From 2 episodes
Do summer shred challenges actually work?
Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated
The short answer
Not in the way they promise. Nikkiey explains that summer shred challenges usually rely on crash dieting, excessive cardio and severe calorie deficits. They can produce temporary results, but nobody can sustain them for months, so most women rebound to their old habits and regain the weight. Progress that lasts takes time and patience.
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Nikkiey on the crash dieting and extreme deficits behind most summer shred challenges
Plays from 10:17 · Ep. 62: Do Summer Shred Challenges Work for Women Over 40?
Why shred results don't last and why most women rebound afterward
Plays from 11:23 · Ep. 62: Do Summer Shred Challenges Work for Women Over 40?
How short-term shred challenges can fuel food obsession and body image issues
Plays from 14:44 · Ep. 62: Do Summer Shred Challenges Work for Women Over 40?
Nikkiey on skipping the pre-summer rush and going at your own pace
Plays from 18:07 · Ep. 249: How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others in Fitness
The full answer
On Ep. 62, Nikkiey is blunt: you can't get shredded in two or three weeks before summer. You can make some progress in a few weeks, but not a full body transformation. Getting a lean look in a sustainable way took her years of dedication, discipline, patience and time. She says she has seen women on these challenges eating fewer than 1,000 calories. In her view, a deficit that severe affects much more than how you look, including your metabolism, hormones, sleep, mood and energy. If you've done one of these and ended up right back where you started, that's what the plan was built to do. It isn't a failure on your part.
The cost isn't only physical. Nikkiey points out that the intense focus on a specific physique in a short window can lead to:
- Obsessive thoughts about food, where every cookie, glass of wine or night out with friends becomes off limits
- Body image issues, like looking in the mirror after eating carbs and hating what you see
- A distorted sense of your self-worth tied to how fast your body changes
She compares it to a relationship. You don't build something amazing in three weeks with someone you just met, and you deserve better than a two- or three-week crash diet.
On Ep. 249, she makes the same point from another angle. There's nowhere you need to be next week or in three months, even with summer coming. You don't need to crash diet or rush. Going at your own pace is more sustainable and more enjoyable, so run your own race and trust that your time is coming.
From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.
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Why am I not losing weight on 1,200 calories?
Eating 1,200 calories is often too little, not too much. Dr. Stacy Sims explains it sits around an average resting metabolic rate, so your body treats it as a threat, conserves energy and breaks down lean mass. Long-term dieting also adapts your metabolism down. Before cutting further, check your tracking is accurate.
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Diets, Fasting & Diet Culture
Do carbs make you gain weight?
No. Nikkiey explains that carbs on their own don't make you gain fat. Eating more calories than your body burns does, whether those calories come from carbs, fat or protein. Carbs are stored as glycogen, which holds about three grams of water per gram, so the scale can rise temporarily without any fat gain.
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Diets, Fasting & Diet Culture
Do I have to cut carbs to lose weight?
No. On The WarriorBabe Show, Nikkiey's position is that you don't need to cut carbs to lose fat. She calls carbs fuel, not the enemy, and says very low carb mostly drops water weight at first. Over time, under-eating carbs can drain your energy, hurt your workouts and make building muscle nearly impossible.
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Watch or listen in full
More on this topic →
22 minDo Summer Shred Challenges Work for Women Over 40?
Episode 62 · May 31, 2023
20 minHow to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others in Fitness
Episode 249 · Apr 11, 2025