Fat Loss Q&A: Hunger, Protein Limits and Fasted Lifting

Nikkiey: All right, what's up, you guys? I think I have fixed the audio. As you're tuning in to this new live Q&A stream, let me know in the comments below that you can hear me okay, and I'm just going to dive into it as if you can hear me. I love coming here on Wednesdays, hanging out with you guys and providing any clarification that you need for your journey moving forward. So as we rock and roll on these Wednesday live Q&As, you know the drill: as you're tuning in, comment, say hey, what's up, in the comment area so I can see who's here and put names to the community that we have inside of WarriorBabe and outside of WarriorBabe. Yay, awesome, you guys can hear me. Technology, you've got to love it.

So you know that for the past couple of months I've been combining this live Q&A with my Facebook followers, what's up you guys, and the WarriorBabes that are inside of my Facebook community. So if you are not yet a WarriorBabe, you will see how I rock and roll with these Q&As that are shared inside the community. Even though you're a follower, you can see how I communicate with the WarriorBabes, the questions that they're having along their journey and how I'm helping them on these Q&As.

But I've also opened this up to all my Facebook followers, so if you have any questions for me, whether that's about WarriorBabe, about your journey, about nutrition, macros or workouts, I'm happy to help. This is what I do every single Wednesday at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time: I come here, I hang out with you guys and I answer any questions that you all have. So I'm really excited to be here with you on this wonderful Wednesday. I hope that wherever you are in the United States, you're safe and warm.

I know there's some madness going on with the weather, so my love goes out to you guys. I hope you're safe and warm. As you're tuning in, continue to say hey. What's up from Atlanta? Nice, I know it's probably warm down there. Let me know who's here. If you're tuning in after this has been done live, remember to put hashtag replay in the comment area, and my girl Kate, our community manager, comes back in and answers anything that was left after this live Q&A was complete.

I'm all about support. It's one thing that you will hear from all the WarriorBabes that are inside of my program. My girl Kate will come back here and answer any questions that were left after this live was complete. So if you have any questions for me pertaining to nutrition, to macros, to workouts, any way that I can help you in your journey moving forward and provide you clarification, drop them in.

Now remember, there's no silly or stupid question. I'm here to provide clarification on whatever it is that you need. I'm happy to provide tough love as well. I am not here to be your friend. I'm here to be your coach, to help coach you women along your journey. So please feel free to start kicking off the live Q&A with any questions that you have in the comment area. We'll kick it off in just a couple of seconds. But one thing I do want to say is a huge, huge, huge welcome to all of the new WarriorBabes.

On a daily basis, we're getting well over 200 applications for our program. We're getting 140-plus bookings on our team's calendars to chat with them and see if our program is a good fit. And from there we filter in the babes that sign up and join our program, which is so cool because it keeps growing and growing and growing.

And it's amazing to see the lives that are being affected in such a positive manner by being inside of WarriorBabe. So welcome to all the new babes who have joined us this past week, this past month. It's so freaking cool to see you inside the programs. Keep in mind that if you are inside my Blueprint program, we kick off a live Q&A in about 50 minutes where I'm able to actually talk back and forth with you. So it's not just a comment where I'm trying to understand the question without speaking to you directly. Inside the Blueprint, it's a Q&A webinar.

I'm able to speak back and forth with you and help you with any questions that you have about the program or the journey that you're embarking on with WarriorBabe. So keep that in mind. We kick that off in 50 minutes at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. So any questions pertaining to this Q&A, pop in on that Blueprint call so that you can get serious clarification with me if needed. Okay? All right, cool. So let's kick it off, you guys. Let's dive into this Q&A.

The way we operate is you drop your questions in the chat box and I go in order as they come through. And I just realized I didn't say hello to you guys. What's up, Lydia? What's up, Nicole? Ellen, yep, from Atlanta. Michelle, Yana. What's up, babe? What's up, Trudy? Ooh, Nicole, cold in Illinois. I bet. I always want to complain about PA weather, but I don't know that I can complain right now because everybody's feeling it.

