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From 5 episodes

Can weekends undo a week of eating well?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated

The short answer

Yes. Nikkiey explains that a modest weekday deficit of 300 to 500 calories a day adds up to about 2,000 calories, and one Saturday of brunch, drinks, dinner out, dessert and late-night snacks can eat back 2,000 to 3,000. Your body runs seven days a week, so fat loss doesn't reset on Monday.

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  1. Nikkiey does the math on how one Saturday erases a full week's deficit

    Plays from 4:31 · Ep. 289: Why Your Weekends Are Stalling Your Fat Loss

  2. Why fat loss doesn't reset on Monday and consistency is about averages

    Plays from 20:56 · Ep. 335: Why Am I Eating Healthy but Not Losing Fat?

  3. Why Saturday counts in a fat loss phase, and when weekends can be looser

    Plays from 7:12 · Ep. 350: Tracking Macros but Not Losing Weight? 7 Common Mistakes

  4. Nikkiey on why five good days out of seven is a 71% effort

    Plays from 4:51 · Ep. 269: Working Out but Not Seeing Results? Here's Why

  5. Practical fixes: track weekends, plan flexibility and stop over-restricting

    Plays from 16:14 · Ep. 289: Why Your Weekends Are Stalling Your Fat Loss

The full answer

On Ep. 350, Nikkiey puts it bluntly: if you go 500 to 1,000 calories over from Friday through Sunday, you aren't in a deficit for the week. You may be at maintenance or even in a surplus, and your body doesn't care that you tracked perfectly for four days. She notes weekends can be more lenient if you're in maintenance or a muscle-building surplus, but in a fat loss phase, Monday through Sunday all count. On Ep. 269 she frames it as math: following your plan five days out of seven is roughly a 71% effort, which she compares to a failing grade.

On Ep. 289, she names what's usually underneath: a restrict-reward cycle. You white-knuckle through the week, then chase freedom on the weekend and call it balance. If your weekdays are too low in calories, you'll end up needing the weekend just to cope. That's a plan problem, not a willpower problem.

The fix isn't a perfect weekend. On Ep. 335, Nikkiey says consistency is about averages: some days 70%, some 30%, some 100%. What you need is awareness across all seven days. Her suggestions from Ep. 289 and Ep. 350:

  • Track your weekends, even if it isn't pretty. She says inaccurate data is worse than imperfect data.
  • Plan for the brunch or the night out, shift some macros around and focus on protein.
  • Drop the good-versus-bad language. Ask where you can do better instead.
  • Stop over-restricting during the week.

She says the most successful WarriorBabes aren't perfect. They build in wine night, log the pizza and make it fit, without guilting themselves into the next day's workout.

From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

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