My Story

From 60+ lbs overweight to Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer

This is why I do this work. I believe real weight loss is possible for anyone, without extreme diets.

Max Snider, Registered Dietitian and Personal Trainer

The turning point

I was fit for most of my life. I played sports and stayed active. Then life got busy, like it does for most people. It got easier to skip good eating habits. I never learned to cook balanced meals, so takeout and snacks took over. Some nights, that meant a whole bag of Oreos or a giant bag of chips. In the moment, it just tasted better than anything I knew how to cook.

I went from 200 lbs to 258. I knew it was a problem, but I didn't act. I used food to feel better. But it was making things worse. I felt anxious most days. I wore headphones everywhere to avoid talking to people. I felt alone. I wanted help, but I didn't know where to find it.

The Journey

How it happened

The Struggle

Losing myself, slowly

Takeout, binge eating, and a weight that kept climbing. 200 lbs to 258. Underneath it: anxiety and being alone. I wore headphones to avoid people. I wanted help but didn't know where to find it.

The Wake-Up Call

155 over 90, in my mid-twenties

I got out of breath walking up a flight of stairs. When I saw that blood pressure number, I knew: if I didn't change, this could kill me one day.

The Shift

Real diet and lifestyle changes

Not a fad diet. I started fueling first: protein and fiber, before anything else, instead of just cutting back. That one shift became the Fuel-First Method. A slow rebuild of how I ate and lived, one habit at a time.

The Result

60+ lbs down, and myself again

My blood pressure went back to normal. I had real energy for the first time in years. My confidence came back. I wanted to be part of the world again.

Today

Registered Dietitian & Personal Trainer, Sudbury, Ontario

That taught me something: there aren't many good resources for people struggling the way I was. Most people don't have a dietitian in their corner. That's why I started my practice. Along the way I also taught myself to train properly, which is why I now offer movement coaching too, built from my own experience rather than a textbook.

My Philosophy

Fuel first, not less

Every diet I tried before told me to eat less — less carbs, less fat, less of the foods I actually liked. It worked for a few weeks, then it didn't, because I was always fighting hunger instead of solving it. The shift that actually stuck wasn't cutting anything out. It was adding protein and fiber first, before I worried about what to remove. Once my body had what it needed, the cravings and the willpower battles quieted down on their own.

I see the same pattern in almost every client who walks in. They've usually tried the subtraction approach — fewer calories, fewer carbs, fewer “bad” foods — and it's failed them the same way it failed me. So instead of starting with what to take away, every plan I build starts with what to add. It's the same principle that got me through my own 60+ lb change, and it's the one I've watched hold up for the people I work with, one plate at a time.

Nutrition doesn't work the same way for two different people, so no one can promise a specific result or timeline. But the approach — fuel first, not less — is the same one I use with everyone, because it's the one that actually holds up in real life, not just for a few weeks.

My Approach

What makes this different

Backed by real science

I'm a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the College of Dietitians of Ontario. Every plan is based on nutrition science, not trends.

Lived experience

I've lived through the weight, the anxiety, and the isolation my clients bring to me. I know what it's like to want help and not know where to find it. I'm also a Personal Trainer — an unprotected title I earned through my own years of training, not a certification, which is why I'm always upfront when something is outside what I can help with.

Let's build your plan

Book a free call. I'll help you find the right program. Or look at programs on your own first.