Live Macro Coaching Q&A: Cuts, Builds, Recovery and Protein

Nikkiey: We are going to be bringing in participants that I get to speak with, that I get to coach live. So first and foremost, I'm going to welcome Jenny into the room. What's up, Jenny? What's going on?

Jenny: Hey!

Nikkiey: Oh, wow, we got an accent going on. Where are you from?

Jenny: Tennessee.

Nikkiey: Oh, man, I love it. That is strong. Very strong.

Jenny: I'm country as cornbread, honey.

Nikkiey: Let's go. Let's go. Cool. So you are a WarriorBabe, I see.

Jenny: I am.

Nikkiey: Okay, cool. Well, what you got for me? What question do you have?

Jenny: So the original question that I was asking: recovery. It's so hard. I can't even really go down my basement steps after a leg day.

Nikkiey: So you're holding on to the railing and waffling your way down?

Jenny: And sitting on the toilet. It's nearly impossible. I kind of fall down.

Nikkiey: Been there, done that. Know that type of vibe. Okay, so let me understand a little bit more. How long are you typically taking to recover from those workouts? Is it one day, two days, three days, five days, one week?

Jenny: Oh, at least four to five days.

Nikkiey: Yeah, that is too long. Okay. So talk to me about what your post-workout nutrition looks like.

Jenny: So my protein right now is 139. That's what you're asking, right?

Nikkiey: What do you have as soon as you're done working out? Eating-wise, what do you consume?

Jenny: My go-to that I really like is a whey protein, First Form. The cinnamon Chex rice cereal, 33 grams, and 50 grams of blueberries. That's what I eat after.

Nikkiey: Okay. And how about overall consistency with your nutrition and your macros?

Jenny: I'm learning.

Nikkiey: How long have you been a WarriorBabe?

Jenny: March.

Nikkiey: March. March, April, May, June, July. Four months. Okay, yeah, you are learning. How are you feeling compared to before joining WarriorBabe? Do you feel like you're doing a lot of things differently now than you were before?

Jenny: My blood pressure is great. My blood pressure hasn't been this good since I was a teenager. They diagnosed me with hypertension. I'm in menopause. I'm 48. And I'm having a really hard time with building muscle. I lift, and I lift good, and I feel like I'm doing the workouts good, but I don't do them as consistently as I should because of recovery.

Nikkiey: Gotcha. So talk to me about that consistency with workouts. What does that look like? Is it that you hit a leg day and then don't do the rest of the workouts? Or is it that you do leg day this week, but not next week because you were too sore from the week prior?

Jenny: I follow the app day by day. I follow whatever that app says where I'm at. Right now I'm on the last week of the first phase. I'm on the eighth week, second day. But I didn't do my leg day. I switched and went straight to back and biceps. So I'm going to do my leg day probably today, this afternoon. Usually I do the leg day first, but I didn't.

Nikkiey: Okay. And then one last thing. This is all super helpful, because I think I already have a game plan for you. You being a WarriorBabe and being inside the program and inside the app, there's already a plan forward for you in terms of the phases you have access to in the app. So one last question: how's your sleep?

Jenny: Most of the time I sleep pretty good. I'm in bed at 10. I'm usually up by six, which could be better, I know, but for some reason that's just the way it is with me. Sometimes it's 9:30-ish, but for the most part it's 10. I'm up at six, 6:30. I have to be at work at eight. But when I sleep, I sleep good.

Nikkiey: Yeah, that looks pretty good. That's about eight hours right there. Are you head down, out like a light, or does it take a little bit to fall asleep?

Jenny: Head down, I'm out.

Nikkiey: Cool. You don't really wake up in the middle of the night or anything?

Jenny: I feel like I wake up probably at three or four, and then I go back to sleep.

Nikkiey: Cool. Okay. It still sounds like you have an efficient night's sleep. So a couple of things to pull out from what you just mentioned. Obviously post-workout nutrition is so important. What you have going on there with your protein and carbohydrate afterwards is solid. If you haven't heard me say it, I will always say that you break down the muscle while you're working out, and you build it with the nutrition that you have in the 24 to 48 hours after that workout session. That's why I was asking about consistency, and making sure you're on point with your nutrition as best you can, especially with the protein.

Your fats and carbs kind of fluctuate, and like you said, you're learning. You're four months into WarriorBabe, so a lot of things are new, which is freaking awesome and exciting for you, but it's still a learning curve for sure. So if fats and carbs aren't necessarily being nailed, at least focus on the protein, because that's what's going to be the building block for your muscles. Rest and sleep sound good. That sounds efficient.

What I want you to do, though, is evaluate your workout routine. What I mean by that is phase three. You said you're on phase one right now, right? Phase three and on is all full body. I'm sure you see the community inside the Facebook group going, 'Oh my God, I love the full-body workouts. This is amazing. This is a game changer.' This is going to be the most beneficial thing for you in terms of recovery, because you're not going to have just one set leg day. You're going to break up your leg exercises over the span of five days, for example, and that's going to give you more rest and recovery in between.

So think about it. One leg day is what you're experiencing right now. You're hitting all the intensity, all the volume, all the reps, all the sets in one day. And if you're having a brutal leg day like that, you sound like a go-getter inside the gym, right? Head down, you show up, you do the work.

Jenny: Yes, ma'am.

Nikkiey: Love that. Stay with that. Now think about being able to space that out over five days. Maybe legs falls into the third exercise of the day. I don't remember exactly how we programmed it inside the app, but you're going to be able to go balls to the wall for three to four sets, and that's it. And then you have rest and recovery for 24 hours until the next day, when you hit another leg exercise in the full-body workout.

For me personally, last year I had to re-evaluate my training, and switching to full body this way was an absolute game changer for my recovery periods. So that's what I'm going to recommend for you. Finish out phase one. You said you're on what, week three?

Jenny: I am on the eighth week.

