worked together for nearly three months, she has realised that in all those years, her thinking never changed.

This is the first time she has worked on changing HOW she thinks as well working on HOW she behaves.

And it’s been a game changer.

She told me this morning that she feels powerful. She is pausing before jumping in to judge herself or speak negatively to herself.

She is pacing her process of change appropriately for her own needs - and celebrating her successes along the way.

That is what success looks like.

The quotes above are some of the mindsets we work with. The narratives that my clients have wanted to change.

Can you relate to any of those comments?

Before we start - I need to highlight something. I use words like ‘limit’ in this post, because this was how the renal d...
07/04/2026

Before we start - I need to highlight something.

I use words like ‘limit’ in this post, because this was how the renal diet was presented to me.

I was never asked what my attitudes to food were (profoundly orthorexic at the time) …

I was never screened for unhelpful eating behaviours and unfortunately, first time round on dialysis, these behaviours became quite prevalent.

I was afraid to eat the ‘wrong food’ and make myself sick.

This time round, I feel far stronger and there are strategies I’ve used to improve my approach to nutrition.

1. I’ve listed all my favourite meals and looked at how they fit into the renal profile.
Where some ingredients are very high in potassium/phosphate or protein, I make small adjustments.

For example - I love Mexican food.
But lots of minced beef, tomatoes/tomato sauces and salty spice mixes don’t work well for me.

So, I half the meat portion and add lots of beans.

I make my own large tub of spice mix without the salt.

I use less cheese (less, not none) and forgo my portion of dairy in the morning.

If I really want the salsa and tomato based sauce, I’ll plan a meal like that before dialysis and be cautious with other intakes of potassium throughout my day.

Initially, it took a lot of familiarisation - but now it’s pretty intuitive.

I know which veggies have the lowest potassium.
I know which protein sources have the lowest phosphates.

I focus on adding as much of the allowable foods as I can so I don’t feel restricted.

And I journal - a lot. My self reflective practice goes a long way to keeping me in the right headspace.

2. I’m looking for improvement, not perfection.
3. Ice chips are my best friend - I fill a 1l bottle with water so I know when I’m getting close to my limit.
5. When I find a recipe that is renal safe, I make it as delicious as I can and repeat it

If you have any other tips - please share them below and check out today’s stories (and the highlight- renal diet) for further conversation

To be honest - even my kids wonder what it is I do. And while I can list what we offer, it’s sometimes easier to layer i...
05/04/2026

To be honest - even my kids wonder what it is I do.

And while I can list what we offer, it’s sometimes easier to layer in WHO we help.

What we offer:
➡️ Strength and conditioning -

For menopausal women, for beginners, for triathletes, for runners, for anyone that desires greater strength and wants to ‘look like they train’.

➡️ Nutrition coaching -

For anyone who wants to build a foundation of health, who feels they need to change body composition. If you don’t know where to start in making changes, we help you build a plan that is sustainable, at your own pace!

➡️ Food behaviours -

We support our clients to move away from restrictive behaviours, over reliance on ‘the numbers’ and the development of an easier, more intuitive relationship with food and their bodies. We also work with individuals with disordered eating behaviours and refer out to other clinicians in the case of eating disorders.

➡️ Psychological coaching -

This is the part that confuses most of you. How we think has a huge impact on our behaviours. When we feel discord, friction and dissatisfaction in our lives, it’s a message. We help to untangle that message and achieve clarity in understanding next steps.

We help you to better understand where you are now, where you want to be and the landscape you need to navigate to get there.

We also coach clients with chronic medical conditions, communication with healthcare providers, navigating medical treatments like surgery, dialysis or diagnosis of new conditions such as crohns or diabetes.

We throw our net wide and then build your pathway to growth with you.
You’re in charge every step.

If you would like to chat more about whether we can support you, send me a DM with LINK or pop LINK in the comments below and I’ll send you a link to book for a free consultation

Initially - I questioned myself - “am I having more frequent negative body thoughts?”But I had to look at the reality of...
02/04/2026

Initially - I questioned myself - “am I having more frequent negative body thoughts?”

But I had to look at the reality of my situation.

I’m in renal failure.
I’m walking a tightrope of managing my health and my days of training for performance are a distant memory.

The reality is this:
I constantly feel hungover.
I’m exhausted all the time (bar small windows after my morning coffee)
My body is literally being poisoned every day until I clean it out with dialysis.

So my body is different.
Would it be ‘normal’ to not recognise this? I don’t think so.

But what I’m trying to do is illustrate how normal it is to have these thoughts.

The important thing is ‘how do you respond’

10 years ago, I might have dieted.
Trained more.
Felt guilty or ashamed.

Now, I acknowledge that it feels uncomfortable.
I remind myself that I’m exercising appropriately, eating to support my health, and doing all I can do right now.

My body is not here to be curated into other people’s idea of perfect.

I would rather discover what MY perfect looks like.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

28/03/2026

open to sponsorship like!

Although I feel that all the flies being back out is a sign of the good weather - so I’m here for it.

Change happens when you commit to something and stick to it. But social media would have you believe that the ONLY thing...
27/03/2026

Change happens when you commit to something and stick to it.

But social media would have you believe that the ONLY thing that will work is a 1500 calorie a day diet and 10,000 steps.

Change comes in many many forms - but here’s the thing.

It won’t last.

That diet you’re starting …
Not going to last forever.

That intense training programme with 10,000 steps a day?
What happens when you have a busy week with the kids or you get the flu? Is that failure because you couldn’t be consistent?

Success is finding changes that work for you.
Finding changes that feel good.
Finding a routine that you don’t feel you’re breaking your back to stick with.

Change comes in many forms.
Behaviours, nutrition, movement, thinking….

You might not be ready to join us and jump in with two feet - but maybe you’re ready for us to see a seed…

Maybe you’re curious to see where this might lead you?

Join us at 6pm on April 9th for our Goal setting seminar.

Type LINK below or send me a DM and I’ll share the booking link with you.

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Clonakilty

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
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