Should Women Over 40 Try Carb Cycling? Live Macro Q&A

Nikkiey: What's up, WarriorBabes? Hey, everybody. Nikkiey here, and welcome to our WarriorBabe Wednesday live Q&A time together. I am super excited to be here and spending this time with you guys. As you guys are joining, please comment and say hey, what's up, or send me a wave emoji or whatever, so I can see who's here and tuning in.

You guys know the drill. The more comments you leave right now letting me know that you are here, the more it pushes our live video to the top of the Facebook group so that all the other WarriorBabes can join in and see that we're live. For anyone who has never joined a live Q&A before, they can see us live the more that you guys comment, because it pushes it to the top of the Facebook group.

All right, what's up, Angela? What's up, Francine? Hey guys. If you're tuning in after this has been live, type the hashtag replay and keep all of your questions that pertain to this Q&A in the comment thread beneath where I'm live right now.

Emily, hey girl. "So pumped about the swag." It's here, guys. It's here. Let's see if my computer reaches. It's all down there. We're going to start the fulfillment process in a couple of days, and I'm super stoked it's here. Laura, what's up? "Love the swag, can't wait to get mine." Yes. Tara, what's up, girl?

All right, I'm super stoked to be here with you guys right now. There's a lag time between Facebook and Zoom, so I just saw on Zoom that you guys just saw the whole swag thing. Yes, guys, I'm super stoked that it's here. I didn't think ahead to bring all of the pieces out. The masks are pretty freaking amazing. Actually, you know what? Why don't I do it? Hold on a second.

Okay, ready, guys? I'm back. This is our t-shirt. I can't see myself because there's a lag time. Here's a t-shirt. I am honestly, you guys, so beyond impressed. I'm so impressed with this swag right now. This material is so nice, it's unreal. So this is the t-shirt, super cute.

I'm currently wearing a small of the hoodies. Super, super lightweight, which is so nice if you want to wear it inside the gym. Super comfortable. This is a small.

These are our crop tops. Super, super cute. If you have high-waisted pants, they work perfectly with high-waisted pants or sweatpants or anything like that. This is a medium. I've been wearing a medium, but I could probably get away with wearing a small as well. They are super true to size. Here is the white crop top. This is super adorable. I'm just so obsessed with this swag line right now, the starter collection.

This is the hoodie that I have on, but in black. I've worn this multiple times. It's so freaking comfortable. It's unreal how comfortable all of this stuff is, and it's really good for the type of training that we do. If you want to wear this inside the gym, it's super lightweight, super comfortable, super airy. That's what I was looking for: airy.

Here's our tank top. Woo-hoo. I would do the whole take-it-all-off thing, but I'm not going to do that right now. This is the tank. Super, super cute. Nice little racerback, and the racerback doesn't come down low. It sits pretty nice up high. Super comfortable, and I'm so, so excited.

If you haven't put in your order yet, you still can. We still have some items left in inventory. Anything that's over a hundred dollars, you get free masks. These masks, I'm amazed, they fit perfectly. Check that out. We have white and black masks, and they're very spacious. They don't fall off your face. They stay right up there. Super nice. I never thought I would be COVID-representing some masks, but super freaking awesome. I'm so stoked with all of the apparel that we have in and the way that it turned out. Next Level is always so great. There's a little rundown for you guys.

Sorry that took up a couple of minutes. If you have any questions that pertain to our Q&A, you can start asking them in the comment area, and we'll get started in just a few seconds.

Before we do, anybody who's new, welcome. I'm super stoked that you're a part of our community and here as a WarriorBabe. You are part of a community of thousands of women who are getting toned and becoming a stronger, more confident version of themselves, which is so awesome. Every single one of you has every single tool and resource at your fingertips.

I was listening to something today that really hit home: every single one of us is a habit loop. Every single one of us is a habit loop. You have the tools and the resources at your fingertips. This program has helped hundreds of women transform their lives and their bodies. So wherever you find yourself right now, you have the tools and resources to put you on the right track. But if you're stuck in a habit loop of being inconsistent, not following something, jumping from one diet to the next diet, you've got to break that habit loop. You've got to get out of that habit loop to get any kind of success for yourself and the goals you want to accomplish.

What it comes down to is recognizing the habits that don't work for you and your goals, changing them, and making them into better habits. I listened to that today in a podcast and I was like, oh my god, I cannot wait to share that tonight with the WarriorBabes, because it hit home.