Hampton Roads, Virginia, so cold. Yeah. Wisconsin, awesome. A lot of Wisconsin, two of them. All right, cool. What's up, Michelle? Awesome. I do see some questions firing in, so let's kick it off. And remember, if you're a Facebook follower, we're sharing this inside the WarriorBabe community as well, and I'm answering any questions that my WarriorBabes have for me. So you may hear some lingo and verbiage that I use inside of our programs.

If you want to learn more about WarriorBabe, you can check out warriorbabe.com. You can check out the programs at the top, the Blueprint and the VIP, and you can watch the reviews of all of the women that are inside the program to learn a little bit more about them. All right. Okay, cool. So let's kick it off. We've got Maria first: "Is it possible to cut fat and build muscle at the same time, or does it need to be a separate build and cut phase?" This is a good question. While you are in a caloric deficit, you're technically cutting. You're losing body fat, you're getting more toned, more shapely.

You will put on a little bit of muscle in that. But more often what's happening is you have muscle mass underneath your body fat. So when you're decreasing body fat, there's an illusion happening. It looks like your muscles are getting bigger, but really the density is just showing a little bit more. So yes, you can put on a little bit of muscle, but it's more the illusion of decreasing body fat and more of the muscle showing in the cut, or in the deficit. A maintenance or build phase is where your time is best spent putting on muscle.

That's if you're somebody who wants to build muscle, which, guys, is what gets you toned. Muscle is tone. And if you need or want to put on a significant amount of muscle, then maintaining or eating in a caloric surplus, which is more so the build, is where you're going to put the time in building muscle. So yes, you can in a cut, but you're not putting on as much as you could while you're in a caloric surplus.

Muscle is an active tissue. Muscle uses food, uses energy to be built. And that's not going to come unless you're in a surplus and you're eating the energy, the food, that's necessary to build that active lean tissue. Okay, so I hope that answered your question. Brooke: "Can you get big shoulders without using PEDs?" Abso-fucking-lutely. Yes. I'm natural. I'm 100% natural. You guys see my shoulders.

I have used no steroids or drugs in my entire process. What it comes down to is just hard work, and what it really comes down to is consistency. I shared this quote with my community last night: the work that you put in right now, the work that's being done on a daily basis, will compound in six to eight months. And that's where the real results show. There are so many women who are so wound up, even to the point of tears, as I've heard and seen in my groups, because they want to see results in two days.

That's not going to happen. I hate to say it, it doesn't sound sexy, but it's the brutal, honest truth. It takes time. Building muscle takes time. Changing your body composition takes time. It takes different phases to go through. It takes decreasing body fat to put yourself in a pretty lean state and then building lean muscle tissue from there. And everybody's journey is completely different. So to answer your question, yes. It just comes down to consistency, to eating, to putting in the work, to workouts, to progressive overloading, to getting stronger.

If you can do that now, your real results are going to show in six to eight months. Okay? But you've got to understand you're probably not going to see the results that you truly, truly want until six to eight months. Guys, the second that you can accept the fact that your journey is going to take that long, that your journey may take six to eight to 12 to 18 months, is when your journey gets so much easier and so much more enjoyable.

Rather than looking at it week to week and going, oh my God, things aren't moving, oh my God, I don't see any change in weight or measurements or photos, and constantly beating yourself up and tearing yourself down on a weekly basis. You've got to remember, and this is why I stress it, to take your photos. Your photos in a body recomposition journey are going to be the telltale sign of your success.

Not the weight, not the measurements. Body fat, yes, but your pictures and how you feel are the most important part of your journey. Okay? Take them now, and then take them every week if you want to, or maybe every month if you're that type of personality and mindset that needs just every month. But regardless, take the fucking photos. Take the photos whether you like it or not, whether you're like, oh my God, Nikkiey, I'm cringing even seeing my body in a photo. That's the reason why you're getting started on this journey.

That's the reason why you're getting things set up appropriately and putting all your time and effort into working out and tracking food. Okay? So take them. Then take them a month later, two months later, three months later, and when you get to that six-month mark, put them side by side. I've seen this with hundreds of women. They're probably the same exact weight. Their measurements moved just a tad bit, but the photos are drastically different.