Nikkiey: Oh, you're on the eighth week. Perfect. So skip phase two and go to phase three. I know a lot of people were submitting questions about how I felt about that, and I am totally okay with you doing that. Phase one and phase two are more introductory to our style of training, and then phase three goes into what I just explained, which is full body. I feel like that's the best overall for recovery, not just for women my age, but for women your age and on. So I think that's going to be your best bet for sure.

Jenny: I will do that. Thank you.

Nikkiey: You're welcome. Thank you for choosing me to talk to. I appreciate it.

Jenny: Of course. It was a pleasure speaking with you. And my goal is VIP.

Nikkiey: Let's go. Incredible coaches up in VIP that can support and help you.

Jenny: Even the ones on Facebook are awesome. And the coaching calls I've been on a couple of times are awesome.

Nikkiey: Amazing. Well, then I'll see you on the community calls, because I host one every month. I hope to see you on the screen on Zoom, and I'll shout you out. I'll be like, 'What's going on, Jenny?'

Jenny: Thank you.

Nikkiey: You're welcome, babe. Keep crushing. I'll talk to you soon. Bye-bye.

All right, so beautiful. Amazing. We just got to talk with Jenny. Let's move on to another one of our babes. We have Rachel, so let's admit Rachel into the room. What's up, Rachel?

Rachel: Hey, Nikkiey. How are you?

Nikkiey: I'm so good. How are you?

Rachel: I'm doing great, thank you.

Nikkiey: So where are you from?

Rachel: I am currently in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Nikkiey: Oh, okay. Beautiful. Been there your whole life?

Rachel: No, I've been here for a little over a year. I'm originally from mid-Missouri.

Nikkiey: Cool. Well, thanks for submitting a Q&A. I'm stoked to have you on here. How can I help? What's your question?

Rachel: I'm really excited. I've been trying to figure this out, and this is kind of the main reason I wanted to join the program in the first place. It's kind of a two-parter, I suppose, but it's really: what is the secret to macros? So many of us are taught to count calories and rely on the scale, and that that's the only way. So what makes macros so different? And how do we know what's going to work for us as we age?

Nikkiey: I love that one. That's a great freaking question. Because like you said, every woman I speak to who is 40, 45, 50-plus years old has been brought up with marketing around this strategy, and to look this way. Things are definitely changing, and it's definitely a different approach when it comes to wanting to build muscle and lose body fat, right? So let me ask you, so I have a little understanding of you: what's your current understanding of macros and their role and what they do in the body?

Rachel: I'm a strict beginner when it comes to macros. I'm definitely the one who's having to change my complete train of thought and way of thinking, because I was raised on counting calories and measuring by the scale. So I'm still a beginner when it comes to macros.

Nikkiey: Awesome. Love that. That's exciting, because there's a whole array of abundance on the other side with macronutrients. Now, are you looking to understand macros in terms of your overall wellness, or are you focusing more on weight management as you age?

Rachel: I would actually say both. I have had a variety of health issues, so right now, with my coach and the program, I'm working to heal myself from the inside out. My path is going to look quite a bit different than others might. So for me it's going to need to cover both of those aspects.

Nikkiey: Okay. Tell me a little more about your fitness goals.

Rachel: I really just want to gain more energy. I want to feel better, not just about how I look, but in general. I want to be able to keep up with the puppies. I want to feel good about myself and feel good enough to keep up with life, and to experience all the things I want to experience on a daily basis. So I want to look good and I want to feel good. But at the same time, I want to know how to do that without having to rely on medication, and without having to rely on everybody else telling me, 'Well, do this or do that.' I want to know inherently what I really need to be focusing on and what's going to be best for me.

Nikkiey: Awesome. I love that. That's powerful. Are you a WarriorBabe, or did you say you're working with a coach in another program?

Rachel: No, I am a WarriorBabe. I joined about three weeks ago.

Nikkiey: Oh, congrats. That's early. You are a fresh new WarriorBabe. Let's go. That's amazing.

Rachel: Thank you.

Nikkiey: Who's your coach?

Rachel: Kylie.

Nikkiey: Kylie. Oh, nice, Kylie V. Well, you got a tough cookie there. She's a good one. She'll keep you accountable, that's for sure. Okay, so going back to your overall question: what's the big ordeal about macronutrients? Why macronutrients, and what sets them apart from counting calories? That was your main question?

Rachel: Yes.

Nikkiey: Counting calories doesn't consider the overall quality or nutritional composition of the foods you're consuming. For example, a sugary soft drink and a piece of fruit may have similar calorie counts, but the nutritional values are entirely different. The sugary drink has tons of sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, all that stuff. Its calories may be similar to a piece of fruit, but the fruit has a different type of sugar that is better for the body.

Now think about tracking macros. Tracking macros focuses on the quality of the calories you're consuming, and it ensures you're getting the right balance of macronutrients: the right balance of protein, carbs and fats. It also recognizes that not all calories are created equal. For example, protein calories can help build muscle. Carbohydrate calories provide your body and your brain energy, and they also help recover the muscles you break down inside the gym, along with protein, when you combine them. And fat calories support your overall cellular health and your hormone production.

I can tell you that a lot of women steer away from fat because they feel like if they eat fat, they're going to get fat. This is where a lot of imbalances can happen within the body, because now they're not eating enough fat, so hormone production gets all wacky, or hypothyroid happens, or X, Y and Z happens. When people just count calories, they probably consume tons of carbs and little protein. So when you make sure you're balancing things out by focusing on and tracking macros, you can ensure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to function optimally. That leads to overall improvement in your health, your wellness, your body, your state of mind, and a sustainable approach to food.

It's also worth noting that when you count macros, you're inherently counting calories. Say your overall calorie mark is 1,800. If you're tracking macronutrients, you have the split between protein, fats and carbs, and that's going to get you to 1,800 calories. But when people just focus on counting calories, it could be a blend of 20% protein, 70% carbs and 10% fat. You see that it's all over the place. So it's understanding the way total caloric intake is broken down. It's the distribution of calories across the different types of nutrients. Does that make sense?

