About

Hey! My name is Lacy J. Davis. My business is Super Strength Health. I am a health and wellness coach, teacher, blogger, writer, and artist located in Portland, OR. I have been vegan for most of the past seventeen years and I am passionate about plant-based nutrition and body positivity. Super Strength Health exists to empower people to actively love their bodies through physical fitness and nutrition.  This website exists as a chronicle of my journey and as a resource.

My history:

I come from a background of extremes. Growing up, I was an indoor-kid. I wasn’t into physical activity at all and was much more comfortable reading books in my room than breaking a sweat on the playing field. I felt awkward in my body and school gym classes were a complete nightmare that I made up every excuse possible to not have to participate in. I grew up eating fast food and hamburger helper and had no real concept of nutrition.

When I was fourteen years old I went vegan, which you would think might mean I got into healthier eating. Not so! My family didn’t know what to do with my new veganism and I did not have the tools to nourish myself properly. I lived on a diet of “oriental flavor” top ramen (the only flavor that is vegan!), bagels and margarine, deep fried fake meat, boca burgers on white bread, and spaghetti with marinara sauce from a jar for five years. When I was 19 I moved to Philadelphia, PA, which is a land of vegan junk food if that’s your thing. I didn’t really know my body was changing when I was there, but looking back at pictures I can clearly see that my overly processed and gluten based diet lead me to be the heaviest I have ever been in my life. While I was not at all technically overweight I was pudgy in ways that felt strange on my relatively small frame, I was cranky all the time, I was exhausted, and I was plagued with terrible seasonal allergies. I wasn’t using my body at all except for short bike commutes and by the time I left Pennsylvania at age 21 I was the most depressed I had ever been.

In 2005, I moved to Portland, OR and a few things naturally fell into place for me physically and emotionally. I discovered that gluten was really destroying my stomach and started to give it up. It was summer when I arrived in town and for months I was able to eat almost exclusively from the garden of the house I was subletting at. I biked much longer distances than I had in Philly because I was traversing the entire city looking for a job. I got really excited about going out dancing and enjoyed working up a sweat for the first time in my life as a result. I naturally lost weight without even really noticing and my mood and allergies both improved tenfold.

A few years later my heart was broken in a very surprising and quick fashion. Although I was happier on the west coast I found myself really at a loss with the break up and was basically unable to eat or sleep. I lost a lot of weight as a result and received a ton of validation from friends, peers, and even my doctor. I decided I would continue to diet, really just to give myself something to do. I focused on it as a way to distract myself from having to deal with the emotional stuff in my life, and eventually lost myself to the process.  I exercised insanely, was terrified of fruit, fat, carbs, protein, and sugar and one by one I began to lose friends, hobbies, and focus. What started out as a way to distract myself from being sad turned into a years long battle with a myriad of food and exercise problems. It still surprises me to see how my obsession with food and exercise totally took over every aspect of my life and nearly killed me in the process. When I look back I feel really sad for that heart broken version of myself and wish I could tell her that she doesn’t have to self-destruct to feel okay. I am so sorry to have turned on my body like it was an enemy.

Crawling out of that hole took years of my life, but when I arrived on the other side I had a healthier relationship with my body than I ever had before. These days I have been in a healthy weight range for many years, I am open and compassionate with myself in terms of my nutrition, I can deadlift hundreds of pounds, and I love my body for what it can do and how it looks most of the time. Even before my eating disorder I felt disconnected from the possibility of genuine confidence, but after going to the darkest and saddest place possible and clawing my way out I have a solid sense of self-esteem. Food and exercise are powerful things, and my focus on them first destroyed me, and then saved my life.

I am currently a health and wellness coach and ACE certified personal trainer and am accepting clients. I do not push veganism in my practice, but I do highly encourage the consumption of plants. I focus on building self-esteem and healthy food and exercise relationships. I believe in my clients as much as I believe in myself.

I would love to build some community so feel free to drop me a line: