In this conversation, Paulina shares her journey of weight loss and personal transformation after working with Brooke Davis, women’s functional nutritionist, fitness specialist and owner of Elysian Women’s Wellness. Initially struggling with traditional cookie-cutter programs that didn’t yield sustainable results, she found success through individualized coaching that focused on small, manageable changes. Paulina discusses her mindset shift from solely wanting to be skinny to prioritizing health and well-being, as well as her experiences with nutrition, caloric intake, and overcoming the fear of carbs. The conversation emphasizes the importance of investing in oneself and finding a personalized approach to fitness and nutrition. So enjoy hearing the best Beachbody burnout to success story!
AVAILABLE WHEREVER YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS!
Contents
Brooke:
Welcome to the Fitness Simplified podcast. I’m Brooke Davis, Women’s Functional Nutritionist and Fitness Specialist with Elysian Women’s Wellness, and I’m here to simplify your fitness. Today, I am so excited to share a very inspiring journey from one of our amazing clients here at Elysian Women’s Wellness.
She came to us looking for real, lasting changes in her health, and her progress has been nothing short of incredible. In this interview, you will hear firsthand about some of the challenges she has faced prior to working with us, navigating some of them through working with us, and the goals that she set and everything she has achieved and been successful with along the way.
We really hope that her story brings you insight into what it’s like to work with us and that it inspires you if you might be one of those people who are on the fence about investing in your own wellness journey to push you over the edge.
So, let’s dive in. Hello, Paulina. Thank you so much for jumping on with me today.
Let’s go ahead and just start if you want to share a little bit about you.
Paulina:
Okay. Hi, Brooke. Yeah. Well, I live in Alaska — Juno, Alaska. I started the program about with you about six months ago.
Currently, I work for an engineering company. So, I work remotely, which is great. I have two dogs, two geckos, a blue-tongued skink, and I’d probably have like, you know, 1,000 more animals if I could.
I play tennis for fun. Lots of hiking around here. Yeah, that’s pretty much it.
Brooke:
Love it. What was the-what was the third thing you said? A blue what?
Paulina:
A blue-tongued skink. It’s a type of lizard.
Brooke:
Nice.That’s awesome. I’ve never heard of that. Super fun. Alright, well, let’s dive into really why everybody is here listening today.
So, we’ve been working together for I think a little over six months or so now. I am curious, what were you looking to kind of achieve when you started working with us? And where were you; so tell us a little bit about kind of your history. And then what were you looking to change, what goals did you have when started with us?
Paulina:
Yeah, well, my goal was just to lose weight. Like, I wasn’t happy with my weight.
I wasn’t happy with how I looked in pictures. I just tried like, the gamut of things. So, I just started looking around like, what else can I do?
And then a friend actually was working with you. She only had good things to say. So, I, I think I joined your Facebook group first.
And then you had like posts of things. I reached out to you one day, I think just being like, I need help. I can’t do this.
You were like, ready and go to help.
Brooke:
Awesome.
So, I’m curious in, you know, based on you said you had tried the, you know, gambit of things. Can you tell us a little bit more about, I mean, specific things you had tried and why you felt like they weren’t working? Why, you know, were they not suitable for you? Obviously, you weren’t seeing the results that you wanted.
But could you dive a little bit deeper into that if you could?
Paulina:
Yeah, well, I did Beachbody for like, four years, tried that. And I think the main problem there was, is that what’s going to work for one person is not necessarily going to work for me.
So, like, I was seeing people do like seven days of cardio, or, you know, four days of strength training, or this new bar workout. And like, someone would say, “Oh, this is making me lose so much weight,” or “don’t eat carbs,” or “eat yogurt first thing in the morning.” So, like, I would try all those things, being like, well, it’s working for you.
Let me try it. Like, basically, if they said, like, start eating milk for every meal, I probably would do it. So, I just I think it’s because — just because it works for someone else, like doesn’t mean it’s gonna work for you.
And like, you just get tired of trying all these things. Then you’re just like, screw it. I don’t want to, you know, I’m tired of it.
So I think it’s because it’s, it’s meant for the masses. It works for people that are already set, not for people that need help.
Brooke:
Right, right.
That was, I think, one of the things that you said when you know, we talked on the phone, you’re like, “I’m ready to just like, say screw it all. Like, I don’t know what else to do. I feel like I’m working my butt off.”
Like, you said you were doing seven days a week, sometimes twice a day feeling like you were not eating very much. Once you actually, you were in fact not eating enough. And so, and then from that, I think, you know, you had mentioned like, your energy levels weren’t right.
Obviously, you weren’t seeing the changes in your body that you wanted. And you ultimately were not enjoying it. That wasn’t how you wanted to live your life, right?
Paulina:
Yeah, but I mean, I was willing to do it if I thought that I was going to gain something from it. So I was like, okay, twice workouts a day. Okay, if that works, I’ll do it.
But then it didn’t work, you know, so it’s just it was frustrating when other people were posting on Facebook being like, look how thin I am. And I lost 30 pounds in two days. And I’m like, sure.
Brooke:
Sure. Yeah, exactly. So there’s that.
That’s for another podcast. Yeah. So um, yeah, thank you.
Thank you for sharing that. Because I know you’re not alone. I told you this when we talked, and I know a lot of listeners are going to resonate with that story.
Because I personally have talked to so many women that have the same one, they you know, are trying these cookie cutter programs. And while some of the bigger names in those programs, and some of the people promoting them might be seeing some big changes, a lot of other people are not. On top of that, it’s not sustainable, and it doesn’t fit their lifestyle.
And so it’s not something that they stick with after, you know, the 21 days, or the 89 days, or however long the program is. So even if they do get results, they usually don’t stick around. Right?
Paulina:
Yeah. Well, and if you do the program, and then what, then it doesn’t work enough. So then you have to do the program again, or try a different program.
So you’re just kind of in this cycle of just talking to someone, seeing someone post on TikTok, like, this is what I eat in a day. And this is how I maintain my weight, or someone posting on Facebook, you know, that that worked for them. Like the whole thing of asking someone else what’s gonna work for them, wasn’t getting me anywhere.
Because I was like, okay, tell me exactly when you eat, how much you eat, to the like, what kind of bread, what kind of cheese, like, I was willing to copy their whole entire meal if I’d had to come to it. And they were just like, why are you asking me these aggressive questions? So that’s a little personal.
Brooke:
I’d like you to stay out of my personal affairs, Paulina.
Paulina:
I’m like, I just need to know, okay?! [Laughter]
Brooke:
Yeah, yeah. And that is the beauty of what we do. So, after you came to us, how did we help you kind of overcome all of that and navigate the struggles that you were dealing with, with some of those cookie cutter template programs?
Paulina:
Well, I think you guys just had like a very different approach to what I was used to. So, you guys started with like the smallest little things that I was just like, first, I was kind of like, what? You want me to just drink water? That’s what’s gonna work?
Like, I know to drink water. But it was just like small, tiny habits that you guys made me build on that I was not doing before that. I was trying to find like the big picture solution, where you guys were just trying to find and give me like tiny things to change, to make a big change.
And you guys were able to work with, you know, any kind of schedule change I had, any type of stress I had, any type of like, negating situation, you were like, well, if this doesn’t work, then how about you try this. You guys always had kind of like another option, where before you would just, I would just be like, well, that doesn’t work. I’m not doing it.
So, I think it was the small little habits that you guys built that made the difference because I was like, oh, now I have to eat protein. Now I have to drink water. You know, I have to get my fruit, and I have to get my vegetables.
And before I was just thinking like, calories-only exercise. Those were my only two habits, like, don’t eat over this many calories, exercise. So, it was just a little thing that you don’t think about.
Brooke:
Yeah, I love that. Because you’re like, basically, the phrase that comes to mind is like missing the forest through the trees, right? You have this big picture of like, eat less, move more.
You’re like, all right, I’m on it. And that is ultimately what most programs preach and what they teach and try and get you to do. But there are one, like you said, so many little pieces, right, all the trees in there that are actually the building blocks of the big picture and of the big results that are going to happen.
And then of course, there is the fact that you’re like, okay, well, you know, even this big picture is great. But what if I can’t do this little piece in this exact way? Or, you know, what if my schedule doesn’t allow for two workouts a day?
How do I navigate that, you know? And so you I mean, and your schedule, to be honest, is like, better than a lot of them that we work with in terms of, you know, like consistency, you have a pretty consistent schedule, which is great.
But there are just things that come up that again, when you don’t have somebody to be like, Okay, well, how about this? Could we try this or asking you sometimes like, what do you think? What do you know?
And a lot of times, it’s like—
Paulina:
Yeah, I think having like a sounding board to, you know, like, anytime I have a question, anything comes up, I can just ask one of you, I don’t have to go to like my friends or look online, or try to figure out myself, I can just be like, “Hey, this is not working.” Where I didn’t have that before. I just had to like figure out my own and then see what my friends were doing, what was working for them.
So just having like one answer, or someone that knows from like a health perspective and a nutrition perspective, like the actual answer instead of seven different answers online. This is key. Yeah, yeah, most of which are probably just guessing anyways.
Brooke:
Awesome. Well, thank you. Thank you for sharing that.
And I am glad that you have felt supported in that way. Because obviously, that is our goal. Everything that we do is individualized.
So, we are hoping to tailor your program to you. And I know that, especially starting out, you were like, you said, you’re like, “Wait, you just want me to do that? Like, this is it?
Are you sure?” Yeah. And how is this going to work?
Paulina:
I was like, I already drink water. How is that going to change? But like, you guys snuck things in.
It’s very strategic.
Brooke:
It is, it is, thank you for noticing. Yeah, and that individualized approach and those little things adding up as well as making them fit your schedule is ultimately what most people need to be successful.
So, I am curious, at this point, can you just give us kind of all the good as far as things you have achieved, things you feel like you’ve progressed on things you’ve learned, all of your successes, share all the good things that you have?
Paulina:
Well, there’s a lot of them.
I’ve had like a huge change in mindset. Like my mindset before I was just like, I want to be skinny. That’s it.
I don’t care how I get there.
I just want to be skinny. And so, like now I’m like, you know, I just want to be healthy. I just want to look good.
I want to feel good. So that’s been a huge change. Because like before I had like a number, like I need to be this many pounds and that’s it.
Now I’m like, I don’t care. I don’t care if I’m this number as long as I feel good outside of my body. As long as I feel good inside.
That’s what I care about. So that’s been one, which was a huge thing for me. I have lost I think, um, 10 pounds or so since we started. I’m definitely down a pant size, like I have pants, I’m like, scooshing up, which is like a good problem to have. But before it was like going the other way.
Definitely much stronger. I play tennis. Just like the power that I have now when I hit a ball is definitely noticeable.
Everyone’s like, whoa. And I’m like, yeah, I work out. This is what I work out for.
But yeah, confidence that I mean, I think I have more energy. I have better habits. I’m trying to work on my discipline.
I think that’s the hardest thing. But like, all the habits, I’m learning to be more disciplined and not just do whatever, whatever is motivating, whatever is fun. So yeah, I think a lot of great stuff that like, I wouldn’t have gotten by myself.
Brooke:
For sure. Awesome. I love all of those.
And you know, your story, again, is super common. So many women come to us are like, Okay, I want to be this way on the scale. Like this is what I’m going for.
