Why does the scale go up when I eat more carbs?

Nikkiey's point is simple: the scale shows how heavy you are, not what you're made of. It can't separate muscle, fat, bone or water. On Ep. 137 she says that if you weigh more after carbs, it's usually because you ate more than normal and your body is holding more water. Carbs didn't make you fat. On Ep. 161 she adds that when you strength train, your body stores more glycogen so you have power for your workouts, which is why carbs get a bad rep they don't deserve.

Cutting carbs to keep the number down has a cost. On Ep. 137, Nikkiey explains that keto can drain your glycogen stores. That hurts exercise performance, muscle endurance and recovery, and it works against building the muscle you're training for.

WarriorBabe client Lisa is a good example. In her interview, Nikkiey raised Lisa's carbs a lot, and Lisa dropped weight that first week. Later, her calories went up and she did one less cardio day. Her weight barely moved while her body filled out. She stopped treating the number as everything and started comparing photos and measurements side by side. She saw her waist, legs and arms change at the same weight. The scale moving after carbs isn't a sign you failed. It's water, and it's one data point out of many.