And that's at a six-month mark, an eight-month mark. That's going to be the real result, the true result. So in the first six months, if you are somebody who wants instant, short-term results or short-term success, you've got to reframe your mindset. You've got to get yourself out of that mindset and plug in to understand this is a long game. The entire journey of building and changing your body composition is a long game.

Accept the fact that it may take time. Be consistent, put in the work, and it all will compound. Trust me. Trust me now, believe me later. Be consistent with what you're putting into your body. Work out. That's the key to your results. Okay?

All right, Trudy: "Hey Nikkiey, 51 years old, endomorph. I am lifting heavy three times a week in the mornings. Is it beneficial or not to cycle on my spin bike 30 minutes twice a day, three times a week, once in the a.m. and once in the p.m.? Will I see my results faster? Thank you." No. You do not want to do added cardio or extra cardio with the mentality of getting results faster. You guys, doing too much can stunt your metabolism and get your body to conserve calories, because you're doing too much and maybe you're not eating enough.

You could be overtraining, which is just another avenue of your body being stressed out. No, you don't need to add anything extra. If you are being true and honest with your tracking, if you are being consistent and doing what you're supposed to be doing with your workouts and prescribed cardio, then you will get to where you want to be. Okay. Accept that your journey may take time.

Micaiah, I think I'm saying that right: "If you are hungry on a cutting macro, do you need more calories?" It depends. I get this asked a lot, and I'll talk about two scenarios. If you're hungry to the point where you just feel the hunger cues, it is completely normal and okay to be hungry in a deficit.

It's just the natural human process. It's okay to be hungry while you're decreasing body fat and losing some fat. That's scenario one. It means your metabolism is working. It's revving, it's speeding up, it's doing its job. But then there's scenario two. If you're ravenous, like you just finished a meal and within five minutes you're like, oh my God, I'm starving,

and you want to bite your hand off and you're irritated and the little things are throwing you off course because you're cranky, and it's not just a hormonal woman thing, really channel into that cue. Okay. If that's really true, then that may mean you do need some more food, and primarily it's probably your protein. Protein is a macronutrient that a lot of women don't eat enough of. They aren't aware that it is the macronutrient

king. Its main job is not only to build muscle and to recover, but to keep you satiated, to keep you full. It curbs cravings. It is the macronutrient god, as I say in all of my programs. So you may need a little bit more protein, and you can set your protein grams anywhere from 0.8 times your body weight up to 1.2 times your body weight. So double check that. If you have room to go up to 1.1 or 1.2, get yourself more protein.

It will make a world of difference with your hunger cues. All right. What's up, Ruth? What's up, Christy? What's up, Michelle? Hello. Wow, we're really firing off here. I'm really behind. Holy moly. All right. Melissa: "I work out first thing in the morning and don't eat. Is that hurting my muscle gains?" Yes. Yes, my friend, you do not want to lift fasted.

Your muscles need energy in order to grow. If you go to our YouTube channel, WarriorBabe, and look at the past rally calls that I've done with my WarriorBabe community, there's one rally call specifically where I talk about the three reasons not to lift fasted. You don't want to do it. It's totally not beneficial to the muscle gains that you want.

Muscle needs food, like I said at the beginning of this Q&A. The mitochondria, the powerhouse inside of your muscles that stimulates fat burn, need food in order for the whole metabolic process to happen. Muscle is an active tissue. It needs fuel. You need to have something to eat pre-workout and post-workout. I could really dive into this. If you're lifting fasted, you're raising cortisol levels. With females,

cortisol levels are already naturally high. You don't want to raise them any more. Cortisol is a serious hormone that just stores extra body fat. So you could literally be counterproductive in what you're doing if you're lifting in a fasted state. You need to fuel your body. And trust me, I have broken this belief with thousands of women, and immediately when they start having pre-workout meals they're like, oh my God, Nikkiey, I don't know how I went this long without eating before I worked out. They have more energy. They have more stamina.

