Hey there, I'm Sabrina!
HOLISTIC HEALTH COACH, HABIT CHANGE NERD & YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND
I help women make peace with food, break free from dieting and rediscover a way of eating that is relaxed, peaceful and optimal for sustainable health.
As a nearly professional ex-dieter, I know how exciting the first few weeks of a diet can feel - the praise and dopamine boost you get from people noticing your progress. And your jeans finally fitting!
But I also know the heartbreak that comes from trying to relax just a little bit - having a cheat day turn into a cheat week, eventually falling right back into the old habits that got me dieting in the first place.
(actually... being worse off than when I started, with an extra layer of shame, guilty and misery that comes with the failure of yet another diet.)
Okay, I'll try to keep it short because I know you have a busy life, people to see, things to do.
I do what I do because I've been where you are. People think that health professionals were just born that way. That I naturally crave healthy food & love exercise. HA. Not the case.
I grew up eating Nutella on white bread for breakfast every. single. morning. My family constantly teased me because of my eating habits. I learned that eating sugar was "bad" , which of course led me to crave it more. I actually used to hide bags of chocolate chips under my bed and would hide a lot of my eating habits from other people because I was so embarrassed. I didn't have weight problem because I was training 20+ hours/week as a synchronized swimmer, but I definitely was not the smallest in the crowd, which I was constantly self-conscious about.
That's when the food & body obsession really took off. I had always internalized that big body = bad body. I absorbed diet culture so fiercely, thinking that I had to take up as little space as possible in order to be considered "worthy" in our society.
So, as you might imagine, I knew what was coming when I stopped training 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. The dreaded weight gain. Which did happen. I gained 30 pounds, which may not seem like THAT much, but that accounted for about 20% of my body weight at the time.
What do you think I did next?!
DIETS, OF COURSE! I tried all the quick-fix, "lifestyle change"diets you can think of.
I always thought "once I hit my goal weight...then I'll be happy. Then maintenance will just be...easy?" . It wasn't.
It never got "easier". The second life got in the way, the second I'd be emotional or stressed, I'd let the Ben and Jerry's tub have it. And the family-sized Miss Doritos bag. And the box of Oreos. And everything else I had been depriving myself on whatever diet I was on at that time. It was what I call my "screw it" mentality. "If I'm going to have one "bad food", might as well have ALL the foods and start again on Monday". As you might imagine, I went through the same cycle of losing & gaining the same 20 pounds for years of my life.
Calorie counting and tracking my "steps" on my Fitbit became my obsession. I developed orthorexia, an eating disorder which involves such an extreme fixation on "healthy eating" that it tarts damaging your well-being. I followed the classic "eat less, exercise more" mantra, exercising 2hours/day, 7 days a week and eating under 1500 calories. You can imagine that this way of living led to weight loss, but at a pretty heavy cost.
I was at constant war with food ; counting calories, feeling guilty for eating cake, getting anxious if I didn't "burn it off". I was moody, hungry, exhausted, isolated, lonely and more unhappy than I had ever been.
I looked lean and fit on the outside, but I was also at the unhealthiest I had ever been.
I finally realized I needed to rethink my whole approach to health when I almost refused an invitation to go live in Italy for a summer (my dream opportunity) out of fear of being tempted by all the carbs and delicious food there and gaining weight. Sounds crazy, I know, but that was my reality.
I realized that what I thought was "healthy was actually extremely unhealthy , wrecking havoc on my metabolism and sending me into a hormonal tailspin manifesting itself as food cravings, loss of menstruation, brain fog, poor sleep, anxiety and mood swings.
If the conventional "eat less, move more" or "cut the carbs & sugar" strategy wasn't working, then what could I do to get to my goal which was ultimately, just to feel healthy, physically AND mentally.
I went back to school and gathered all the latest scientifically proven research from the different fields of nutriton, fitness, positive psychology and cognitive-behaviour therapy. I developed a new roadmap to long-term, sustainable health, focusing on balanced habits that would create and sustain the healthiest and happiest version of me, inside and out, now and forever.
I can happily say that I no longer count calories or have any of the food anxieties that I used to battle with. I can eat without guilt, without being so afraid of losing control and regretting it afterwards. I make healthy choices often, while also allowing myself to have treats when I crave them. I eat when my body is hungry, move my body daily but listen to it when its full or needing a rest day. I can also happily report that I love myself again and feel healthier than I ever have. I really, truly do. I'm my own cheerleader. I 'm proud of what I accomplish in my health, in my personal life and in my business. And most importantly, I know without a doubt that this is a lifestyle I can, and WANT to sustain for the long haul.
I want to learn proven strategies to finally create and stick to my healthy habits long-term
I'm ready to create consistent healthy habits and would like to schedule a free consultation
I'd like to join a group of like-minded women
benefitting from Sabrina's health motivation and free live trainings every week to help support me in my health goals.
© sabrinamagnan.com | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS & CONDITIONS | Privacy policy | Disclaimer