Rachel: It does, yes.

Nikkiey: Cool. Does that answer your question? I think I just went on a mini rant.

Rachel: No, no. It definitely helps make the information easier to digest, to understand exactly what macros are giving me versus just the calories. I think it's a different level of accountability. That's a great way of looking at it, I suppose. I can definitely eat pizza, but it's making me more aware of what that pizza consists of and where it falls within everything else I'm doing that day. So it's not just that one slice is so many calories. Where does the cheese and everything else fall into it too? So I have a better grasp of it. Thank you for that.

Nikkiey: For sure. And if you want a slice of pizza, have the slice of pizza. Have a protein shake with it, or some chicken on the side. There's your balance. You have some protein, fat and carbs, and then make sure the rest of the day is a little more balanced with more quality food. You get what I'm saying?

Rachel: Yes, very much so. Thank you.

Nikkiey: And as you age, I don't expect everyone to track macros for the rest of their life, but understanding this stuff is so valuable to your toolkit for understanding food as you go through the rest of your life. As you understand what you're feeling in your body, it helps you age with energy and longevity. Second to that is strength training, which is a huge component too, with aging, longevity and building more muscle, because I believe muscle is the organ of longevity. But understanding food more, which macros gives you that education and learning experience for, can serve you for the rest of your life.

And I know you said you're only three weeks in. Accept that learning macros is going to take time, especially if you're the newest of all newest beginners. Just accept that. Maybe you and Kylie are focusing on just protein right now. Just hitting your protein is a win. Look at it like that, and not like you're failing. You're doing more than you were doing before WarriorBabe, and you're focusing on getting what you need for your body. So just accept it. Macros are freaking bomb. Take your journey in steps and strides, which I'm sure you and Kylie already have mapped out.

Rachel: Definitely. Absolutely. Thank you so much.

Nikkiey: Yeah, Rachel, absolutely. It was a pleasure speaking with you. Keep crushing your journey. I hope to see you inside the community more.

Rachel: Absolutely. Thank you again. I appreciate it. It was great speaking with you.

Nikkiey: Likewise. All right, see you, Rachel. Take care. Bye.

Woo, let's go. Freaking love this. You guys, this is so much freaking fun. Okay, let's see who we got. We got Kristen and we got Courtney in the waiting room. I'm going to go to Kristen. Hey, how are you?

Kristen: Good. How are you?

Nikkiey: I'm good. Where are you tuning in from? Where are you in the States?

Kristen: I'm in Illinois, south of Chicago.

Nikkiey: Oh, nice. Cool beans. Are you a WarriorBabe?

Kristen: Yes, I am.

Nikkiey: Woo, let's go. Are you in VIP or the Blueprint?

Kristen: VIP.

Nikkiey: Okay, I knew your face looked familiar. I've seen you on calls before. All right, what you got for me? What's your question?

Kristen: I'm just coming off the build phase. I just started a cut this week. So I'm wondering what your tips would be for me to optimize my results.

Nikkiey: Yes. How was your build? How long was that phase?

Kristen: About six and a half months, actually.

Nikkiey: Nice. Are you happy with the progress you made?

Kristen: Yes. My strength really went up. And I have to say, I didn't start feeling uncomfortable with it until maybe that final week right before the cut was going to start.

Nikkiey: Yeah. Good. Did you start VIP in a build?

Kristen: No. I've been with WarriorBabe for a year and a half. I went through the retrain, worked into maintenance and then went into the build.

Nikkiey: Oh, wow. You have put in the work. That's amazing. I love to hear that kind of trajectory. You didn't start in a cut, which was smart. I don't know what your eating habits were like, but it sounds like retraining first was a good start for you. You needed to do that. We don't put everybody into a retrain, then maintenance, then a build. So that's awesome. How much food are you eating right now, coming out of the build?

Kristen: Right now I'm down to about 2,175 calories. I was up to around 2,300.

Nikkiey: 2,300 calories. How old are you, can I ask?

Kristen: 54.

Nikkiey: Can we just trump people eating 1,500 calories at 54 years old? Because you just heard it straight from Kristen: she's 54 and she was at 2,300 calories. That's awesome. Your metabolism is really thanking you right now for being up that high for a decent amount of time.

Okay, so tips coming out of a build. I tend to get sidetracked; I want to know you a little bit more. What are your specific goals for cutting?

Kristen: To show the muscle that I gained through that build. I went into it wanting more muscle, because I knew if I didn't get the muscle built, my body fat was not going to decrease.

Nikkiey: Yes. Beautiful. Who's your coach? Because she taught you well.

Kristen: Raven.

Nikkiey: Oh, Raven. Nice. You know Raven was one of our first team members when WarriorBabe was first birthed?

Kristen: That's what she was saying. Yeah, she's awesome.

Nikkiey: You have a very special coach. Okay, so tips for coming from a build into a cut. First and foremost, which I'm sure Raven has down pat for you already: it's going to be a slow and gradual transition, which you may have already experienced. You went from 2,300 to around 2,100 right now. That's a very small caloric decrease, but that's really important in terms of having your body adapt in the right way. You don't want to slash your calories, go too deep into a cut, and then you're starving and have nothing to work with. So gradually decreasing would be my number one tip.

What's super exciting is that you're going to start revealing the hard work you just put in, the time you've been with WarriorBabe and the muscle you've built. If you do this the right way, you're going to see all that hard work, which I know is your overall goal.

Second, make sure you're maintaining your protein intake. While you're reducing your overall caloric intake during this cut, it's important to either maintain your protein or even increase it a little, and play around with the other macronutrients. We want to make sure that going into this cut, you're preserving the muscle mass you just built while you're in a caloric deficit. If you don't, there's a small percentage of muscle mass you could lose in a cut, because you're not eating as much food. So to get on top of that, make sure you're eating enough protein: staying where you're at, or eating a little more as you get deeper into the cut.

