Madelyn Cline, known for her role as Sarah Cameron in the popular series Outer Banks, has openly discussed her journey towards a healthier lifestyle, marked by both struggles and triumphs. Her experiences offer valuable insights into the pressures of body image, the importance of self-acceptance, and the path to sustainable well-being.
Early Struggles with Body Image and Exercise
Cline's journey with diet and exercise began in her teenage years. "I think I was around 16 when I started working out a lot," she told Women's Health. Initially, her approach was intense, involving "super rigorous cardio every day" for 30 minutes. However, this soon developed into unhealthy habits. She admitted to not fueling her body adequately, recalling a period where she “would eat, like, six almonds for breakfast because I didn't want to counteract the cardio that I just did." Cline also revealed that she "worked out multiple times during the day."
This intense focus on exercise, coupled with inadequate nutrition, stemmed from a desire to achieve a "particular body image." Frustration arose when she didn't see the desired results, leading to self-harm and starvation. "All I knew was I wasn't achieving a particular body image, and so I was angry. I was harming myself and starving myself in the process of trying to achieve that," the actress explained.
The Turning Point: Support and Self-Acceptance
Recognizing the dangers of her behavior, Madelyn's mother stepped in to offer support and guidance. "My mom was a wonderful help in that. She would stand there in the mirror with me and we would list out things that I liked about my body," she shared. This practice of positive affirmation proved transformative. "After that repetition those things became solidified in my mind. I like my curves, I like my hips, and after a while I started to love my body. I became so much happier."
With the support of her family, Madelyn came to a crucial realization: "There's nothing wrong with you, you're just not built that way, and that's perfectly fine." This acceptance of her natural body type was a turning point in her journey towards self-love and a healthier relationship with food and exercise. "Self-love is a constant journey," she acknowledged, emphasizing that maintaining a positive body image requires ongoing effort.
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Madelyn Cline's Current Workout Routine
Now, Madelyn seems to be in a healthier, happier place. Off-screen, Madelyn has kept busy between seasons: Cruise her Instagram and you’ll see her doing all kinds of active, outdoorsy activities. But it’s hard to miss the fact that the 26-year-old looks super strong and fit right now. Madelyn's current approach to fitness is balanced and focused on activities she enjoys. She prioritizes outdoor activities and incorporates the physical demands of her acting role into her routine.
Embracing the Outdoors
Madelyn loves to take her workouts of the gym and into the fresh air. She was a skier growing up and has tried snowboarding, she previously shared with Women's Health. She emphasizes the importance of finding activities that are both enjoyable and beneficial for overall well-being. Madelyn is also big on riding horses, which is known for working your core, thighs, and butt. "When I'm riding, I feel very centered," she told Vogue in 2021.
Training for 'Outer Banks'
The physical demands of filming Outer Banks also contribute to Madelyn's fitness. There’s a lot of running, climbing, jumping, and generally being active on Outer Banks (Did you even see that cave scene this season?!), and Madelyn is up for the challenge. She gets “very sweaty” during filming, she told Interview in 2022. “It is very physically demanding and emotionally taxing," she added. Still, Madelyn said, “It’s a fun show. We have a good time shooting it.” She approaches these challenges with enthusiasm, recognizing that they contribute to her overall strength and endurance. Madelyn has shared all kinds of BTS videos of herself doing physically demanding things, including doing pull-ups on set to hanging from ropes.
Gym Workouts
While outdoor activities and on-set demands play a significant role, Madelyn also incorporates gym workouts into her routine. Madelyn has dropped clips of herself working out at the gym, and it’s clear that she’s not messing around. These sessions likely focus on strength training and maintaining a balanced physique.
Navigating Public Scrutiny and Relationships
Madelyn has also spoken out about the pressures of public scrutiny and the impact of relationships on her well-being. She addressed her breakup with the former, declaring that she didn’t “owe anyone an explanation” for the split. "People love to pay attention to weight specifically,” she told Allure in an interview published July 10. “From season to season on Outer Banks, my appearance has changed with lots of factors: stress, breakups, healthy or unhealthy habits with food,” she continued. She acknowledged that her appearance has fluctuated due to factors like stress, breakups, and changes in eating habits. “Like, damn,” she exclaimed. “Can I not be on my period? But the actress pointed out that fans could be just as unforgiving at times, adding, “In the comment sections, we are not always family.”
Read also: The Story of Jade Cline's Transformation
She has also previously spoken out about the public’s interest in her love life, which includes past relationships with costar Chase Stokes and Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson. In February 2024, she addressed her breakup with the former, declaring that she didn’t “owe anyone an explanation” for the split. Madelyn has also emphasized the importance of privacy. “I am a really private person,” she told Cosmopolitan at the time.
She also reflected on past versions of herself and the lessons learned along the way. “The jokes write themselves,” she told Nylon in September, noting that “we love all past versions [of ourselves] because we are here now because of them.”
Broader Perspectives on Weight and Body Image
Madelyn's experiences resonate with a broader conversation about weight, body image, and the pressures faced by individuals in the public eye. Other celebrities, such as Tammy Slaton, Jason DeFord (Jelly Roll), Travis Kelce, Sherri Shepherd, Jazz Jennings, Chris Pratt, John Goodman, and Lizzo, have also shared their journeys with weight loss, self-acceptance, and navigating public perception.
“I’m one of those people,” she said, “who's always had a weight issue and now that I'm a size large, instead of an XL or a 2XL, I find it shocking.”
Jazz Jennings embarked on a diet-and-fitness journey in 2022, explaining on Instagram two years later, “I finally care about myself after years of neglecting my health. I had truly let myself go when it came to eating.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
“It’s not an overnight thing, but it took a lot of trial and error,” he shared in May 2025 at the Inaugural Beacher Vitality Happy & Healthy Summit, noting that just giving up bread made a big difference. Meanwhile, Christopher did not let a certain seven-time Mr. “I could never go and say to him, 'You’re overweight,'” dad Arnold told The Times in June 2025. "We just kept introducing healthy foods. We introduced him always to the gym and all of that kind of stuff. And then, out of nowhere, he decided that he wanted to be lean. And now he is. So that is of course fantastic, the self-discipline and the self-motivation.
To Metz, aging gracefully means “staying strong and flexible,” so she tries to be active every day. Being a big teddy bear of a guy was part of the package when John Goodman starred on Roseanne in the 1990s, at one point “pushing 400” pounds, as he told David Letterman in 2010. “I just got tired, sick and tired of looking at myself,” Goodman told ABC News in 2016. “You’re shaving in the mirror and you don’t want to look at yourself.
Her goal with the special, Winfrey explained, was to “start releasing the stigma and the shame and the judgment-to stop shaming other people for being overweight or how they choose to lose or not lose weight-and more importantly to stop shaming ourselves." “Even at the end of my weight loss journey, I'm not going to be considered thin by any means,” Lizzo said. “Let this be a reminder that you can do anything-anything-you set your mind to,” she added. “Now I guess it’s time to set new goals.”
These stories highlight the diverse experiences and challenges associated with weight and body image, emphasizing the importance of self-compassion, sustainable lifestyle changes, and seeking support when needed.