Do me a favor and smash the like button so I can see that what I'm saying makes sense. I just got a heart. Every single thing that you learn here, or that I'm trying to teach you, whether you're in my Revolution program or my Blueprint program, is all habit based.

There are certain habits. There's the habit of eating junk food. But is that habit going to serve you? Is that habit going to get you towards your goals? No, not doing it every single day. But is the habit of being consistent, being committed, being driven, being goal oriented going to get you towards your goals? Yes, 120%. So you've got to focus on what habits you want to choose for yourself, learn them, and embed them into your everyday lifestyle.

This podcast also said it's not 60 days or three months. It's a 10-year journey. This guy has nothing to do with fitness. He's on the mental side, more philosophy and that kind of stuff. When he said that, I was like, oh my god, you're preaching, you're speaking my language.

Laura: "Just listened to the rally call yesterday on habits." Yeah, I can't remember when that one was, but seriously, habits is all it is, you guys. It's just forming new habits. When you do it over a consistent amount of time, that's how you embed these habits. I hope that's helping you right now. I did get a lot of likes, so make sure you smash that like button.

I went off on the swag rant, then I went off on a little habit rant. I hope that helped. If you have any questions that pertain to our Q&A, start commenting them in the comment area and we'll start firing off some answers.

Remember, if you're new, there's no silly or stupid question. There's no right or wrong question. Ask whatever you need clarification on. Utilize these Q&As. Utilize me showing up here with you on a weekly basis to get any questions you need clarification on answered. That way you have me, the expert coach, helping you with what you need to be doing next, so you're not just assuming, "Okay, I need to be doing that," or "I should be doing this, maybe this is right." You have clarification here right now on what you need.

That's why I do these Q&As. When you're starting a new journey, you're in the habit loop of restrictiveness, or other programs, or "this person said that," and that got you into certain habits. What I'm really, really good at is breaking bad habits. I'm really good at breaking belief systems that don't serve you and your goals: carbs are bad for you, low-carb diets, eat less than a thousand calories. I'm really good at saying, "No, that doesn't work, and you have to do this," and you following through and doing it. Why? Because I'm a voice for you saying, "Hey, it's okay to do it. Nikkiey says do it."

So make sure you're utilizing these Q&As. I still haven't gotten a question in the chat box, so it's probably going to turn into a rant session.

Courtney: "Not a question, but I'm about a week away from joining Blueprint and I cannot freaking wait." Let's go, girl. Your name looks so familiar. Courtney Bernard. Girl, I think I know you. That's awesome. I cannot wait for you to bump up to Blueprint. That is honestly our hottest program right now, you guys. There are advocates in the group who can speak to it, and I could speak to it right now. I cannot wait for you to join us up there. "I graduated a year ahead of you." Shanahan. That's awesome. Wow, what a small world.

All right, Christy: "How long would you recommend keeping the same macros? I read you shouldn't stay at the same macros for too long." Yes, that's correct, but it depends. Are your macros continuing to work for you? Are you still getting results? If you are, there's no need to change them. It's different for everybody, but I've had women stay on the same macros for two months and they're still consistently getting results.

Make sure you're checking all data points. This is something I do inside my Blueprint program. They take photos, they take measurements, they measure their weight. They put it all in an Excel sheet and share it in the community. Some people respond in weight and measurements but not really in photos. Other people respond in photos and not really in weight, but they'll respond in measurements. Everyone's completely different. I've had women sit on the same macros for a long time because they're consistently getting results in one of those data points.

So yes, stay if you're consistently getting results. But if you've been on the same macros for too long and you're not getting any more progress, that's a sure tell sign that your body has adjusted to that macro intake. Now it's your job, or mine as your coach if you're in my other programs, to adjust that so your body can respond more.

If you've been on the same macros for a really long period of time, you can employ something I shared in a rally call, which I do in the Blueprint program, called a diet break. For one whole week you raise your calories super high and stay there for the entire week, and it works wonders. People drop weight, people maintain the weight. There are so many different strategies, you guys. If you're in my Blueprint program, this is something I completely cover, so you don't even have to worry about it. That's my long-winded answer to whether you should stay on your macros for a long period of time.

Tara: "I'm so excited to be back in this group. I ordered all this stuff. I'm ready to start Blueprint. I'll be watching. Week two soon." Let's go, babe. Tara was an Alpha Female. As soon as you joined, I saw your name pop up in my team's portal, and I was like, I know that name. I asked Robin, who brought you into the program, "Did she mention anything about Alpha Female?" She said, "Yeah, she was a part of it," and I was like, oh my god, awesome. So incredible, babe. I'm glad you're back and I cannot wait to help you further inside the Blueprint program.