Third: monitoring your progress. In VIP you have weekly check-ins, you do photos, X, Y and Z. I do not want you relying on the scale, because this is where it gets tricky for you. You've built muscle. When you start to decrease body fat and your muscle is being held onto, it's more dense. So you may not see the reflection on the scale that you'd hope for going into a cut. You may stay around the same weight, give or take a few pounds, but you could be drastically changing your body composition in your progress photos. You could feel your skin getting a little leaner, or you could see more when you're lifting. You can see muscles working more.

I think that's so important to communicate to Raven, because sometimes when we look at the pictures you upload via the app, it's hard to make the distinctions you may be seeing when you're working out and getting a pump on, because usually those pictures are taken first thing in the morning. So make sure you're communicating that in the adjustment form you fill out every single week. As you're seeing progress for yourself, say that back to Raven, because it's positive feedback for both of you.

Fourth: strength training. Get ready for this one. You just told me you gained so much strength and you feel so much stronger. Well, that may decrease a little as you go into a cut. I don't want you to feel deflated if you're not lifting as heavy as you were while maintaining and building. That's completely normal, because you're not eating as much food as you were in a build and in maintenance. A good strategy is to increase your reps and decrease your rest times. That will make you feel more effective inside your workout, and mentally it's almost equal to how much weight you were lifting before. But don't let that stop you from being challenged by weight. Still challenge yourself with weight. Still push yourself with weight. Just know that some of it may decrease a little as you go into a cut.

Kristen: Okay.

Nikkiey: This is exciting for you. I can't wait to see your transformation as you go into this next phase. And one last thing, a fifth one: hunger. It's normal. You're going to feel hungry at times. But again, having your protein intake a little higher will help satiate that hunger. It could even be, 'Wait, I need five grams more protein.' I don't know what this magic number is, but whenever I coach, I increase people's number by five, and they're like, 'Nikkiey, that drastically helped.' And I'm like, 'It's five grams, but okay.' So if you're ever feeling hungry, just ask for more protein, and know that the hunger is totally normal. The point where I would say something is if you feel like you're going to gnaw your hand off within an hour of eating a meal. Then it's, 'Hey, Raven, we need to adjust some things here.'

Kristen: Okay, great.

Nikkiey: Cool. Are you a WarriorBabe for life? How much longer until you have to renew?

Kristen: I renew in January. I've been in for a year and a half.

Nikkiey: A year and a half. That's awesome. I love it.

Kristen: I will definitely be signing back up.

Nikkiey: Beautiful. Amazing. Well, I'm so grateful that you're a WarriorBabe and that you're here along this journey, and I love that I got to speak with you today.

Kristen: Same. Thank you so much.

Nikkiey: You're welcome. Go crush your cut. I look forward to your progress.

Kristen: Thanks.

Nikkiey: All right, see ya. All right, let's go, guys. Fam, we are having some fun here. I've got two more babes in the waiting room. Let me welcome in Julie. Hey, what's up?

Julie: Not much. How are you doing?

Nikkiey: I'm doing well, thanks. How are you?

Julie: Good. Excited.

Nikkiey: Same. Where are you calling in from?

Julie: San Francisco.

Nikkiey: Oh, nice. I always get jealous of you PST babes. You still have the majority of your day left.

Julie: I'm from Ohio, so I know the difference.

Nikkiey: Yeah. Cool. Are you a WarriorBabe?

Julie: Yes, I am.

Nikkiey: Nice. VIP or Blueprint?

Julie: Just Blueprint.

Nikkiey: Cool. When are we going to get you up in VIP?

Julie: I would love to. It's just that right now, financially, it's one of those things.

Nikkiey: No, you got the gold in the Blueprint. You get all the things with the Blueprint. Not to devalue VIP, but you can do a lot of this on your own. You're learning a lot through the modules and stuff like that, so it's super cool.

Julie: Exactly. And I like that you have the calls and all that, and you can always reach one of the coaches on Facebook, so it makes it a lot easier.

Nikkiey: Yes. Cool beans. All right, what question do you have for me?

Julie: I have a history of an eating disorder. That's one of the reasons I came into the program: I wanted a healthier relationship with food, which I hadn't had in over 20 years. Now, as I'm working the program, I'm also in the middle of going through menopause, and I really want to build muscle. But I'm so afraid of going into the build because I'm afraid of triggering the anorexia. I know everybody keeps talking about how you have to be okay with the fluff and all of that.

Even in maintenance, I increased my macros based on a coach's recommendation. But part of it was that I wasn't lifting as heavy as I could because I had a shoulder injury, so I was really lowering the weight because of that. I started putting on fluff. Then I recently had surgery on my foot, not for any injury I did, and I went back to my previous macros, and that fluff came off. So I want to do the build, and I'm wondering how to do a build. I know that's the only way I'm going to grow more muscle, because I'm not doing it, at least not like I want to, in maintenance. But I'm afraid of increasing the macros and triggering the eating disorder.

Nikkiey: Sure. I totally understand where you're coming from with that. Tell me where your macros are right now.

Julie: I believe my carbs are around 114, my protein is around 157, and my fats, I'd have to look. I can't remember exactly. I'm still at the sixth increase from when you're retraining your metabolism, and I've been at that for probably six to eight months.

Nikkiey: Okay. So you're at that sixth step. And this is the thing: you don't have to go up into a full build. I feel like knowing that will help ease things. What you had said was a mini build, and that can so be true. You can work to get to your body's maintenance numbers, stay there, and just challenge yourself a little harder in the gym: pushing the weight, increasing the sets, increasing the reps, or decreasing the reps and pushing heavier weight with a little longer rest time, but giving it your all there. Because again, that's where you break down the muscle, and then following the workout is where you build the muscle, with what you eat. So we can at least get your body to its maintenance level. What's the overall calorie number you're at with those macros?

Julie: I think it's around 1,800 or 1,900 calories.

Nikkiey: Okay. And remind me of some body stats. How old are you, and what's your current body weight?