And you know, so often, I come in like, I don’t even care how you do it, you know, but the reality of it is that how you do it is what matters most because if you do it the wrong way, you won’t stay there. So that’s where, you know, those little habits, just slipping them in, right, starting with the water and all these little foundational habits come in is what creates that sustainability, and the discipline is continuing those habits and then continuing on, you know, to add on to them.
But I’m curious, you know, you mentioned you like had this number in mind when you came. Do you feel like your body has changed to the point where you’re like, even though, you know, I’m going to put this in quotes, like you’ve “only” lost 10 pounds and a pant size, like, that’s a significant amount of weight.
So but having that number in mind, is it? Do you feel like your body looks different than what you expected it to based on what you thought you would be at that number?
Paulina:
I think so.
Yeah, I think I thought that like, at the current rate, I would still feel like, not where I want to be like, I feel overweight, I would feel icky. But I feel great. Even though like, I’m not close to my “magic number.”
Like, maybe it’s just because like, I have more muscle. And like before I didn’t have that muscle. So, like the weight, you know, obviously muscle is more than fat.
And we all know that. I think that maybe shows is that even though I’m not at my magic number, I feel better inside, I feel better in my clothes, because, you know, muscle looks better than fat.
Brooke:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Paulina:
I feel like a lot more, you know?
Brooke:
Right. Right, exactly.
And that is, again, something you’re very commonly like, you know, women are they’re losing inches more, and you know, their body shape is changing. And they’re seeing curves where they want to see them and tightening up where they want to see things tighten up. But the scale isn’t necessarily like, doing what they think they think it should be doing.
And that is where, again, muscle comes in, strength training, and that, again, foundational like nutrition. The other thing I have to touch on is, I know that when you came to us, you were not eating very much. And when we gave you your calorie intake, you were like, wait, what?
So not only are you down that weight, like you’re losing that pant size, but how much more are you currently eating than when you came to us?
Yeah, no, when you guys gave me the calories, I was like, that’s so much food. What are you doing?
When you guys told me 30 grams of protein per meal, I was like, you’re insane. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten 30 protein, like 30 grams of protein in a day. Like, that is just insane.
Like, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I kept being like, okay, I can eat my protein. Just being like, I can do this.
It was a struggle. And then being like, how many more calories do I have to eat? Like, I had to force myself to eat the food.
Because in my mind, that was so much food that I was definitely going to gain weight. And I didn’t, which then I was like, wait, hold on, what? I was shocked.
I thought for sure that you guys were going to be like, just kidding. You can’t eat that much. Just kidding.
Brooke:
We’re taking that away. We lied. I take it all back. [Laughter]
Paulina:
But then like, every time you guys have given me more calories, I lose more weight. Every time we go down in calories, my body revolts. So, it’s completely different than what you hear mainstream.
You know, eat less, move more. That’s totally opposite of that.
Brooke:
Yeah, I love that you are.
You are a perfect example of that as well. And you were, because I think when you came to us, you were eating like 1400 calories. We had you at an upwards of 19 at one point.
Paulina:
Yep.
Brooke:
Which I know to most women-and you’re, you’re what, 5’3”, 5’4”?
Paulina:
Yep, 5’3”. Yep.
Brooke:
For reference, ladies, because, you know, most people come to us and I tell it like 2000 calories, like an average intake.
And you know, that’s for a I think a 5’5”-5’4”, or no, 145-pound woman, there was no height. But you know, that is that is an average intake. When you add exercise on top of that, and then you also started playing tennis, which is amazing.
And that’s something that you enjoy, and you love. But that’s also been something that we’ve been able to- you’ve been able to do. And that’s something that you know, we’ve had to work around, not only with your strength training, making sure that you’re still getting that in, not over-training, because we did see some plateauing when it came to that, in which we also then had to give you some more food to keep your body like happy.
That was one of the times when you saw that plateau, we gave you more food, and then you actually dropped from there. And so that varying output is something that gets, again, completely overlooked with these cookie cutter plans. Because we were like, “Oh, I’ll just throw in this extra, you know, workouts.”