Cheryl, what's up? Guys, Cheryl is eating 435 grams of carbs. Mic drop. Fifty-seven years old and absolutely killing it.

Christy, yes, you're welcome, babe. Lori: "Hey, I just hopped on. I've had a hard time making the calls recently." Lori, what's up, babe? Happy that you're here.

All right, does anybody have any questions? I absolutely love showing up here for you on these Q&As and spending the time with you, but the main reason I'm here is to answer any questions you have. I've gone off on the swag rant, I've gone off on the habit rant, and I'm waiting to answer some more questions.

Raina: "Why am I gaining weight instead of losing it, or my clothes feeling tighter? Am I doing something wrong?" It really depends, Raina. How long have you been in this program? How many weeks? Are you being consistent? If you're not being consistent, there's your number one answer. You've got to be consistent: staying on the same macros, putting in the same workouts, putting in the same cardio. If that's the case, maybe some things need to be adjusted. My answer would need to be very specific, and I don't have as much detail as I need to answer that question further. Plus, your body takes time to adjust. If you're just getting into the program, your body could take three weeks to adjust to what I'm trying to have you do.

Jenny just got here. What's up? Nicole, "I sent a question above." I have no question from you, Nicole.

Michelle: "Question about supplements. Do you take BCAAs and Intrablast?" I do not take BCAAs. I have some. I was like, what the hell, I'm just going to order some, and I barely use them. Intrablast I do use. I use Intrablast for every single one of my workouts and I love it. I only do half a scoop because it's so freaking sweet, but it's got a lot of really good supplements inside.

Vicky: "I'm watching you with my hubby. He wants to know your thoughts on carb cycling." What's up, Vicky's husband? My whole philosophy on carb cycling is that I don't do it. I firmly believe in the same exact macronutrients on a daily basis so that your body recognizes what you're doing and works with you instead of against you. With carb cycling, you're coming down in calories, coming up in calories, coming down, coming up. For a lot of people, and older women, that could be too much. I call it doing Morse code with your body. It's doing too much, and your body doesn't recognize what you're trying to do.

Now, to say that I'm totally against it is wrong. I have changed my views over the years of being in the industry. It can work for some. But what I preach and promote, and this will never change, is that everybody's body is completely different. What works for Vicky may not work for Michelle. I say this in my Blueprint group on those Q&As: "Hey guys, what you're hearing me talk to Jenny about is not necessarily what you should be implementing if I'm talking to Valerie about it." Everybody is completely different, and there may be strategies your body responds to better than following the same macros every single day. But what I've seen with carb cycling is that it's a very minimal group whose bodies I'm able to get to respond to it. I have no problem getting people to respond by just hitting the same consistent numbers on a daily basis and adjusting as their body adjusts to it.

All right. Nice, awesome. What flavor did you get, Michelle?

All right, Nicole, there we go: "I'm new and love this group. I've been really good with my macros and meal planning the last two weeks or so, but the bloat is real with this change. I'm trying to get used to all the protein. I'm coming from keto." Babe, just take it day by day. Your body is kind of in shock from what you were doing to what you're doing now, and it's okay that you're experiencing this change. Your body will eventually adapt. It may take some time. A lot of women can speak to this. I remember about a year ago, everybody was commenting, "Oh my god, I'm two weeks in and I'm not hungry, I feel bloated," and then four weeks in they were like, "Can I have more food?" Your body takes time to adjust, especially if you're coming off something like keto. So just give it more time.

Jenny: "On several days I work out early doing build workouts, and a couple of days a week I teach a circuit training class, 30 to 45 minutes, full body weight training. Do I up my carbs by 25 grams on those days?" If the circuit training is a cardio-based kind of class, no, I wouldn't. At the end of the day, no, because it's only 30 to 45 minutes.

Vicky: "You're welcome. The flavor you recommended." I don't know what I recommended. I think I have strawberry lemon or something like that. That one's really good. Or dragon fruit. I think I just ordered dragon fruit. A lot of them are great. Any flavor from Nutribio and Intrablast is great.

