Before delving into the world of fitness, Sarah worked as a journalist, demonstrating her versatility and adaptability. In 2016, she took on a remarkable transformation, adopting a body-builder lifestyle that involved consuming six meals a day, all containing meat, fish, and eggs.
The turning point in Sarah’s dietary choices occurred when a vegetarian friend introduced her to a variety of delectable breakfast bowl ideas from a vegan group on Facebook. Intrigued by the flavors and creativity, Sarah embarked on a quest for knowledge, Googling “what is a vegan diet?” and immersing herself in self-education on the subject.
Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with her.
Sarah’s motivation for embracing a vegan lifestyle extends beyond personal health, encompassing a profound dedication to the well-being of animals and the planet. Her journey reflects a remarkable blend of resilience, compassion, and a commitment to living in harmony with her values.
Please tell us more about yourself
My name is Sarah aka Coachbumzilla. I’m 38 years old.
I’m originally from Belgium (the French speaking part) but I’ve been living in London (UK) for 15 years. I’m an online coach for vegan women who want to feel and look strong ethically. I live with my Brazilian husband and our 2 free-roam bunnies.
For 7 years, I have been thriving as a vegan woman in the gym. Not only am I in shape all year long without ever being on a diet, but I’ve also hit all my PBs and best sports performances on plants
🌱Vegan online fitness coach | Sarah Matelart
I’ve been vegan for 7 years now.
In 2016, I was a bodybuilder eating six meals a day. All of them contained meat/fish/eggs.
A veggie friend tagged me on a FB post presenting different breakfast bowls ideas. They all looked delicious. I found out the recipes were coming from a vegan group. This spiked my interest.
I googled “what is a vegan diet?” and started educating myself on the subject.
I watched a documentary called “Forks over knives” on YouTube. After that, there was no going back for me. In 2017, I phased out all animal products from my diet.
I do it for the animals, the planet and my health.
You can truly have it all 🤩 You can achieve your wildest performance and physique goals whilst saving the animals and the planet 💪🏼🐮🌍
🌱Vegan online fitness coach | Sarah Matelart
Being a competitive bodybuilder really messed up my hormones. I got amenorrhea (absence of menstrual cycles) for 2 years. Did lots of testing, scans, trips to different doctors. Everyone said I was “normal” even if the lack of cycles was telling me that no, I wasn’t OK. Within a month (only!!!) of implementing a vegan diet, my period came back naturally and has been regular ever since. It could be a coincidence. But I feel like the diet helped sorting out the hormonal mess I had created.
Today I wanna support those of you who make that ethical choice every day or who are about to make that choice. You are modern day heroes 🏆
🌱Vegan online fitness coach | Sarah Matelart
I try to eat as varied and as whole food as possible. Being an active person (and personal trainer/coach), I also want to make sure I get plenty of protein. This means that I often consume pulses. They definitely make me bloated and windy (and my husband too) but we’ve come to a point where we just accept that.
My mission is to help, guide and empower vegan women who want to feel and look strong ethically
🌱Vegan online fitness coach | Sarah Matelart
I feel like there’s no way back. You can’t unsee what you’ve seen and unknow what you know. I have yet to find one downside of being a vegan. It’s so good for the animals (which I love dearly), the planet (so many warnings already this year and yet people tend to ignore them) and my own health. I don’t know what it will take but I wish everybody could have their lightbulb moment.
How might you encourage someone who hasn’t embraced a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle to give meatless alternatives a try?
Confession time : since I went vegan 7 years ago, I’ve actually never really tracked nor worried about how much protein I’m getting 💃🏼
🌱Vegan online fitness coach | Sarah Matelart
I would let the food do the talking and I wouldn’t even mention it’s vegan.
Being into fitness, I’m a big advocate for meal prepping. This means you have control over what you eat. You have the right amount of calories with the right balance between the macros. I see food as fuel which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy it and play with the textures, flavours, herbs, spices…
Plants give you so many tasty and affordable options, it’s a no-brainer 🌱
🌱Vegan online fitness coach | Sarah Matelart
Some restaurants seem to think that vegans eat air. That’s a running joke with my husband. Because we’ve noticed that the vegan options on the menu usually come in smaller portions than the omnivore ones.
Lots of people think that vegans eat salads mainly. It’s definitely not my case. I will eat a salad (not lettuce) as a side sometimes but my plates are a lot richer and nourishing.
An other misconception is that vegans are deficient. I do blood jobs from time to time and never find a deficiency (nor do my online coaching clients). I tend to supplement on a daily basis with a quality BCAA powder, vitamin D, B12 and algae oil for the omegas.
When I go back home in Belgium, my family (who’s very well-meaning) tries to serve me a vegan version of their own plate but this doesn’t work. For instance, they’ll be having chicken, fries and a salad. They’ll give me fake chicken, fries and a salad and I’ll be feeling very miserable. To make vegan menus, you need to forget everything you know as an omnivore and completely rethink your plate patterns.
🌱Vegan online fitness coach | Sarah Matelart
Fitness Trainer
🍑 Online coaching for VG WOMEN 🌱👯♀️ who want to look and feel STRONG ethically 🌍🐮
✨FITNESS, BODY RECOMPOSITION, ACCOUNTABILITY
📱DM to start the magic
all images courtesy of 🌱Vegan online fitness coach | Sarah Matelart