And they don’t account for that nutritionally. And they just start to deplete their body.
Paulina:
Yeah, because none of the programs ever say like, “Oh, if you work out more, you should eat more.”
It’s always just like workout more, if you’re not seeing the progress or cut down your carbs. But then you’re just exhausted. And then you stop doing it because you’re like, or you hurt yourself.
Like I definitely hurt myself a ton because I was like over training probably because I was like, well, it’s not working. So let’s just add doubles today. Or let’s go run.
Or let’s do whatever. I’m like, I ate a huge meal. Let’s go on the treadmill to get that off.
So yeah, they don’t account for that at all. And I am very guilty of overdoing it.
Brooke:
Yes, we know.
Paulina:
We’re, still trying to work on that.
Brooke:
We’re getting it toned down. But um, yeah, we’re finding that balance. I think.
Paulina:
Yeah, we are finding that balance. I’m definitely like, I was invited to play tennis today. And I was like, Oh, I really want to say yes.
But no, no, I’m straight train today. I can’t do both. But it was really hard.
It was hard to have that discipline to say no. And to have boundaries. Okay, I’ll do it.
I’ll have a boundary. I was like, go me.
Brooke:
Yes, yes, I am so proud of you.
We’re learning all sorts of things here. We this is not just a physical journey, right? It’s, it’s so much mental in so many different ways.
So I’m, I’m so proud of your growth. Paulina. That’s amazing.
Paulina:
Yeah, and I think most of it’s mental.
Brooke:
Yeah. 100%. Yeah.
And speaking of carbs, I know that you were one who was doing more of a low carb diet also, when you came to us. Can you tell us kind of what that transition has been like, mentally, and then kind of where you’re at now, in terms of…
Paulina:
At first, I was kind of scared of eating carbs, not like scared that I thought were gonna kill me. But I thought for sure that I was gonna gain weight.
And I think at one point, Courtney is like, you’re not eating enough fat or carbs. And I was like, but I had three yellow containers. That’s more than three yellow containers.
And my brain couldn’t go past that. But then I was like, oh, I really enjoy eating carbs. These are delicious.
I’m not gaining weight. Maybe this is fine. But at first, I, I thought the only way I could lose weight was just not eating them.
And that’s kind of a lot of the programs, what they tell you to do is eat vegetables, eat no carbs, you know, and so you develop this fear that if you eat carbs, it will turn to fat and you’ll gain weight. So that’s but slowly, you guys were like, you need fuel. You can’t run on empty.
And I was like, okay, all right, I get that. So maybe this whole time, my body was actually needing that. And I was keeping it from it.
So definitely feel better. Now I’m not scared of carbs. Like I’m trying to choose good ones, obviously.
But I don’t feel like now it’s gonna cause me to gain weight. I feel like now as long as I’m mindful, I can enjoy them and not feel like I’m depriving myself.
Brooke:
Yeah, I love that.
That is, again, just so common because of programs that people have done before. So just for reference, I have to throw this out there. You actually hit a new low after your week of maintenance, which was 2100 calories, and 220 grams of carbs.
So again, for reference, that is that is a significant amount of carbs. I mean, for anybody, that’s a lot of food and a lot of carbohydrates, but your body literally took it all in and was like, cool, we needed that it used it, and you dropped.
Paulina:
Yeah, yeah. Which is where it’s crazy. It’s not like you would never think.
It’s shocking.
Brooke:
Yeah.
Paulina:
Yeah. It’s like you guys know what you’re doing or something.
Brooke:
Yeah, I would say I like to call it my magic tricks. But it is it is just science. It’s great. You know, carbs.
For those of you who don’t know, carbs are our body’s main and preferred source of energy. And obviously, they do have to be balanced with proteins and fats, but they are not the enemy. So, I love that.