They're lifting stronger, which is the key to building more muscle. Okay. So yes, it's hurting your gains. Now I'm probably going to get asked, what's a good meal to have beforehand? Rice cakes and some egg whites, rice cakes, jelly and a protein shake, fruit, anything that's fast-acting. A simple carbohydrate is a really good thing if you're an early morning person and you need something within the first 30 minutes before you go work out. Now, another thing I can guarantee women are going to say is, oh my God, I feel

so sick when I have this meal. Yeah, because for months or years, however long you've been lifting fasted, your body is so used to not having a meal. So of course there's going to be a little window where your body's getting used to this. But trust me, once it adapts, you're probably going to be like, oh my God, I can't believe I've been lifting fasted for this long. All right, Yana. Wow, look at how many viewers. Yay.

We are growing. So cool. Yana: "I can firsthand agree with this. The photos for sure. I've been working out for years and just realized that makes a huge difference. I was discouraged until I put them side by side. Game changer." Your photos. I get it. You hate it. You don't want to see your body. You're cringing. You're like, how do I even take a selfie? Right. But I promise you, they will be the game changer for your journey.

Another from Yana: "I'm at the same weight, but I have muscle where it was not before." Yes. Sydney: "Yikes. I was going to watch you, but I turned up the volume and the F-bomb came out as my daughter sits next to me. Got to turn this off. Let me know when you don't use the language and I'll tune in again." Sorry, guys. That's just me. I'm very passionate about what I do. Unfortunately, some people don't like it, but what I've realized along my entire journey, with a thousand women that I've helped, is that

I can be a life changer to so many women, but some people are not going to like my vibe and they're not going to like who I am. So I apologize, but that's just me. And I really shouldn't be apologizing for being me, but that's just who I am. Ashley: "Should you be putting carbs and protein before your workouts, or just carbs? I've never been good about pre- and post-workout nutrition. I'm trying to make sure I get the right things in around my workouts. Right now, I've been trying to hit around 25 carbs and protein immediately before and

after my workouts." Yeah, you want both carbs and protein pre-workout and post-workout. If you want easy, simple things, it's a protein shake pre and post. Now, I only recommend two protein shakes a day as your max for artificial protein sources. But you can also do some egg whites pre-workout with some rice cakes. To answer the question, you definitely, definitely want protein and carbohydrates pre and post.

You're awesome. Butter coffee? Yeah, I don't know. There's just too much stuff out there. Really, guys, the secret is consistency, tracking and working out. Movement, sleep, water. That's going to get you to your results. "Yes, that's how I feel five minutes after I eat. It's like I didn't eat." Okay, so then up the protein for sure. Up the protein.

"How much is too much protein, and can it slow your progress if you go over?" That's a great question, Yana. Again, you're in the window of 0.8 times your body weight to 1.2. Some people can go above 1.2. But the main thing you want to pay attention to if you're eating too much protein is how your body is digesting it. If you're feeling extremely bloated after a day of having an increased amount of protein, and that's the variable you can trace it to, then your body may not be

digesting it appropriately. Another common thing I've heard women ask is, what about the kidneys? Can they filter it out properly? Is too much protein detrimental to the organs inside of our body? If you are doing strength training, if you are in the world of weights, CrossFit, whatever, your body is filtering that protein fast. So if you feel the bloat, that may mean that you need to bring it down into that range.

Again, it's very case sensitive. It's different for everybody, but that's something to keep in mind. Another thing is that if you're eating too much protein, it can actually do the reverse. It can start storing as body fat. So that's another tip as well. A really good rule of thumb to start at is your body weight in protein. See how your body does. If you're feeling bloated, and that's the variable you can trace it to, because there are so many things that cause bloating,

if it's something new, then bring it on down, like 5 or 10 grams. Bring it down to 0.8. Because really, what's most important is that you're at least getting protein that meets your lean muscle mass, and your lean muscle mass is not your body weight. It's way less than that. "Even if I lift light, can I not be fasted?" I don't recommend fasting at all. I don't recommend it whatsoever if you're a female and you're trying to change your body composition and build muscle.

Or even get toned. Same thing. Building muscle and getting toned are the same thing. I don't recommend fasting whatsoever. It's just another silly fucking thing out there. All right. Yana: "I really like Premier Protein cereal, half a cup with unsweetened almond milk. It helps before a workout."

