Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Loeser.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brittany. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I am 21 and from Houston, Texas.
Before I started “doing fitness,” I rode horses competitively (and continued to up until late last year). My time was spent pretty much with school, riding, and working. I wasn’t very active aside from riding, but I just figured that was enough, and I ate how I pleased – which included a lot of pasta and cookies lol.
I first became interested in the gym at the start of my junior year in high school. I had just come back from a vacation where I ate my weight in food, and it showed. I honestly just felt so uncomfortable, had zero confidence, and I was literally busting out of my clothes. I felt tired and sluggish and just generally BLAH. I hated it. So I decided to try and get fit. I figured if I did a lot of cardio and ate like a bunny, then I’d magically be lean and have a 6 pack. Well, a couple weeks of doing that and not only was I miserable, but I had also shrunken into a twig. Now, I was still tired and sluggish and had zero confidence, but I wasn’t even enjoying the pasta and cookies along with it! That’s when a friend took me to the gym and showed me how to lift weights. I started eating a little more, although still was restricting pretty heavily, and I lifted my little heart out. I fell in love with feeling strong and empowered.
About a year after I started lifting, I began noticing real changes, which was SUPER exciting to me! I decided I wanted to do a bikini competition so I hired a coach, and that’s when I realized how severely I had STILL been restricting my calories without even knowing. I thought it was healthy to eat 1,300 calories/day… came to find out that I should be eating well over 1,800 calories just to maintain my weight!
After that competition, I realized competing wasn’t for me. It took me almost an entire year to really figure out what self-acceptance, self-love, and true food freedom looked like for me. I struggled a lot with trying to get into the headspace of mindful eating and accepting that I can eat “treat” foods every day and still reach my goals. It’s been really incredible to have had this fun little hobby turn into my own business! I’m so passionate about helping other women find THEIR version of healthy and experience that self-love and food freedom for themselves. Being able to share with the world that food is fuel and not the enemy lights me up.
Now, I workout around 4x/week, give or take that week. I incorporate movement and nourishing foods into my lifestyle, it’s not “do or die” like it used to be. I’ve found that the happiest version of myself is one that stays active and lifts 3-5x/week. I also love getting out in nature! Hiking, walks with my dog, literally anything active outside I love! Right now my goal is to put on muscle so I am being a bit more regimented with my training and nutrition. I have my clients and myself follow flexible dieting (IIFYM) where we track the foods we eat to ensure we are eating enough protein, carbs, and fats. I eat over 2,000 calories/day and I have to be honest… I’ve never felt better!! I follow an 80/20 rule. I try to eat 80% whole foods that are super nutrient dense, and then 20% of my diet is “fun” foods that may have fewer nutrients, but I never label foods as “good” or “bad.” Sour gummy worms are my favorite. I have them every single day!
I think my favorite part about where I’m at on my journey now is the confidence and security I’ve found in who I am. I no longer feel the need to look a certain way or impress anyone. I genuinely love the person I’ve become, both inside and out, and I love being able to share all of the things I’ve discovered with others to help them along their journey as well.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s definitely had its ups and downs! Progress is never linear, no matter what you’re doing. My best advice would be to work on your mindset and try to find some sort of happy medium. Balance is extremely important for sustainability! Find some sort of exercise that you enjoy! Healthy looks different on everyone and you should never feel miserable along your journey. Oh, and don’t be afraid to eat. Our bodies need fuel to function!! Way too many women (especially young adults/teenagers) think that low-calorie diets are the norm, simply from misinformation out there.
Believe in yourself, and don’t be afraid to invest in yourself if you’re not sure what you’re doing or not seeing the results you want.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Be Elevated story. Tell us more about the business.
I run an online health and fitness company called Be Elevated. I work one on one with women to transform their lives! I specialize in helping women create healthier, more positive lifestyles by finding what healthy looks like for THEM through food, exercise, and mindset coaching. I provide individualized nutrition protocols, workouts (that they can view/track in an app), cardio, daily mindfulness and journaling activities, weekly check-ins/adjustments, monthly group video calls, and accountability throughout the week for each client I work with!
I’m so proud of the fact that I get to show women that we can and should be eating more in order to reach our goals. Even fat loss goals! It really hurts my heart seeing so many incredible women starving themselves just because that’s what the media has portrayed as normal. 1,200 calories is not an adequate amount of food for anyone!
What sets me apart from others is my extremely individualized and hands-on approach, as well as my focus on mindset. I never expect perfection from anyone (I sure as heck am NOT perfect myself!!), just honesty and effort. I work with my clients to improve their mindset so that they are better equipped to handle all aspects of life! We also make sure their plan is appropriate for their life/schedule. Health and fitness should be a part of their life, not the other way around.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Invest in yourself, and done is better than perfect. My business skyrocketed once I invested in a business mentor! It’s okay to not have it all figured out, sometimes, you just have to start and put the pieces together along the way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.beelevatedhealth.com
- Email: BeElevatedHealth@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittanyannette/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BeElevatedHealth/
Image Credit:
Mauro Zylber
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