Julie: I'm 50, going on 51. I'm 5'4" and about 118 pounds currently.

Nikkiey: Okay. That protein number, I would keep you there. I don't think you necessarily need to go higher. I wouldn't go lower either, because that protein number could be your best friend in helping you feel the cues going on with your body when you start to build more muscle and add more food. It's going to keep you feeling satiated, and it's going to keep you focusing on more nutrient-dense foods, rather than simply increasing the quantity of your macros. I would focus on... oh, you disappeared with your audio or video there for a second.

Julie: Oops, sorry about that. I was trying to look up my macros. My carbs are 114, my fat is 81 and my protein is 156.

Nikkiey: Okay. So we've got you on the retrain for menopause.

Julie: Yes.

Nikkiey: Gotcha. And the total calories were around 1,800 to 1,900?

Julie: Yeah, 1,900.

Nikkiey: Okay. You're getting pretty close to that maintenance number. I would say pushing 2,100 to 2,200 would be pretty solid, and that's a very small increase upwards. And I would do it as a gradual increase, which I know you have a couple more steps to finish in that region, because that'll help you add smaller amounts rather than one huge increase.

I'd also like to make a little more of a mental note with you here. With building muscle, you've got to keep reminding yourself of two things. Number one, you are much more than your body image. Number two, in order to build more muscle, you have to fuel the process, and fueling the process needs food, because muscle is an active tissue. The way it gets repaired and built is through energy, and that energy obviously comes from the food you're eating. So if you think about it more in terms of the science, that will help with the mental side. And remind yourself that muscle is a statement of strength. It's a statement of health. It's not just appearance.

Julie: A question for you: how heavy do you have to lift? I see some people showing these huge weights, and I know for myself, with past injuries, there's only a certain level I can get up to safely training on my own at the gym. Do you have to lift huge weights? I know you have to increase the weight, but does it have to be an astronomical amount?

Nikkiey: No, no, no. I like to explain it in two ways, and the second one is something you have access to in the Blueprint. I don't know if you've seen this module yet.

Number one: within the last three reps of a set is where you should feel challenged. If you're just going through the motions, and you get to the 10th rep and it's like, 'Oh, that was easy,' or even the last five aren't challenging, pick up a heavier weight. The last three reps should be challenging, making ugly faces, uncomfortable. It's like, 'Oh my God, am I actually going to be able to push this?' Total mind over body. And push through that.

Number two: in the Blueprint, in the workout philosophy section, you have access to learn how to find your one-rep max. For you personally, I think this would be a good strength indicator: figuring out what that one-rep max is and then working backwards in the programming. This is actually going to come up in the Blueprint. You have a couple of phases coming up where we're going to help you learn this. It's very exciting. You're the first one to know, and now everybody listening knows. So you'll be taught how to do it, but you can also learn it within the modules.

Let's say, for example, you can lift 135 on a squat. You can then easily work backwards with percentages on a week-to-week basis, and that will help you get stronger. That's how you know your muscles are getting stronger, because you're doing it in a very strategic manner, paying attention quantitatively to your numbers. So it's not that you need to lift astronomical weight. It's: how much can Julie lift? What's her max, or close to her max? Even if you can't do a true max by yourself in the gym for safety reasons, maybe you bang out two or three reps, and then you can put that into a calculator online, figure out what your one-rep max would be, and work backwards from that with percentages on a weekly basis.

Then, going back to the nutrition side of things, I would go into a mini build. I don't think you personally have to do a full-on blowout build. Maybe you've seen me do a Cheryl, or 3,600 calories. That's different. Everyone's different. So I would say go into your maintenance, and then pay attention to your progress when you're eating those macros. Tune in and assess how you're feeling. Are you hungry? Are you feeling bloated? What caused the bloat? Was it a food, or do we have to pull back down in macros for two weeks before your body can fully adjust? Then gradually increase.

And pay attention to your progress. If you see the numbers go up too quickly, like more than five pounds in a matter of three weeks, then I would say, okay, let's pull your macros back a little. Go back to what you were at before you adjusted upwards and spend a little more time there, so your body can fully adapt before you move upward.

Julie: Okay. So to increase the macros, would I just go back to the calculator for menopause, hit increase, and go by the next level it gives me? Oh, actually, I'm sorry, I spoke incorrectly. I've been at the eighth one for six to eight months. Sorry, I misspoke. I'm at the max for maintenance. That's my max.

Nikkiey: Okay. So then there's an adjustment section in the Blueprint. You would go to the adjustment section and put in those macros to make an adjustment for menopause to go up, and that will increase you a little. If it increases your protein, don't increase the protein. Stay with that protein and allow the fats and carbs to be increased incrementally. You may hit a ceiling with the fats. I wouldn't really put you over about 90 grams of fat. So if you hit that ceiling, you can test a little with carbs. By the way, this is what makes VIP so great: we can do these things for you.

Julie: Exactly.

Nikkiey: Is that the plug in there? I know. No, I feel like I'm spewing all these numbers out, and I want to make sure you're getting the full coaching. But I'm like, man, we could just do this for you. Make VIP a priority too. But definitely go in and use the adjustment calculator for now, and pay attention to the upcoming phases in the Blueprint, because we're going to speak more to figuring out what those maxes are. Even if you're doing it by yourself, you can figure out something like a three-rep max and put it into a calculator.

Julie: Oh, okay. Perfect. Thank you.

Nikkiey: You're welcome, Julie. Great talking to you.

Julie: I appreciate it. Bye.

Nikkiey: All right, we are moving and grooving here. I haven't checked in on Facebook. How are we doing on Facebook? Woo, beautiful. Okay, guys, I've got room for one more, and I think we only have one more guest in the waiting room: Courtney. I'm going to admit her in. What's up, Courtney?

Courtney: Hello. Sorry, I was tuning in on the Facebook live and there was a little lag. How are you doing, Nikkiey? Can you hear me okay?