Yes. Cereal is bomb. And then you just mix up a protein shake and pour it in. That's your milk, with some water or some almond milk. Pretty sure that's what Yana probably does, and I know I've shared that with you before. It's so freaking good. You can have cereal before you work out. It's a great pre-workout. Now, obviously, when I talk about more sugary foods, I also tell my communities: all in balance. Make sure you're still getting whole foods, complex carbs, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, chicken.

You're getting your veggies in there. But this is a huge lifestyle to me. It's not, I'm going to go on this diet for the next three weeks or six weeks, and I'm restricting myself from certain foods. It's all about balance. If you want cereal, if you want some Pop-Tarts, if you want some gummy bears, if you want some chocolate at night, fit it in. Track it. Pay attention. Be aware of what you're giving your body. It's all about balance.

You can reach your goals by doing that. Valerie, what's up, babe? Mary: "Don't apologize for being you." Yeah, for sure. That's exactly why I said that. I'm not apologizing for being me. That is me. I'm blunt. I'm loud. I'm obnoxious. I have fun. I'm real. I'm honest. I'm me. So if you don't like me, bye. Melanie: "Do you use supplements?"

Yes. What I use is a protein powder, and I've recently switched to Pescience vegan plant-based protein. For years I was doing whey, and I was like, okay, I just want to see what this whole hype is about. And I did notice a difference with my digestion for sure. I barely change what I use. I've been using the same supplements for the entire journey that I've been on.

I use protein, and sometimes I've used a super carb, which is a fast-acting carbohydrate. But I've recently eliminated that and gone to whole foods like fruit for pre- or post-workout. Usually a super carb is taken after a workout. So really, the only supplement I use is protein. That's it. Literally, you guys, it's just putting in hard work, consistency and giving it time. Yana: "Sometimes I'm starving when I've hit my macros.

I'm trying to drop the fluff. So if I'm hangry, I'll have more protein to satisfy me, only when I'm starving. Is that okay, or should I ride it out?" Well, again, there are a couple of variables that could come into play. One thing I always go to, and probably should have mentioned earlier, is the cheat meal and the refeed. Are you implementing those on a regular basis? Because a cheat meal or a refeed is going to bring you up into a caloric surplus, satiate you and hold you for a couple of days.

And when I say cheat meal, I mean really cheat. Have a burger, have fries, treat yourself. This is what women think: when they have a cheat meal, they just eat a little bit more of what they're already eating. That's not what you want to do. You want to make sure you're going up into a surplus on the days you have a treat, a cheat, whatever you want to call it, or a refeed day. Along my journey, I've done cheat meals to start.

I've done refeeds. I love refeeds. But I'm in the arena with my journey where I'm a lot more intuitive. I've been on this journey for six years, so I know how to structure my day and be intuitive. The one thing I really enjoyed about refeeds versus cheat meals is that a refeed is structured. You can fit stuff in. With cheat meals, a lot of women tend to be overzealous and go overboard. This is the thing with the cheat meal, you guys.

You want to eat until you're comfortably full. You don't want to go off the deep end. Okay. So make sure you are implementing them, because they are so freaking important and they will help with the hunger you may be experiencing throughout the week. Plus, it's a really good thing for your muscles to have a spike in that surplus to help with glycogen levels, to help with recovery, to help with building. The cheat meal does all of that. So make sure you're getting that in. That will help with hunger.

And with the protein, to answer your question, if you're going to increase your protein, increase it. Set it. Don't just go, oh my God, I'm starving today, I'm going to have an extra amount of protein, and then go back to your normal protein tomorrow. Increase it. Stay there. See how you're doing. Don't keep adjusting it. Have it consistently across the board on a daily basis. "I love your whole food shakes." Seriously, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Saba: "Can you please give some tips on energy foods in the morning?

Thank you." Energy, like I said, you can do fruit, you can do rice cakes, you can do tortillas. Egg whites on a white tortilla. That's a simple carbohydrate. When we're talking about energy foods, it's going to be simple carbs, some of the things I just recommended. But if you need energy, it's also about getting hyped and being excited that you're about to go do your workout. All right, Trudy: "Nikkiey, do you use food enzymes at all,

and what are your thoughts on them?" I don't use any food enzymes, but I do recommend Super Enzymes if people have a hard time digesting food. Super Enzymes by the brand NOW is a really good enzyme to use. I used to use them, but I don't anymore. If you feel like you need them, give them a whirl, but you shouldn't be sticking with them on a consistent basis. It should be, okay, I'm going to use them for about three weeks, then stop and see how my body's adapting.

