Brittany Sjogren's weight loss journey is a story of sustainable lifestyle changes and prioritizing overall well-being. It's a guide to holistic wellness, inspired by Brittany's success, and her husband Chris's journey to sobriety. Together, their experiences provide a roadmap for achieving lasting health and happiness.
Brittany's Transformation: A Holistic Approach to Wellness
Brittany Sjogren's remarkable weight loss journey wasn't about quick fixes or extreme diets. She strategically built healthy habits, celebrating small victories along the way, prioritizing progress over perfection. This realistic, sustainable approach is crucial for lasting weight management and overall well-being.
Fueling the Body: Nutrition as Nourishment
Brittany's dietary changes weren't about restriction; they were about nourishment. She focused on whole, unprocessed foods-colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Instead of eliminating entire food groups, she prioritized nutrient-dense options, learning to listen to her body's hunger cues, avoiding emotional eating and practicing mindful eating. Simple swaps, like replacing sugary drinks with water and processed snacks with healthier alternatives, made a significant difference. This wasn't a diet; it was a lifestyle upgrade focused on fueling her body with wholesome nutrition.
Moving with Intention: Exercise as Self-Care
Brittany found joy in movement, choosing activities she genuinely enjoyed-leisurely walks, yoga, even dancing! The key was consistency, not intensity. She integrated regular physical activity into her daily routine, viewing it as self-care, not punishment. This approach made exercise less of a chore and more rewarding, understanding that fitness is a marathon, not a sprint, and celebrated every step of the process.
Mastering the Mental Game: Stress Management as a Priority
Brittany recognized the impact of stress on her well-being and proactively implemented stress-reduction techniques. She practiced meditation, deep breathing exercises, and prioritized getting enough sleep. Spending time in nature further contributed to her mental and emotional wellbeing. She also cultivated a strong support system, recognizing the importance of social connection during her journey. Stress management became as crucial as diet and exercise, highlighting the interconnected nature of physical and mental health.
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Chris's Journey: The Power of Resilience and Support
Chris Sjogren's journey toward sobriety runs parallel to Brittany's weight loss, illustrating the powerful link between physical and mental health. While their challenges differed, both journeys highlight the importance of self-awareness, commitment, and seeking support. Their shared experience underscores the significance of mutual support and the power of a strong support network in overcoming challenges. Their story emphasizes that seeking help isn't a sign of weakness but a testament to strength and resilience.
Chris shared his mantra for sobriety, "one is too many, and a hundred’s not enough." This mantra helped him stay focused on his goal of sobriety. He realized that he struggled with self-control when it came to alcohol. It was more of a, if I’m going out, I’m going out hard. Whether that’s a Tuesday night, a Saturday night, it didn’t matter. One day he woke up, and decided, you know what, I’m not doing that anymore.
Chris has a very addictive personality, which is a family trait. He made the decision that he had enough party memories and nights that he wanted to forget. So he started with the mindset of, I’m not going to drink today. To keep up with it. And I feel like you’re very competitive, so there’s a little bit of you, that’s probably like, I don’t wanna give up everything.
Chris had a conversation with his brother, who had been sober a couple of years before he got sober. His brother asked him, if you had, you know, a glass of Coke and you drank that and it could impair you to make a dumb decision, would you keep drinking Coke? And I said, no, he goes, then why are you still drinking? Chris started talking to him a little bit more, seeing what worked for him on how he got sober at the beginning. His journey was definitely different than mine, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.
Chris tried going to AA meetings, but it didn’t work for him. He had his brother that he could call. The meetings just didn’t work for me, but I will say, don’t knock it until you try it.
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Chris noticed a lot of positive changes that started happening to him after he stopped drinking. He put himself in two incredibly difficult situations right away: a work conference and one of his fraternity brother's weddings. He got listed as one of the top 10 biggest growth in terms of revenue growth. He started losing weight, started eating healthier, and eventually got back into working out. He wasn’t waking up with the moral hangover.
Chris emphasized that people's reactions to his sobriety will be different for everybody. He would put himself in situations where people were going to be drinking. If I was having a tough day, especially early on, I would avoid that situation. He was looking for hobbies that he didn’t naturally associate with drinking.
Chris went to the national championship the year that Florida State won it in 2013. He was surrounded by all his friends who were drinking, and they rented a party bus. He had a layover in Phoenix, it got canceled. So he slept in the airport. He flew from Phoenix to Orange County where the party bus picked me up on the way to the game. At that point, he was probably just under six months, seven months sober.
After they won, they got champagne on the party bus. A lot of his friends were to the point where they were like, Hey, like, It was more commending at that point of like, Hey, you’re actually doing this. Like, you’re, you’re going to be sober. A lot of support started coming from that. And then, it was just, like I said, I’m not going to have a drink today. And that’s what I did. And I ended up sleeping on the party bus on the way back.