Nikkiey: I'm great. Yeah, I can hear you. It's a little laggy, but I can make it out. Where are you from?

Courtney: Sorry about that. I'm coming in from Utah.

Nikkiey: Utah. Okay. I just got off with someone from California, so you're all the way out west too. I'm jealous of your time zones, because you still have the majority of your day left. That's what I was just telling the last one too.

Courtney: Yeah, it's nice. We love it over here.

Nikkiey: Who's this little one here with you?

Courtney: This is Bonnie.

Nikkiey: She's all blinged out with her necklaces. Good raising. Hi. How old is she?

Courtney: She's almost one and a half.

Nikkiey: Oh, you're a big girl. Yes, you are. How cute. All right, Courtney, are you a WarriorBabe?

Courtney: I am. I'm in the Blueprint.

Nikkiey: Very nice. I just got done talking to somebody else who's in the Blueprint. Awesome. What question do you have?

Courtney: My question is a little multifaceted. I'm training for an ultramarathon that's happening in November. It's going to be 30.2 miles, and I'm trying to figure out how to adjust my macros and everything. I was in a build for about nine months because I was breastfeeding, and I didn't want to be in a cut at that point. So I'm trying to figure out how to adjust my cutting macros so I'm in a caloric deficit, but not burning so many calories that my body goes into starvation mode, if that makes sense.

Nikkiey: Yeah, that totally makes sense. To be honest with you, I wouldn't put yourself in a cut. If you're going to be doing all this training and all this running, your exercise is putting you into a deficit. So I would allow the exercise to create the deficit rather than the nutrition, because you need the nutrition to fuel your exercise, especially with a goal that big. 30.2 miles. What are you going to do for 30.2 miles? What do you do in that timeframe? Do you listen to music? Do you zone out?

Courtney: My cousin and I are going to do it together. The ultramarathon we're doing is a Spartan, so it has about two obstacles per mile. There are going to be 60 obstacles, so it's broken up nicely, which will be good, because I'm the same way. I can't run a straight 30 miles and keep my sanity. Right now, my carbs are 195, my fats are 62 and my protein is 162, I believe.

Nikkiey: Okay. Tell me some body stats. How tall are you and how much do you weigh?

Courtney: I'm 5'1" and 138.

Nikkiey: Okay. Are you still breastfeeding?

Courtney: No, I finished about two months ago.

Nikkiey: Okay, good, because you burn more calories breastfeeding too. Between your exercise and that, you would need to be eating a heck of a lot of food. Really quick, what's the calorie number with those macros?

Courtney: 1,986.

Nikkiey: 1,986. And what does your training regimen look like right now for this?

Courtney: On the weekdays, I run about a mile in the morning and a mile at night. On the weekends, I'm currently doing less than five miles, but it will gradually increase until I'm running a marathon on Saturdays.

Nikkiey: Okay. Are these your cut macros right now? What were you eating before that?

Courtney: Yes. I've been using the cutting adjustment calculator in the modules, and it's had me decrease by about 15 grams of carbs and five grams of fat with every cut adjustment. I stayed consistent with each adjustment for about two weeks before doing another one.

Nikkiey: Awesome. How long have you been at these new numbers?

Courtney: About three weeks.

Nikkiey: Three weeks. Okay. Being 5'1" and 138, are you seeing any progress with these current macros?

Courtney: Yes, slight progress. My main concern is the fat around my midsection, my thighs and my butt area. I've seen very slight differences in my progress photos, but I want to make sure I'm not doing my body a detriment, if that makes sense.

Nikkiey: Oh, for sure. That's where I would say that as you continue to increase your workload with your training, I wouldn't continue to cut your calories, because, like I mentioned at the beginning, the increased exercise is doing that. Think about it in reverse, with the exercise being your cutting adjustments. Mav, we have a thunderstorm going on. He's freaking out. So as you increase your workload and you need to meet the demand of both, you don't want to go too low with your food. You're going to want to trend back upwards.

Some cues I would listen to in your body: first, your recovery after training. It's a bit lower right now, but as your training increases, pay attention to your leg recovery, your sleep and your mood. If those things start to regress, you're having a long recovery time, you're not sleeping as well, you're more irritable, that's where I would shift back upward in your macros. Add another 150 calories or so, using the calculator to bump yourself back up, instead of trending any lower than where you are. Maybe you can make one more adjustment before you really turn up your training, to see a bit more progress with your body. But I wouldn't go any lower than that, to be honest, because like I said, you're going to meet the deficit through the exercise you're doing, and that's really what you're training for right now. So those are the tactical things I would do.

Courtney: Okay, that makes a lot of sense. As my training goes up, I'm going to burn more calories, so why deplete my nutrition when it's already going to be depleted by training? Thank you.

Nikkiey: Exactly.

Courtney: I also wanted to ask: since I'm doing so much cardio anyway, do you think I need to add in one or two leg days throughout the week?

Nikkiey: I wouldn't add in two. What phase are you on inside the Blueprint?

Courtney: I'm sorry, will you tell me the phases again? I can't remember.

Nikkiey: No worries. In terms of workouts, there's phase one, phase two, phase three. Are you inside the app?

Courtney: I do have the app, but I'm not very tech savvy. I don't know what phase I'm in. I'm so sorry.

Nikkiey: Oh no, it's okay. Are you doing leg day, shoulder day, chest and back, something like that?

Courtney: Right now it's a muscle group per day. It's not full body.

Nikkiey: Okay. In phase three, you're going to transition to full body, and that's what I would honestly recommend while you're training for this. What is it again, a triathlon? A Spartan ultra?

Courtney: Spartan ultra.

Nikkiey: Spartan ultra. Yay. So I'd recommend you transition to the full-body workouts, which is phase three. You shouldn't be doing two leg days when you're training for this kind of thing. It will put a better training regimen in place for you to do your runs and your miles, and then focus on the strength training days we have. You don't have to do all five. You can marry them to your training schedule. Say after your big runs, take the next day as a rest day, and then do the strength training. On easier strength training days, you can add in the miles you have to do. But if you can, I would recommend doing miles separate from strength training days, and make sure you still have at least one to two rest days a week. Does that make sense?

