My Story of Losing Weight and Taking Control Over My Life
I’ve been there, and if I can do it, so can you! Through the stress, busy schedule, tiredness from fad diets, and boring gym routines, I found what kept me going–and now I’m here to share those secrets with you!
Hi! My name is Sarah Pelc Graca, a certified nutrition coach and personal trainer, and this is my story.
From my own personal experience, I’ve learned that there IS a secret to losing weight. It is finding and creating an individualized nutrition, exercise, and mindset that works for YOUR LIFE and leads to results:
✔ Losing weight
✔ Having more energy
✔ Fitting into your favorite summer dress
✔ And many more goals that you thought were unachievable!
The key to making it all work is having someone help hold you accountable to reaching your goals!
Before I begin, I want you to know 5 things about me…
💪🏻 Even though I’m a certified nutrition coach & personal accountability coach, the biggest role my team and I play for our clients is a mix of cheerleader and detective.
💪🏻 We support and motivate our clients every step of the journey while searching for ways to make their lives healthier without adding too much stress… because nobody has time for added stress!
💪🏻 We LOVE our clients and will help them in any way, shape, or form so that they can succeed with the help of their personal weight loss coach AND handle anything life throws at them!
💪🏻 Our clients get results, and more importantly, they learn how to lead a healthier life in the long term so that the results last.
💪🏻 As of March of 2022, I am a new mom! My husband and I welcomed our first child, a beautiful little girl named Addison. Let’s go, moms! We got this! 💪🏻
The Journey of Transformation
As a personal nutrition coach and fitness instructor, I’ve created a life surrounded by health, joy, and even wine and chocolate (in moderation). However, this wasn’t always the case…
Carefree Beginnings
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been active. Growing up, I was a serious ballet and modern dancer and played recreational sports when I had the time.
My parents did a great job of instilling in my siblings and me healthy nutrition habits (thanks, mom and dad!).
🥒🍅Veggies were a MUST at every meal, as was protein and a glass of milk. We rarely drank pop unless it was a special occasion.
More often than not, dessert was a piece of fruit instead of cookies or candy.
Growing up, my older sister and I loved dance class.
Before I knew it, I was a senior in high school and was accepted into my dream school, the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!), as a dance major and a psychology major.
With the stress of balancing two majors and taking 19-21 credits each semester, along with an active social life in a sorority, I created some unhealthy habits.
🍔🧃I often ate quick and unhealthy meals on the go (Wendy’s was my go-to), chugged too many sugary coffee drinks, enjoyed too many drinks on the weekends, and ate enough late-night pizza to last a lifetime.
My life was so busy that I was letting my health slip through my fingertips. It's not that I didn't care about my health... It's that I hadn't found a way to balance it with my hectic schedule.
Struggles with my Weight and Building Unhealthy Habits
I wasn’t comfortable or confident in my own skin.
I felt hopeless, and I found myself running to food for comfort when I was stressed out or upset about something. Afterward, I would feel guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed for all of the mindless eating I had been doing.
In my mind, I knew I was making unhealthy choices, but I didn't have the time or energy to know how to make healthier choices, given my crazy hectic schedule.
When I would search "healthy eating" on the internet, I felt bombarded and overwhelmed by all of the information and just gave up on the idea of eating healthier. Some articles told me I needed to eat carbs for energy, and other articles told me carbs were awful and I couldn’t lose weight while eating them. It was cyclical, and I felt stuck in a downward spiral.
Throughout my four years at Michigan, I created some unhealthy habits that led to me gaining an extra 15-20 pounds and were taking me further from my goal—to be a professional contemporary dancer.
I always had a petite frame, but the extra weight made me feel tired and sluggish, and I noticed how little energy I had to dance. I would look in the mirror, but I wasn't happy with the person staring back at me.
As a girl who once loved shopping, it became something I dreaded. None of the clothes I used to love wearing fit anymore. Most importantly, I simply wasn’t confident wearing a leotard and tights in the dance studio and was ashamed of the weight I had gained.
While I LOVED my 4 years in college and had the best time, I simply wasn't taking care of myself, my body, OR my health... And my weight gain proved that. A huge reason why I gained weight was because I didn’t have the tools or the knowledge to know how to cook healthy, nutritious meals that would complement my goals.
Outside of dance class, I went to the gym occasionally and hopped on the elliptical. In my mind, I thought that working out would help me lose weight and feel better.
However, I hated going to the gym, and my workouts never lasted more than 20-30 minutes because I found the elliptical BORING!
Looking back on my college years, I've learned that I hated exercising because I thought I didn't have the time to exercise and I hadn’t found the right types of exercises for ME.
I lacked the confidence or energy to try a new type of exercise that I may just enjoy, so I just avoided exercising altogether. Plus, I didn't know how to even use half of the equipment in the gym.
Because I was so self-conscious, I didn't dare try to use a new piece of equipment I didn't know how to use. I was too afraid of looking foolish and silly. No matter how miserable I was on that elliptical, I kept using it... because, again, I thought it would lead to weight loss.
After weeks of working out, the scale wasn't budging, and my clothes weren't fitting any better. I came to the realization that no matter HOW hard or HOW long you exercise, you can't escape poor nutrition habits.
