The short answer
No. Nikkiey explains that it doesn't matter how hard you train if your nutrition isn't aligned with your goals. Your body needs protein, healthy fats and carbs to build muscle, burn fat and recover. That includes eating healthy but too little, which she says you can't out-train any more than junk food.
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Nikkiey on why gym effort can't make up for nutrition that doesn't match your goals
Plays from 13:47 · Ep. 213: Fitness Mistakes Women Over 40 Should Stop Making
Why eating healthy but only 1,000 calories a day is its own kind of bad diet
Plays from 15:32 · Ep. 213: Fitness Mistakes Women Over 40 Should Stop Making
How your cells turn food into workout fuel, and why diet and training go together
Plays from 11:19 · Ep. 85: How Exercise Works in Your Body, Explained Simply
The full answer
On Ep. 213, Nikkiey widens what a bad diet means. It's not only fast food. It's also the healthy-looking day so many women over 40 live on: a protein bar and shake in the morning, a salad at noon, chicken and vegetables at night. That was her. She was eating whole foods but only about 1,000 calories a day, and she says muscle building takes roughly double that, if not a bit more. Cutting out a food group or surviving on salads and smoothies leaves your muscle tissue without the macronutrients it needs to grow, tone up and help you burn fat. Working harder in the gym won't fill that gap.
On Ep. 85, she explains why the two can't be separated. Your cells act like tiny factories, with mitochondria as their powerhouse, breaking the food you eat down into the fuel you use during exercise. She compares it to turning wood into a bonfire. Without enough wood, the workout has nothing to burn. Nutrition and training work together.
This doesn't mean you have to be perfect. Nikkiey's approach:
- Make nutrition a priority, not an afterthought to your workouts.
- Eat protein, healthy fats and carbs instead of cutting a whole group.
- Track your macros so you know how much you're really eating each day.
- Keep the foods you love, including treats and ice cream, in moderation.
She describes nutrition as balance and consistency, and the bigger picture matters more than any single meal. If you've been training hard and eating clean and still not seeing results, the issue may be how much you're eating, not how hard you're trying.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
Women also ask
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Fat Loss After 40
Why can't I lose weight after 40 even though I eat less and exercise more?
Nikkiey's answer: your body after 40 doesn't respond to restriction the way it did at 25. Eating less and doing more signals stress, so your body lowers your metabolic rate, raises cortisol, breaks down muscle and holds on to fat. The fix she teaches is more food, more protein, strength training and recovery, not further cuts.
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Fat Loss After 40
How do I lose belly fat after 40?
Build muscle and fix your nutrition instead of adding crunches, cardio or cutting food further. Nikkiey explains belly fat can't be spot-reduced; it comes off through a calorie deficit across your whole body. Her priorities: progressive strength training, enough protein, sleep, stress management and less alcohol, plus patience, because the midsection often leans out last.
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Fat Loss After 40
Is cardio or weight training better for fat loss?
Weight training wins. Nikkiey explains that cardio burns calories only while you're doing it and doesn't create long-term changes in your metabolism, while muscle keeps burning calories at rest. Her priority order for fat loss is nutrition first, then weights, then cardio, because you can't out-train a diet that isn't dialed in.
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Watch or listen in full
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26 minFitness Mistakes Women Over 40 Should Stop Making
Episode 213 · Dec 6, 2024
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