I'm really big on going to the source and figuring out the trigger as to why you need the supplements or the enzymes and all that jazz. Whatever's happening can probably be fixed at a nutritional level before needing any supplements. "It's hard for me to hit my macros, so I haven't lost any weight in about two months, but I'm losing inches. Is that okay?" Yeah, there's a huge difference.

I just had this entire conversation on a call with my VIP group. There's a huge difference between weight loss and fat loss. A lot of the terminology out there is weight loss, but when you're just losing weight, you're losing everything. You're losing muscle, you're losing fat, you're losing fluids. And if you just focus on weight loss by watching the scale go down, you're missing the bigger picture. You could become a skinnier, fatter version of yourself by just focusing on weight loss.

Fat loss is preserving the muscle that you have on your body while you're decreasing body fat. There's a massive difference. Fat loss is what's going to give you that toned look that you want. So if your measurements are decreasing, your body fat's going down, your photos look different and your weight's the same, that's great. It means your body's holding on to the dense muscle that you've got, and that's okay. But the main thing, you guys, is that hitting macros and tracking is really important.

It's a game changer, especially if you want to tone and shape. If you want to be leaner and show more definition, tracking is the way you're going to get there, and being aware of the protein, fats and carbs you're eating. It's not just about hitting a specific caloric intake made up of whatever protein, fats and carbs. They all do something different in your body, so you want to pay attention to that. And an easy thing, if you are new to tracking: first of all, it's a skill.

It's just like riding a bike. It's going to take time. You're not going to learn it in a day. You're not going to learn it in five days. It's going to take failure. You're going to mess up. So be a little bit easy on yourself. Also, track the night before. Sit in MyFitnessPal, or whatever app you use. This is an absolute game changer, and something where I've noticed a drastic change in women who are just learning macronutrients. Sit in MyFitnessPal the night before. Look at your MyFitnessPal log like Tetris,

and know that you've got a game to play with these numbers. Log all of your meals for the day. It's as simple as using the barcode scanner: go into your kitchen, scan everything you're going to be eating and put it in your diary in MyFitnessPal. Okay? Then you've got your day set. If you've set it the night before, you've got your day set. That's awesome. You have no temptations the next day. You already know what you're going to hit, and it's right there in front of you.

And if you're new to tracking and you're like, oh my God, I've got to do this again the next day, copy the entire day. Eat the same thing for five to seven days, maybe even two weeks, until you get the whole concept down. Okay? Game changer. Absolute game changer, you guys, if you do that. All right. "Sounds like you're losing body fat and gaining muscle." Okay, you guys, one last question.

"Do you offer a program that helps with learning your right macros and how to track them?" Yes. That is all I do. That is all our team does. We have the Blueprint program, and then we have the VIP program. The Blueprint program is more education based. You're learning everything. You're in control of your body. We offer support Q&As four times a week in that community, where I'm able to actually talk back and forth with you, and my team of coaches is involved as well. And then we've got the VIP, which is more one-on-one coaching. You have a coach that does everything for you.

They do your programming. They do your macros. They do your workouts. You meet with them once a month, and you have weekly check-ins via a specific workflow that we have. You're working with them more hands-on. Okay? Those are our two main programs. They are the bomb. You can check them out on warriorbabe.com. You can see the reviews from all the women that are inside, and you can chat with our team to see which program may work best for you. Okay?

All right, cool. I'm going to tune out because I've got to get on one of those Q&As with the Blueprint program in 15 minutes. I appreciate you all. Every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, I come here live with my Facebook followers and the WarriorBabe community, and we're all live streaming together, answering the questions that you have and providing any help I can for your journey moving forward.

Okay? So set your alarms. Be here every Wednesday, and I'll see you guys in one week. Bye, everyone. Have a good rest of your night. Stay safe and stay warm.