Yeah. Awesome. Well, we are coming up in our time.
But I am curious and you’ve – I mean, if you haven’t changed somebody’s mind by now, I don’t know what would, but what would you say to someone who is on the fence about hiring us to help them through their journey?
Paulina:
I think what I would say is that in order to see change, you have to invest in yourself. And no one else is going to invest in you, and if you haven’t seen a change yet, and you’ve tried gazillions of things, why not find someone that can have a personalized plan for you? Why not find someone that can actually work with you one-on-one? Because you can throw money at whatever programs you want.
But if you don’t take the time and make the changes, you’re not going to see them and you can’t find an easy way out, right? Like all those easy pills or weight loss plans, like you can try them, but they’re not going to last. So, I would say invest in yourself and take the lead.
Brooke:
Awesome. I love it. Thank you so much.
I so appreciate your time. I appreciate your effort and all of this. Your consistency has been amazing.
And ultimately, you know, we’ve helped provide the plan and the education and the knowledge behind it all. But we don’t do the work. We can’t do the work for you.
You have done it. And so that is where your success has come from. And it’s been so cool to watch your transition because I know I know there was some real apprehension when you came to us.
I so appreciate you putting your trust in us and following through with the things that you said you were going to do, not just for us, but for yourself. And obviously, that has paid off for you in a ton of different ways. And it’s been very cool to see.
Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your journey. It’s been an honor.
And it’s been so fun getting to know you more. Yeah, I like I said, I appreciate your time. I appreciate you being here and sharing all that as well.
Paulina:
Yeah, thank you, Brooke. No, obviously, I appreciate you guys. You guys have made like a world of difference in my life.
So, more people need to hear about you and get your help.
Brooke:
Yay, love it. Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the fitness simplified podcast.
We are stoked to have you join us on your journey to better health and fitness. If you have any questions, suggestions for future topics, or just want to chat, feel free to reach out to us on Instagram @Brooke_Elysian and Facebook linked in the show notes or via our website, ElysianWomensWellness.com. If you enjoyed what you heard today, we would be thrilled if you could take a half second to leave us a five-star rating and review.
Not only will you be helping others find our show, but you’ll also be entered into our monthly $100 giveaway for new reviews. If there was something you heard that was helpful or impactful, please screenshot it, tag me and share what it was so that we can bring you more. Plus, you’ll be entered into our monthly Legion recharge post workout giveaway.
New episodes drop every Monday. So, make sure to hit that subscribe button and stay tuned for more. Thanks for listening.
Coach Brooke Davis Links:
Website: elysianwomen.org
LinkedIn: Brooke Davis – Owner – Davis Fitness
Facebook: Brooke Davis, CPT
Instagram: Brooke Davis (@brooke_elysian)
Free Community: Women’s Fitness Simplified: Lean down, tone up, build confidence!
Take Our Free Hormone Analysis: https://brookedavis.typeform.com/to/quKUjmTI
Book a Discovery Call: https://scheduler.zoom.us/brooke-davis-mjzn71/discovery-call
Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout Best Beachbody Burnout
Women’s Functional Nutritionist & Fitness Specialist along with CEO of Elysian Women’s Wellness.
God, family, fitness – in that order. Fitness isn’t my job, it’s my passion. My favorite things include traveling the world, being a mama and making a difference.
14 years of experience in the wellness industry has brought me to an understanding that when you’re ready – you’ll do it. So when you are, we’re here to keep you simply well.
The last “program” you’ll ever buy. Your individualized training & nutrition plan that teaches the why & how to create lasting changes with me by your side every step of the way!
Error: No feed found.
Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed.
Level 0, 1, 2 & 3: Level Up your workouts with beginner to advanced plans designed with a focus lift each month, progressive overload, instructional videos & all inclusive training & nutrition guides.
Copyright ©2025. Gamechanger
A BRANDT CREATIVE CO. TEMPLATE. Trusted by Wimgo.
