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“It was my 25th birthday, I … couldn’t
get out of bed and my soul hurt from the way
that I felt about myself and the way others
thought about me.”
www.wrightsvillebeachmagazine.com WBM
afterward, Clay decided he had to change
the way he was living his life. He began
to buy simple, healthy foods and cook all
of his meals every Sunday for the week
ahead. “By cooking everything at once I
was giving myself only one chance to fail
to eat healthy instead of having to worry
about that decision 20 times a week,”
Clay says.
So began the start of Custom Fit
Meals. Clay sold everything he had,
drove cross-country from Scottsdale,
Arizona to his native Wilmington,
North Carolina. Having a friend that
offered to let Clay sleep on his couch
helped his decision to come here, but he
soon realized that this would be a perfect
place to start his new business.
“Freshness is a key component to our
philosophy, and because of that we have
developed a partnership with the SENC
Food Service, which is a program that
concentrates on having local businesses
buy local produce. Their theory is, if a
business buys 10 percent of its product
locally they put thousands of dollars
back into the local economy,” Clay says.
“I think what makes Custom Fit Meals
special is how fresh everything is, along
with our ability to cater to exactly what
our clients want, whether it be increased
meal variety, dietary requirements or
anything else.”
With constant changes being made to
the menu, like the recent addition of gluten
free and dairy-free menus, Custom
Fit Meals is evolving each day. Clients
can choose from a variety of cuisines that
span the different worldwide influences
that make up modern American cooking.
After they have placed their orders for
the week, clients can then pick up their
meals two times a week at various gyms
around Wilmington.
Clay says that the reason why so
many people fall off track when it
comes to implementing lifestyle changes
is the fact that they do not know how
to be consistent. “Most people try to
change their lifestyle all at once; they
try to do too much before they have
developed the necessary habits and
psychological tools to keep them on the
right track. We take care of that problem
first, to implement change from the
source,” Clay says.
Having personally seen drastic results
from his program, Clay says that whenever
he hears he has changed someone
else’s life in a positive way, it makes
everything worthwhile.
One such client is Burgaw Chamber
of Commerce Executive Director,
Donna Best-Klingel. Best-Klingel says
that she started the program in 2010
when Custom Fit Meals moved in next
door to her office.
“Mike brought me a meal a day for
a few days and it piqued my interest
because it was really good food, and the
concept interested me,” Best-Klingel
says. A year and a half later, Best-
Klingel has lost 72 pounds, dropped six
sizes, and has completely changed the
way she views food.
“Now I actually appreciate good, balanced
food, and before I eat something
I always think about whether it is going
to nourish my body or not. The Custom
Fit Meals program really changes your
perception,” Best-Klingel says.
As for Clay, he is happy with how
many lives he’s changed in Wilmington
so far, but he wants to increase that
number, with the eventual goal of
expanding his unique service to locations
across the state.
To start your own Custom Fit Meals
program or for more info, visit www.
customfitmeals.com