Ingredients of a Fit Chick With Sarah Kesseli

Ingredients of a Fit Chick With Sarah Kesseli

After taking a risk and unplugging from the fashion industry, Sarah Kesseli ventured out on her own to become a health coach and trainer. She now has an incredibly popular Instagram following and website, Ingredients of a Fit Chick.

Sarah currently attends the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, and is also working towards a certification with the Institute of the Psychology of Eating. Her mission is simple: Help others find the perfect "recipe" for their own healthy and happy life.

When she's not in the kitchen, watching the Food Network or hitting the books, Sarah Kesseli can be found running or lifting. She is a self-proclaimed avid marathon runner and lifter.
Sarah Kesseli
I?ve lifted the same as a man for most of my weight training career. You will not look like a man if you train like one ladies! don't be afraid of the iron!

Sarah Kesseli Interview

What are your 3 favorite exercises and why?

  1. Leg Press - it makes me feel strong!
  2. Split Squats - my legs always feel it the next day!
  3. Dumbbell Chest Press - I can move a decent amount of weight for my size so it feels empowering!

what's the best pre-workout supplement you've ever tried?

The original Hyde was just crazy! I had an insane pump from it - probably too good of a pump! Haha Currently, I switch off between the new Hyde, Cellucor C4 and Jack'd Up.

what's in your gym bag?

  • Head phones and my iPod are ESSENTIAL!
  • Workouts gloves and wrist wraps.
  • Workout towel.
  • Water bottle.
  • My workout notebook - I log and track all of my workouts to see progress (and because at 5:30am sometimes I forget what my weight was last time! Haha).

What gym accomplishment are you most proud of?

Finally being able to do pull-ups. It took me a very long time to be able to do them. But I have slowly worked my way up to being able to do 8. (On a good day! Ha.)
Sarah Kesseli
During the day I have small snacks that are higher in protein and healthy fats when I am hungry.

Egg whites or whole eggs and why?

Whole eggs all the way! They taste much better, plus are chock full of vitamins and healthy fats!

Name 3 books you've read this year

I am currently working my way through a very large number of books for school and I just recently finished 9 of the 22 books. These were my top 3 favorites!
  • The Slow Down Diet by Marc David
  • Health At Every Size by Linda Bacon
  • Ultra Metabolism by Marc Hyman

Should women train any differently than men?

Absolutely not! I've lifted the same as a man for most of my weight training career. You will not look like a man if you train like one ladies! don't be afraid of the iron!

What nutrition and diet myths do you wish would die?

  • Fat is bad for you.
  • Carbs are bad for you.
  • Eat less than 1200 calories a day to lose weight.
Pretty much anything that is just ridiculous? I don't think any macronutrient or food is bad for you. As I like to say, "Everything In Moderation, Including Moderation." Eat the way that works best for your body and makes you feel great!

sarah-kesseli-2what's the best Christmas or birthday present you've ever received?

Fitness related would be my treadmill. I used to be a diehard marathon runner until I got injured.

That thing probably has more miles on it than my car!

Non-fitness related would have to be a trip to Napa for my 30th birthday. It is absolutely stunning there're mentally and physically relaxing too.

I believe that finding time for relaxation is critical to your performance in the gym and overall health.

Favorite place to train: old school gym, commercial gym or home gym?

I used to love commercial gyms until I moved to Rhode Island. The closest gym to me is an old school gym and I love it! People are there to actually workout! Makes me feel pretty bad a** to be honest!

Whey, casein or both?

BOTH! I use whey post workout and casein at night. I am obsessed with Optimum Nutrition Vanilla Casein.

What profession did you secretly want to be when you were a kid?

I wanted to be Julia Child. So, a chef?


What training split are you using now?

I am just finishing up a body part split at the end of this week. However, I just read Steve Shaw's book, Massive Iron, and will be trying one of his workouts that use the Rep Goal Method. I will be using a 4 day split focusing on back from his book. (i'd share the workout, but I think you should read the whole book because it is really amazing!)

I also do stretch yoga 1-2x a week because I believe it is extremely important in keeping my muscles loose.

For cardio I do HIIT for 20 minutes 3x a week and run on the weekends.

How many meals per day do you eat, and how long have you been eating this way?

Sarah KesseliMy meals per day vary based on my schedule. I don't have much rhyme or reason other than I consume most of my carbs post workout (between 6:30am-9:00am) and at night (no, I am not afraid of lots of carbs and food at night time!).

During the day I have small snacks that are higher in protein and healthy fats when I am hungry. I have been eating this way for over a year and a half now.

My diet used to be very carb heavy and it made me feel lethargic and tired during the day. I have found this way of eating keeps me satisfied and my energy levels up!

For example, my meals yesterday were:
  • Post Workout: Shake made with whey and fruit
  • Post Workout Meal: Baked oatmeal, greek yogurt and of course 2tbs of nut butter
  • Meal 3: Baked fish and oven roasted veggies (I love asparagus, broccolini and brussels sprouts)
  • Meal 4: Baked chicken and more oven roasted veggies
  • Meal 5: Big baked purple sweet potato, bbq salmon, brussels sprouts (addicted) and snap peas all tossed with ghee
  • Meal 6: Pumpkin protein ice cream (see recipe below) and 2tbs nut butter
Pumpkin Protein Ice Cream:
  • 1 scoop casein
  • ½ cup pure pumpkin
  • ½ cup cottage cheese
  • ½ cup almond milk
  • Cinnamon and sweetener, to taste
Puree in blender. Pop in the freezer and mix every 30minutes for about 1.5-2 hours or until desired consistency is reached.

What keeps you motivated?

Progress. I like to see my strength increasing or see more muscle definition. I always try to be better than I was in my last workout; whether that is by a weight or a rep. Oh, and trying to lift more than a few of the guys at my gym too! 
Sarah Kesseli
My diet used to be very carb heavy and it made me feel lethargic and tired during the day. I have found this way of eating keeps me satisfied and my energy levels up!

Connect With Sarah Kesseli

Do you offer any products or services?

Health Coaching: As a health coach, it is my job to provide ongoing support and guidance to help you set goals and make sustainable and realistic changes that will improve your personal recipe for health and happiness. I will help you navigate through the contradictory nutrition advice to determine what changes are necessary for you and your family. To learn more about health coaching and the programs I offer, head HERE.

The Fit DishPersonal Training: I offer in-person personal training sessions to anyone local to the Rhode Island area. You can head HERE to schedule an appointment.

Recipe Development: I create new recipes and revamp old favorites into healthy and delicious treats that can be enjoyed by you, your family and your friends. If you are interested in having a customized recipe made or a long time favorite made healthy, you can email me at sarah@ingredientsofafitchick.com.

Recipe E-Book: You can find my favorite recipes in my E-Book, The Fit Dish, which includes over 30 delicious recipes with full pictures! You can get the full details and purchase the book by heading HERE.
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