For some reason I'm not getting all of your questions. Something must be wonky with Facebook right now, because I didn't get Nicole's question. But I do see this one: "Single arms are so hard. Is it normal that I need to use less weight for single arms versus both arms?" Yeah, 100%. Think about the science behind that. You're using two arms to pull weight, so you have the force of two arms. Whereas if you're doing a single-arm anything, you only have the force of one arm. Scientifically it's completely different, so it's totally fine to use less weight for single-arm movements.

Christy: "I bumped my macros from 1,500 prior to joining, to 1,800, to 2,300. The bloat is real, but it does get better." Damn, nice, girl. Working your way up in those numbers. That's fire.

"Orange mango is great." I don't think I've tried that one. "Grape is good, like Kool-Aid." Nice. I haven't tried the grape one yet. I'm skeptical on that one. But like I said, any of them are fire.

All right, you guys, any more questions? We picked up their fo sho.

Oh, here's a blender bottle for you guys. Woo. Hats off to me and my team, because I've used many, many blender bottles, and this one is high freaking quality. It doesn't drip when you're trying to sip out of it, it doesn't spill, and you won't lose the ball, because it's attached to the middle piece in there. Fire. I'm stoked. Like I said, I've used multiple blender bottles and lost the balls all the freaking time. With other blender bottles, I literally have to suck out of the cap before I take a sip or I'm guaranteed to have it drip down my shirt. But not with this one.

"I love the swag. How do you order?" Yes, here you go, guys. I should have put that in the description above, but I'll post it here for you. There's the swag link. I went through the swag at the beginning and should have posted the link then, but there's the swag link, guys. It's coming. I'm so stoked for you guys.

There it is. Here are the hoodies, tanks and t-shirts in the farther one, crops in the middle one. We finally picked up our final items, because there was a little hiccup with COVID and everything like that. We finally picked up the remaining pieces today. We've got the mailers on the way, we've got the printer here, and we're going to make a portion of this area a fulfillment center and start firing away, getting all these orders to you guys. I cannot wait.

Raina: "Some days I only have an hour to work out. What should I prioritize, weights or cardio? I am trying to tone and lose fat." I would still get both in. I'm always like, how can I get both? I love it. What I would recommend is dropping your sets from four to three, so you're doing three sets, and then making sure you can get at least 20 minutes of cardio in.

Jenny: "When you are cutting, can you do build workouts?" No, I wouldn't recommend that. The burn workouts are higher intensity with more endurance, so that's going to help with the whole toning and shaping process. Build is strength and volume, putting as much as you can into every single one of those lifts, and you're not going to have as much energy to do that because you're not eating as much to sustain those kinds of workouts. So no, that's my answer.

Bo: "So excited to get mine in. Looks like it'll be soon." Yes, we are right on schedule. We promised you four to six weeks. There was a hiccup. You guys have been a part of this entire journey. Running a business is a lot, but this is a whole other piece, which I'm really freaking excited to learn. We'll be firing away with fulfillment in a couple of days, and it'll take only three days max to get to you with our shipping, which is super exciting, because within the next week and a half everybody's going to have their swag.

Okay, any other questions, you guys? Oh, I got so much love from that, thank you. I'm watching myself catch up. It's like a delayed reaction. All right, I'm not getting any more questions from you, so I'm going to shut down our Q&A right now. It was awesome hanging out with everybody. I love spending the time with you and coming here and showing up for you.

This always happens. Melissa: "Sometimes when there are five supersets in a workout, time could be an issue. In order to get it all in, I wasn't sure if I should do three sets of 15 or four sets of 12." I would do three sets of 15. Absolutely.

"When will caps be added to the swag?" Soon. You guys know I'm terrible with secrets, so we'll definitely be having another round of swag coming. This is definitely the baby, trying to figure all of this out, which is a lot of fun. What a process. Like I shared with you, this launch was a process we started a year ago. We got sidetracked, then I got focused on it again, then COVID hit and we had a little hiccup, but it's here and it's super exciting. Now we're just learning along the way. But there will be a next round.

All right, you guys, I'm going to tune out from our Q&A. I absolutely love you guys. Keep putting in the work. Remember what I said about habits at the beginning of this Q&A. If you didn't listen to it because you tuned in late, go back and listen to what I said about habits. It's a game changer. We are habit loops. We are constantly in habit loops. In order to break that habit loop, you have to create new habits, and that's what I'm giving you and helping you with on the mindset side of things, the food side of things and the workout side of things. You've got to be open in order to create the success you want. So remember that, okay?

I love you guys. Keep up the good work, and I will catch you on the rally call, Sunday, 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Be there. See you there. Bye.