Taking Control and Turning It Around
I became angry for "letting go" of myself and for gaining weight. At the same time, I felt frustrated and annoyed because I had no idea how to change or where to even start to begin to LOSE the weight.
Upon graduating, I moved to Chicago to pursue a career in dance, and I used this move to start over fresh. I knew it was time to make a change. I was fed up with feeling uncomfortable in my own skin.
I wanted to start my new life in a new city with a body I loved. I craved more energy to get me through the day, and my dance teachers began telling me I needed much more confidence if I was ever going to make a career as a professional dancer.
I was sick and tired of feeling miserable about how I looked and how I felt.
Slowly, I made small changes to my daily routine. I started taking my health seriously and actually found new workouts that I loved just as much as dance–indoor cycling, running, and weight lifting.
For the first time in years, I began to believe that maybe... just maybe... I could lose the weight!
I studied nutrition and exercise physiology and began tackling one new nutrition or fitness habit at a time.
These habits were small... I'm talking REALLY small! The first habit I tackled was to drink more water. My goal was to drink at least 100 ounces of water a day. After doing that for a few weeks, I began to notice changes. My skin looked brighter, and I had a bit more energy. I was peeing all the time, but I actually felt so much better.
Other habits I incorporated included eating more veggies at every meal, eating enough lean protein, paying attention to portion sizes, and sleeping 7-9 hours a night.
I never gave up my favorite foods or drinks... I still enjoyed them, but I cut way back and just tried to eat smaller portions on special occasions.
All of these habits led to massive results. I had completely transformed my body and lost weight.
❌ No fad diets.
❌ No juice cleanses.
❌ No workouts I hated.
❌ No magic potions or pills.
Just by creating new habits and exercising.
Check out my own personal weight loss transformation:
Not only do I look and, more importantly, FEEL better, but I was also able to lose weight while still enjoying my life! Best of all, as my body slimmed down, my confidence skyrocketed, and I had more energy to LIVE my life.
BEFORE/AFTER HEALTHY EATING HABITS
Losing weight and becoming healthier definitely skyrocketed my dance career. I landed numerous performance roles AND an apprenticeship with one of my dream dance companies!
Around the same time, I also began dating my now-husband. It's funny how the weight loss affected various parts of my life—including my dancing career and my dating life! Before I had lost the weight, I did not have the self-confidence to begin dating a new guy (who turned into my now-husband.)
I still went out to dinner with friends, enjoyed ice cream and sweet treats (in moderation), and sipped a great glass of wine, all while slowly losing weight.
While I continue to use my healthy foundational habits 80-90% of the time, I still allow myself to indulge around 10-20% of the time.
So often, women and men believe the only way to lose weight is to exercise for countless hours a week while feeling hungry and deprived of a boring, bland diet.
I’m calling complete bullshit on this notion.
Online Weight Loss Program with Non-Restrictive Eating
I know from my own experience that you CAN lose weight and reach your goals while living a life you love.
No, you can't eat ice cream or brownies for dessert every night of the week (don't we all wish?), but you can enjoy them on occasion.
I know from my own experience that you CAN lose weight and reach your goals while living a life you love.
No, you can't eat ice cream or brownies for dessert every night of the week (don't we all wish?), but you can enjoy them on occasion.
You can also enjoy drinks with friends, eating at your favorite restaurant, and even a home-cooked, indulgent meal.
While movement is important and necessary, what's MOST important is finding a type of exercise that you love, and that works for YOU.
For me, that means running, indoor cycling, and weight lifting... But it also includes skiing and surfing!
From everyday life to vacations in Hawaii and Colorado…
Sustainable weight loss helped me feel more confident and enjoy my life.
And it’s my goal to teach YOU how to do that, too!
Biggest Takeaway from My Own Journey of Becoming a Personal Nutrition Coach
What matters is that you create small, healthy changes that work with the life you love and that you can follow most of the time (instead of something that feels unsustainable that you try to do perfectly).
An unfortunate ski accident ended my dancing career, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise… Because it forced me to continue my education so that I could become a certified personal trainer and certified nutrition accountability coach, whilesharing my weight loss success and passion for exercise with other women.
I now spend my days helping our clients create healthier bodies and lives while teaching a few indoor cycling classes each week, and I love every second of it!
If you’re ever in Michigan, come take my class at Cyclebar!
My Education, Credentials, and Awards
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with Honors — University of Michigan
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with Honors — University of Michigan
Precision Nutrition Certified Level 1 Nutrition Coach
NASM-Certified Personal Trainer
NASM-Certified Women’s Fitness Specialist
GGS Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist
Ranked Top Weight Loss Coach in 2021 by Yahoo!
Ranked Top 15 Health Experts You Need to Know in 2024 by MSN
A+ Ranking by the Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Fast-forward to March 2022 - My husband and I welcomed our first child, a daughter named Addison, into our family!
Becoming a mom has been a challenging yet amazing part of my journey. As a new mom, it is important to me that I teach Addie healthy eating habits from a young age. I want her to learn how to properly fuel her body but also how to enjoy life’s favorite indulgences in moderation! In addition, I want her to learn that as women, when we prioritize our own health, we become happier and healthier, and we are able to show up as our best selves for our loved ones.
Motherhood has also opened up new opportunities in my career, namely launching my own postpartum weight loss program where women can regain their confidence and strength.