Courtney: So if I'm just running about two miles a day during the weekdays, and doing the full-body strength training in phase three, do you think that'll be okay for my goals?

Nikkiey: Oh yeah, totally. Two miles a day, that's easy. I'm saying as you increase your mileage per day, if you ever have days where you're getting to seven, eight, nine, 10 miles, I wouldn't pair those with strength training.

Courtney: That's super helpful. I feel like it's a very unique circumstance. I appreciate you taking the time to answer all of our questions.

Nikkiey: Hell yeah. I enjoyed doing this with you guys. We'll definitely be doing more of these. I hope you share your progress inside the community so we can cheer you on for this extravagant run you're going to be doing. It takes a unique person to do this. So keep crushing it and being a WarriorBabe, and I hope to see you inside the community.

Courtney: For sure. Thank you so much, Nikkiey. Have a great rest of your day.

Nikkiey: All right. You guys, I've got one more waiting in the room. I could do this all day. I know I said the last one was the last one, but we'll do one more and then we'll rock and roll. We got Jessica in the house. What's up, Jessica?

Jessica: Hi, nice to meet you.

Nikkiey: Nice to meet you too. Where are you calling in from?

Jessica: I'm actually at a horse show in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Nikkiey: Oh, nice. You're not too far away. I'm a couple of states up above you. I'm in PA.

Jessica: I didn't think I was going to be able to do this because my daughter, at camp, called in sick, but my mom went and got her.

Nikkiey: Oh, well, that's nice. I hope she feels better. Are you a WarriorBabe?

Jessica: I'm not. I would like to be. I'm saving up to be. My husband is financially making me wait, but I've been working with Janie, and she's helped a lot. So I'd like to be eventually. That's my goal.

Nikkiey: Good. Do I need to call the husband and be like, 'Why are we financially holding her back? Let's go'?

Jessica: Yeah, exactly.

Nikkiey: So how can I support you today? What questions do you have?

Jessica: Oh, goodness, I have a million. I think my thing is trying to figure out macros when everybody has a different school of thought on it, and trying to figure out how to do that along with hormones. I've had a horrible time with birth control. It has made me gain a lot of weight in my midsection. After two kiddos, and having a lot of weight there, it's been hard to get rid of, and I feel like the birth control makes it a lot worse. So doing that along with working out and trying to lose weight, I have maintained. I have definitely toned up, but I would still like to lose more. So I guess figuring out how to calculate macros, and how much protein I should be eating, is the biggest thing.

Nikkiey: Yeah, for sure. I'll tackle that with you. I can definitely help you with protein, because it's probably the easiest one. But what's really cool and unique about WarriorBabe is that on your way in, you fill out an intake form that helps our team understand you more in depth, what you've got going on and things I'd love to dive into. That will all be handled, and we'll place you exactly where we feel you should be, because there are different starting points for everybody. Everybody's so unique.

And one thing: screw the online calculators. Stop going to them. Stop trying to figure them out, because they all use different combinations and different formulas. What makes WarriorBabe unique is that over the last five years since it was birthed, especially in the first years, I worked very closely with thousands of women. I got to understand their bodies, their needs and what they were going through, from having a baby, breastfeeding and postpartum all the way up to menopause and postmenopause and all that jazz. And what I saw was that different combinations work for different women in all these stages.

So to answer your question about protein: you want at least your body weight in protein. At least. Do you know how much protein you get daily?

Jessica: I've been doing about 100, if I can get to that. I've been starting to use more protein bars and protein shakes, but I'm so confused about protein powder, plant-based or beef-based or whey. I try to get to 100 every day.

Nikkiey: Okay. What's your body weight?

Jessica: 121.

Nikkiey: 121. Okay, so you're not that far off. First, the protein bars and protein shakes: love that. Love having them as a meal replacement or wherever you need to fit them in. But know that those sources aren't the best, not insane quality, because they're processed food, essentially. They're artificial protein. You're going to feel better digestion-wise and bloat-wise with whole food sources like chicken breast. Do you have any restrictions there? Vegan, vegetarian, anything like that?

Jessica: I have the alpha-gal allergy, so I can't have any hooved animals, but I can have chicken, fish, turkey and all that. But no pork.

Nikkiey: No pork. Ew, gross. I don't like it either. That's a good thing to not be allowed to have, in my opinion. So, chicken, whole food sources. To break it up: if you split 125 over five meals a day, that's 25 grams in each meal. Think of it like this. Meal one, you have 150 grams of egg whites. I think that's around 20 grams of protein. The next meal is chicken breast. The rule of thumb is that three ounces is about 22 to 25 grams of protein. Then you can throw in a protein bar, because that's easy. A snack later could be Greek yogurt. Can you have Greek yogurt, like Fage?

Jessica: Yeah.

Nikkiey: Usually 170 grams gets you a good solid 20 grams of protein. And then whatever you and your husband want for dinner, meat-wise, like ground turkey, has a similar rule of thumb to chicken: about three ounces is around 25 grams of protein. So right there, there's 125 grams of protein in your day, and I didn't even mention a protein shake.

Jessica: Good. Well, that's what I need to focus on. I've just heard so many different things about calories too: trying to get the protein in, but then eating 1,780 calories, or being in a calorie deficit by eating only 10 times your weight. And I know I've seen all your posts about calorie deficits not being good.

Nikkiey: It depends on the human. I don't think every single woman needs to go into a calorie deficit right away, especially if you're trying to strength train and build more muscle. Your body needs food for that process to happen. When you fuel your body with enough food, which is usually why I like to put women in maintenance, because maintenance is where the magic happens, and you combine those two together, your results will be incredible. So you don't always have to put yourself into a cut, especially since you look relatively athletic and fit from what I can see. Maybe it's just the belly fat you were saying comes from the hormones and the birth control, and that needs to go by just eating right, making that shift and giving your body what it needs, and doubling that with strength training. Bam diggity.