Chris remembered going back to my one too many and a hundred’s not enough. Before, he would’ve been doing beer monsters. When we used to go to football games, his move for tailgates was he would take a bottle of a wild Turkey, American honey. He would put a koosie on it and he would drink that straight out of the bottle before games. So it was nice to actually go to a game and remember every play and the emotions of it. It was nice to wake up the next day and be like, Hmm, did we win or lose last night? No we won. That was awesome. So it was definitely a different experience.
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Your Actionable Plan: Steps to Holistic Wellness
Inspired by the Sjogrens' transformative journeys, here's a practical guide to achieving your own holistic wellness goals:
- Set SMART Goals: Start with specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals. Don’t aim for perfection; focus on consistent progress.
- Prioritize Whole Foods: Focus on nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. Minimize processed foods, sugary drinks, and excessive unhealthy fats.
- Find Your Fitness Fun: Choose physical activities you enjoy, promoting consistency. Start slowly and gradually increase intensity and duration.
- Manage Stress Proactively: Incorporate stress-reducing techniques like meditation, deep breathing, yoga, or spending time in nature. Prioritize sleep and rest.
- Build Your Support Network: Surround yourself with positive, supportive individuals who encourage your journey. Don't hesitate to ask for help when needed.
Body Image
Brittany Sjogren and Nichelle discussed body image, something that everyone deals with no matter what size you are. They encouraged listeners to think about themselves in a positive way.
Nichelle shared that whenever she started working with Brittany, people started requesting to see clothes on Nichelle. Nichelle said that so many people say, oh that wouldn’t look good on me, and I think that was what encouraged me, honestly, to just go, if this is going to help other people see that they don’t have to hold their body hostage because they think they can’t wear the certain thing because they’re a certain size.
Brittany shared that there are truly somebody for every single size and body fit out there sharing and doing this, which is something I love about this industry is I think it’s really encouraged people to show their true size and true self on the internet. So there’s definitely other influencers out there you might look like, so I would just encourage you to search for those. If you relate to them, they could definitely give you style inspiration.
Nichelle said that it’s so crazy to think about body type and when the thoughts behind it start. It’s talked about so much more in what is right what’s wrong, what’s perfect, what’s not. It’s going to do so much for you. It’s unbelievable.
Nichelle shared that she’s not always had a healthy relationship with my mindset or my body. Brittany added that women’s bodies change so often. Society is telling you, you need to like bounce back. She said that it is okay to be where you are.
Nichelle said that genetics is a huge factor. There’s so much history that is involved in who you are. It’s a lot of genetics so much, and it can be hurtful for you to hear, oh, wow. You are, your family is so big or wow. How are you so tiny. She added that body image issues can lead to destructive behavior and it can be triggered by a single comment one moment in time. That can be your trauma.
Brittany said that the first aspect of body image is how you see yourself. The next is the thoughts and beliefs you feel about your body. She added that if you need to unfollow somebody on Instagram, because every time you scroll past their picture, you are immediately put into a negative place, then that’s what you need to do for your mental health.
Nichelle shared that the things that you do in relation to the way that you behave can turn into an unhealthy mindset. So it’s all of those behaviors every single thing you do in a day that can lead up to a negative response or a positive response. If you’re looking at everybody else and then you’re feeling the way you are, you’re projecting that on others too.
Brittany added that every year around spring time, she has to mentally prep herself because she doesn’t want people to comment on what are you eating?
Brittany said that she wants listeners to make the best purchase possible and she doesn’t want you to have to return this item because that’s going to be annoying for you to have to go through the return process. So when I first started out, I was like, what is unique? So that people who are making a purchase, can they expect to get from me here so that when they do order the piece, it comes in based off my sizing recommendations, it’s going to be the perfect fit for them. They don’t have to worry about a return.
Brittany said that she doesn’t want to share my size on the internet. Nichelle added that listeners are looking for that connection to say okay, I’m usually between a long and a regular. Let me see how tall the model is. Okay. She’s five, nine. Okay. Definitely going to be too long on me. It’s the same thought process that goes behind that to be helpful at the end of the day, it’s not meant to be hurtful to that person.
Brittany shared that the meanest comments come from people whose Instagram bio says mom of three.
Nichelle shared a story about an Amazon blazer she bought. The medium fit her best, but there were a few comments that came in being like, oh, I can’t like no way are you eight, 10. She responded that she’s showing you, this is just what fits my body the best. And don’t even worry about the number, because you’re the only one that’s going to see it. She encouraged listeners to buy what makes you feel best and don’t try to squeeze into jeans that don’t fit.