Jessica: I do the wine occasionally. I don't drink wine that much anymore after kids. And I do like sweets, like licorice and little things like that, but I try to make sure I fit them into my macros, within my carbs, and I'm never going over. But that's part of my belly fat. That doesn't help.

Nikkiey: Well, are you doing that every day, all day long? Because it ain't that. It's more about eating more, fueling your body enough. You can have those things. But let's get the rest of the day down pat. Let's get the protein down. Let's get the carbs, the whole foods, the quality, all of that. And then you can have the licorice and the sweets, man. I have Dove chocolate every single freaking night. I can't give up the sweets. I'm addicted to sweets. If you listen to my podcast, before starting my journey, the sweets controlled me. I didn't control them. Now I control them. I can have a glass of wine, a drink with friends, ice cream. It's just about structuring your day with more quality first and then allowing this stuff. You can totally have it. It's just about focusing on the other stuff first.

Jessica: First. And not replacing it.

Nikkiey: Exactly. Not replacing it with the sweets.

Jessica: So for 121 pounds, and I work out, I ride horses. I need to be better about rest days and better about sleep, but with two kiddos that makes it hard. I try to do my best. Would you recommend staying at around 1,500 calories?

Nikkiey: Remind me of your stats again. I didn't write them down. How old are you?

Jessica: I'm 35.

Nikkiey: 35, and you weigh 121. How tall are you?

Jessica: 5'4".

Nikkiey: 5'4". 1,500 calories with strength training, and you're a busy person. Are you sedentary or active? What's your job like?

Jessica: My son is always active, so I'm always active.

Nikkiey: Yeah, no. Fuck the 1,500 calories, girl. You need more than that. That's probably also why you're holding on to more body fat in your stomach area. It's a variable. You're probably not feeding your body enough to fuel the results you want. Your body has adapted to a lower caloric intake, so it doesn't really have anywhere to go in terms of fat loss. You need to fuel it a little more. I guarantee when you come into the program, you're going to be put through what we uniquely like to call a retrain, where we gradually bring you up in calories rather than throwing you straight to maintenance. We gradually bring you up and allow your body to adapt to a higher caloric intake. Usually, when that happens, you start to drop body fat, because your body's like, 'Thank you for giving me the food I've been waiting for.' Burn.

Jessica: Okay. I have noticed my energy being a little better when I eat more. Usually I need the Diet Coke or the tea to wake up, but I haven't been as reliant on it when I've eaten a little more, mostly because I'm eating more protein.

Nikkiey: Yeah. Watch what your body does at around 1,800 calories. Is 1,500 where you're at right now?

Jessica: Give or take. One week I'll try 1,250 to 1,400. Then the next two weeks I've done about 1,700. I just don't know what to do, because I've heard so many different schools of thought.

Nikkiey: Oh my God. You need to be in WarriorBabe ASAP. Give me your husband's number right now.

Jessica: Well, it's my birthday next weekend, so I'm hoping my mom lets me do it, because I've told her this is what I want for my birthday.

Nikkiey: Okay, good. Yes, you need to be inside here. Let us help you. We need you a little higher on those numbers for sure, and we'll bring you up there gradually. Then you'll just know what to do, instead of, 'What do I do? I don't know what to do. It's all confusing.' Once you're inside, just follow it, and follow it consistently. Consistently. Don't come to one of the calls and say, 'Nikkiey, I'm only at 25% nutrition compliance,' and wonder why you're not seeing the results you want. Don't give it 25% effort.

Jessica: Yes. Cool. One more quick question. In a couple of emails you've said women do their macros and calculate their protein, but there's one other component, and you have to go to WarriorBabe to find out what it is. Is there some other secret component? Or is it just doing the workouts, doing the nutrition and following macros?

Nikkiey: And mindset. Mindset is so freaking important. It's one of the pillars we have inside our program, whether you're working one-on-one with a coach or inside the Blueprint program. Inside the modules, you have a whole mindset masterclass. You've got to get that right. You've got to get it on board and eliminate the stories, the beliefs, the excuses: 'I don't have time. I have two kiddos and it makes it hard.' So that's the secret sauce for sure, on top of nutrition, following through consistently, working out and pushing yourself with strength training.

I firmly believe in strength training. Do I believe in cardio? Yes, but it should be a secondary tool to aid in fat loss. It shouldn't be the primary tool. Strength training is going to do that. Building more muscle and having more muscle on your body is going to help you decrease body fat.

Jessica: Okay. Cool. I'll hopefully be part of it soon. Thank you so much.

Nikkiey: Yes, you're going to be. I can't wait to see you inside. Let's go.

Jessica: I will get there.

Nikkiey: Awesome, Jessica. It was a pleasure speaking with you today. Did all your questions get answered?

Jessica: Yes, that was great. I really appreciate it. One thing, though: what protein powder do you use?

Nikkiey: I go between First Form and Promix protein. Promix is a little easier on my digestion, but First Form is also really good.

Jessica: Okay.

Nikkiey: All right, girl. I'll see you in WarriorBabe. Have a good rest of your day. I hope your daughter feels better.

Jessica: Thanks so much. Bye.

Nikkiey: All right, fam, that is a wrap. Wow, that was so much fun. I could do that all day long, hanging out with you guys and answering all of your questions. We will definitely do another round of this, so stay tuned for when we post about the next live Q&A day and time. Make sure you follow through and submit your question so we can review the submissions, and then we'll email you to let you know if you were selected to be on the live Q&A.

I hope you guys got insane value. There was a lot of diversity to those questions: being in a build, why macros, everything from a beginner to tips for coming out of a build to freaking ultras. All of the things. I hope you found value in that. I appreciate you being here. Thank you for tuning in, and I will see you guys next time. Peace out.